Recent study found that one in four Canadian technology leaders thinks their use of digital tools and technology has little or no effect on promoting true business value.
The KPMG study pointed out that it is not enough for companies to just publish a new website and forget about it. According to the company, meaningful digital transformation requires a complete, comprehensive digital experience based on technology that creates value in the long run.
“Many organizations just need to be more careful about how technology can really help employees do their job, or help clients experience it.… The first big thing is to truly understand and empathize with what people need technology for,” said Professor Catherine Broman. , Associate Professor and Director of the Master Program in Digital Product Management at the Smith School of Business.
Digital skills are no longer valuable only to employees in IT departments. As digital transformation continues to become a major focus for organizations, it is vital that all employees are properly trained in digital skills, Brohman said. Without this practice, Canadian companies and employees are in danger of being left behind.
A global research A company with more than 1,000 employees from research firm RAND Europe found that more than half agreed that the lack of digital talent had led to a loss of competitive advantage and that if the digital skills gap did not close soon, there would be negative impacts on product development. innovation and customer experience. In addition, business investments in technology are a loss without equal attention paid to employees who can really make it useful and increase business value.
Currently, employers are focusing on finding technological talent and improving the digital skills of their employees.
“It all comes down to this whole idea that organizations need a fundamentally new set of practices to adapt to the needs of the digital age. And that is really the reason why these new skills are so in demand, “Broman said.
She said that the usual work practices are changing and that the usual training that employees receive may no longer be enough.
Digital product management is a newer practice, based on old project management practices that use marketing techniques, product management and technological tools, Brohman said.
“And so, when you hold technology and product management, you come up with this new practice, and that new practice is really a new skill.”
She said that the main priority in this practice, and in general in the training of employees, is low coding and no coding skills.
“The ability to use these tools without code, low code, so you can connect to technology without actually having to code, is probably the most important skill,” Broman added.
While real technical skills seem to be what many organizations focus on, Brohman said the biggest gap is actually linking technology practices to business practices and effectively using digital skills to improve business.
When it comes to the real steps that companies can take, she suggested social and creative ways to include everything, and learning, like a hackathon, is a good place to start. In addition, Brohman noted that some companies have built digital labs, but they must be built “quite thoughtfully” to really work.
Other steps that companies can take include reengineering current technology management practices, and finally informing and educating senior management about what digital transformation means.