More firms are embracing digital transformation. Even those that are apprehensive are taking action, fearful of becoming obsolete in an increasingly tech-centric world. 

While some people test the waters, these company evolutions require full commitment from all involved to be carried out successfully. As events in 2019 showed, one of the biggest reasons a firm’s digital transformation can fail is a failure to communicate with staff. Everybody in the business needs to be on board with these ideas. 

A different approach is needed for every type of worker you wish to bring onboard. Senior staff may require unique assurances, but once given, they should feel more compelled to support you when your business transforms. 

Many strategies might help you better persuade your senior staff that digital transformation is needed. Read on to explore what they are. 

Sign Up To A Course 

Everyone knows the general perks of digitization. Managing the change itself, though, is a series of complex procedures that can consume years of valuable company time. It’s a worthwhile change, but you must be knowledgeable on the topic to be able to convince your colleagues or employees that it’s a good idea. 

A course focused on digital transformation can help you be better placed to enforce change in your workplace. The Organizational Design for Digital Transformation online short course from the MIT Sloan School of Management  can help equip you with this knowledge. Requiring only 6-8 hours of your time weekly for a 6 week period, you can learn all there is to know from expert scholars and still have plenty of time to oversee the running of your firm. 

Senior staff should be impressed by your effort to do things properly. By heeding MIT digital transformation tips, every strategy you pitch may have an extra layer of credibility. Celebrate your studies, and demonstrate that you’re not above keeping an open mind and learning something new. It can inspire your senior staff and their teams to follow your example. 

Senior staff may wish to have a digital transformation executive education experience themselves. If your firm has the means to do so, you could fund their enrollment or encourage them to pursue it at their own expense. Either way, it’s an enlightening experience and will help you see eye to eye more quickly. 

Gain Manager’s Input 

It’s understandable to be apprehensive about any change in the workplace. Senior managers may feel these worries more acutely than others, as they’ll know the minutiae of how the business is run and perhaps feel a deeper affinity with the firm. 

Remember that many managers have been in a challenging situation for a while. There have been many resignations recently, with workloads intensifying due to the pandemic leading to more stress. Managers have had their hands tied during some very bleak business periods. 

Much goodwill can be created between colleagues by simply asking for their opinion. Many questions can be asked about digital transformation, and orchestrating a safe space for them all to be discussed helps the senior staff to highlight and address their concerns. You can let others do some of the talking and address their questions directly, allowing you to perform more calculated persuasion efforts after that. 

Give your senior staff more advanced notice of business plans, particularly those surrounding your intent to implement digital transformation procedures. It’s a respectful gesture that gives them time to formulate how they can reiterate the news to those under their leadership and strategize ways they can adapt their leadership.

Share Stakeholder Impressions

Your managers aren’t the only people you must consult when making a case for digital transformation. Your stakeholders will need to be kept in the loop too. 

Stakeholders will collaborate with you for the right approach to these measures. Because they’re so invested in your company, they’ll support you in crucial ways like:

  • Ranking which technologies are a priority for your firm to procure. 
  • Developing a reliable timeline for implementation. 
  • Exploring the features of the software with you.
  • Fine-tuning work processes that complement the software. 

You may find that some stakeholders can be highly knowledgeable about the activities of businesses and their respective industries. This means that you may have stakeholders with knowledge over the potential of digital transformation. You may find their input very valuable as you look to uplift the business. 

It’s worth reminding senior staff that you’re not the only person of importance in favor of these measures or that has thought about them in detail. Some stakeholders have immense influence over the firm and its trajectory, whether they’re inside or outside the business. There’s strength in numbers, and their insightful support could turn the tide when attempting to convince others. 

Sample Software

Tech integrations are rarely blindly integrated into a firm’s infrastructure. Many software providers often offer trial periods, allowing workforces to get up to speed on the tools. 

Sign up for these initiatives wherever you find them. That way, you can provide compelling evidence for your case on digital transformation. Senior staff may use these tools and realize for themselves how time and money can be saved, or they may even have fun if the digital tools are designed for that. It’s much easier to appreciate something in front of you rather than just envisioning an abstract concept and agreeing with it. 

It may also be a good idea to explore trial periods for software that you don’t initially intend to use, too. That way, you can create an environment of collaboration between you and your senior staff. You could question which software everybody liked best and simultaneously deepen your manager’s understanding of the best and worst of digital transformation potential. 

Tech isn’t always reliable, and there have been some notable failures in the sector as the years go by. You may even discover some in your software sampling, but don’t let it put you and your team off. Even if you stumble across poor programming, it can serve to highlight the good all the more when they’re contrasted against one another. If nothing else, it’s all an education and will guide your business true.

Upscale Ambition

Digital transformation bolsters performances and raises the game of every firm adhering to these measures. Some things can only be achieved with tech, and your senior staff perhaps need to realize that more vividly. 

Set more aspirational targets for your senior staff to meet. Higher sales numbers, improved customer service percentages, eco-friendly aims, and greater visitor retention figures on websites – each should boost motivation levels when stated loud and clear. Senior staff may be wondering how they can pull off these ambitious goals at first, but then the timing of your digital proposals can be decidedly clear. 

Automation can help with upscaling manufacturing and overseeing certain aspects of sales procedures. Things like chatbots can field elementary questions from customers online before putting them through to a human customer service attendant if required, boosting retention figures. Cloud computing can reduce the need for paper filing, preventing lost or stolen documentation and reducing waste. 

Digital transformation can unlock the true potential of your business, so while you should endeavor to be sensitive to senior staff concerns, ensure they recognize that potential all the same. 

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