Accelerate Digital Transformation via Reducing Unnecessary Pains

Break down bureaucracy to reduce unnecessary pains: Due to the “VUCA” (Velocity, Uncertainty, Complexity, Ambiguity) characteristics of the digital new normal, digital organization has to improve its responsiveness in adaptation to changes and accelerate its speed for grasping the business growth opportunities. It is the time to break down the organizational bureaucracy inherited from the traditional management discipline, and develop the holistic digital management practices to harness cross-functional communication and collaboration. It is also the time to break down silo thinking which creates blind spots, and often causes unnecessary complication to slow down information flow and stifle innovation; it is the time to rebuild the trust based on a clear leadership vision, in-depth understanding, insightful communication and fresh management style. Because, often the roadblocks to change and business transformation include, but not limited to: Lack of direction, internal politics, current culture/blame, not aligned systems/processes, too much hierarchy or mistrust. At the emerging digital age with the nature of hyperconnectivity, nonlinearity, and interdependence, overly rigid hierarchy becomes the very obstacle to stifle changes and drag down the business speed. It is the time to make things as simple as possible, not simpler, to inspire positive thinking, let talent grow, keep knowledge flow, and accelerate the business performance.
Enforcing contextual understanding via multidimensional thinking, interdisciplinary knowledge, and structural management practice to reduce unnecessary pains: The business system is complex and the organization is contextual, without contextual understanding about people, process, and technology, the blind spots and gaps are inevitable. Hence, to manage a high-performing business as a whole, business managers need to have a contextual understanding about the interconnectivity of the business success factors underlying the surface and focus on building cohesive business capabilities. Knowledge is no doubt important but more than that is complete awareness of what is happening in the business, not just based on the visual part on the surface, but also know-how underneath, to both improve business effectiveness and efficiency, frame the right problems to solve and solve them in the right way. Otherwise, many lagging organizations keep doing things to increase unnecessary pains or keep doing things the old way and have their business get stuck in the lower level of maturity. In fact, there are so many pitfalls on the way to fail the change - fear of unknown, unhealthy competition, comfort with the status quo, complacency, poor judgment, lack of big picture, or blind to a need or a path. Hence, it is the time to reduce the unnecessary pains, 'seeing' the context you are 'part' of, allows one to identify the leverage points of the system and then 'choose' the 'decisive' factors, in the attempt to achieve the set goals and make a smooth digital transformation.

It is important to understand the psychology behind changes and lead change at the mentality level. It is the time to accelerate digital transformation via reducing unnecessary pains and lubricating the process to keep change going smoothly. It is important for riding ahead of the change curve, and it takes strategy and methodology. People are the weakest link, also the best reason for any changes, so make people as your CORE focal point for the digital transformation.
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Published on February 27, 2017 22:48
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