“ An important consideration prior to embarking on a digital transformation program is organizational engagement . While the word mandate can be controversial , and every organization should have the option to conduct business as it sees fit , if there is a need or a problem to be resolved , people have to collectively change how they work . That said , if changes are to be made and mandated , they should be made in a way that adds value , and is easy to adopt enterprise-wide .”

Transforming processes

Keith continues : “ In recent years , the enterprise technology world has been dominated by a handful of Enterprise Resource Planning ( ERP ) software systems , which were never really designed with this more intuitive , consumer-centric approach in mind . As a result , in the last two-tofour years , there has been a proliferation of technology companies trying to effect change . Enterprise technology is behind consumer technology , and while some operational functions may have moved faster on this continuum than others , there is still a way to go across the corporate board .”

Indeed , evaluating older operating models is an essential part of digital transformation , but so too is an understanding of the capabilities of digital technology to modern enterprises . “ If , for example , an organization is avoiding supply chain disruption and catastrophic risk or making a modicum of savings , this may be enough for some C-suite decision-makers ,” Keith explains . “ However , it ’ s important for leadership to understand what is possible in terms of digital transformation . Taking procurement as an example , how much more value could be extracted from that function ? Procurement is responsible for managing and dealing with thousands of suppliers and millions of dollars of spending . Additionally , 75 percent of the carbon footprint of a company is actually attributable to its

suppliers and not the company itself . This is just one example of the many aspects of an organization ’ s operations that can be transformed by digital processes .”

Keith goes on to discuss the industries that are more attuned to digital change : “ The financial services market works at a much higher pace around digital transformation . These organizations know how their consumers interact with their products , and have been driven to make digital changes internally . The life science , Consumer Packaged Goods ( CPG ), and tech and telecom markets have also been driven by their consumers to be more digital and more automated , whereas the manufacturing , oil and gas , and public sectors , for example ,

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