Do digital transformation initiatives start with a leader having a vision for the future and making the case for that change? Sometimes. But that’s rarely the case. At most companies, it happens like this: People at many levels in the company realize that things in the business world are changing. Dramatic change can be enabled by big advances in technology and new business models. They realize the company needs to do something different to compete and they need to explore how things are changing and what’s possible. Sound familiar?
Often, something happens in the business that becomes a catalyst for exploring how the company can benefit from the big changes occurring today. The catalyst may be an outsourcing contract coming up for renewal and the realization that they don’t want vendor lock-in. It may be a realization that processes are stuck in “old school” thinking and execution, and it’s slowing down the business. The catalyst might be changing economic conditions driving the need to find a simpler way to operate. Or it could be the leaders think the company is leaving money on the table and not getting as much out of vendors as they could. A catalyst occurring more and more these days is a company recognizing it can benefit more from automation than sending work offshore.