The benefits of transforming business processes using a digital-first approach are many, beyond the technology, what parts do curiosity, empathy and agility have to play?

Curiosity

Curiosity can play a key role in your digital transformation success. During the pandemic, curiosity allowed so many companies to propel their digital transformation plans forward while supporting customers through this rapid change. And it is curiosity that will enable them to meet the needs of the future of work post-pandemic.  

As leaders, curiosity is not something we can teach; it is something we must nurture. This happens through the environment we create the behaviours we encourage and the personality throughout our team. Curiosity is needed to challenge the status quo and drive real change.

Solving problems requires creativity and creativity requires curiosity, it’s an inquisitive nature that often leads to a better result. 

Curiosity can be a powerful tool for leading process change as part of your digital transformation. But when you want to automate and optimise your organisations process, collaboration and empathy have an important role to play.

Empathy

New technology and the radical changes needed to embark on a new approach to work can be overwhelming at times. As leaders, we should practice empathy during this time — invest the time and resources to understand team member concerns and take the responsibility to improve the outlook for everyone within an organisation.

New technology can be exciting to work with, on an operational level implementing new technologies to replace existing processes is where many organisations run into the most resistance. Digital solutions need to take the user into account, by designing digital systems and workflows that support the users’ ability to master new systems and processes.

Empathy within digital transformation also includes a deep understanding of the customer; anticipating what they need and responding to those needs and expectations to make the digital experience as easy as possible to provide the best possible customer experience.

Agility

Using digital transformation to gain a competitive advantage often means that your company’s operating model needs to adapt. An agile business will achieve this by making steady, iterative steps towards its goal.

Agility means doing something new, discovering how well it works and assessing whether it achieves the desired results. This approach is hugely valuable for companies today that are seeking to innovate and find new ways of doing things. It requires brave thinking and experimentation.

Taking an agile approach to transformation means setting a goal, but not the time or cost. The project is broken down into ‘sprints’ or phases, each with an individual goal with time allowed to make adjustments to achieve the desired result.

As digital transformation continues to drive competitive advantage in the years to come, we will soon see the more agile businesses taking the lead.

The next generation of winners will be those that are leading the charge on digital transformation and driving success through an embedded culture of empathy, curiosity, and business agility.