Digital readiness, and how to approach it

What does it take to succeed with digital transformation? In this article, I explain digital readiness—the mindset, structure, and capabilities your company needs before investing in tech or tools.

Over the past years, I’ve asked many decision-makers one question:

 “What’s holding your organisation back from a successful digital transformation?”

The answer is rarely about technology—it’s about readiness.

What is digital readiness?

'Digital readiness' is a term used to describe how capable you and your colleagues are of using digital tools and workflows in your daily work.

Digital readiness pertains to your colleagues’ ability to adapt to and manage the digital transformation process. Over the years, I have identified these characteristics as essential: behavioural competencies, cognitive skills, and digital proficiency.

Digital readiness encompasses more than just having access to the right tools—it involves a mindset, skills, and cultural adaptability.

In the early 2000s, "digital readiness" referred to an organisation's capacity to go online, which included launching a website, starting to use email, and developing its digital presence. For those who succeeded, it was not primarily the technology that mattered—it was engaging people, changing behaviours, and aligning them with new ways of working.

By 2025, we will observe the same pattern with AI. It’s not just about adopting new AI tools; it’s about educating and supporting people, helping them understand and experiment with them, and embedding these tools into their daily thinking and workflows. Organisations that treat AI as a transformation in value creation—focusing first on people—will flourish.

Digital transformation is not about digital tools and technology—it is about the approach and new ways of thinking.

Challenges in achieving digital objectives

Every organisation must have a well-prepared digital transformation strategy to manage the many aspects of digitisation. It requires clear purposes and objectives, a comprehensive business plan, and a workforce ready to face challenges that hinder reaching the desired digital goals. There are two aspects to digital transformation: a cultural shift, beginning at the organisational level and flowing down to individuals, and a technological shift, involving infrastructure updates that incorporate new technologies in processes and operations. However, the real power of digital transformation lies with the people who implement it. When a company undertakes digital transformation, its employees at all levels must be digitally prepared to contribute actively. Additionally, for a company to genuinely embrace technology, it must overcome many obstacles that block the path to digital transformation.

Understanding the broad scope of the digital movement

Companies often struggle to explain the broad scope of digital transformation and its deep impact on all aspects of their business. While technology continues to drive change across everything it touches, many companies overlook the importance of the microchanges needed to keep up with its rapid pace. Consequently, the skills gap is already emerging for most firms, and few are addressing it effectively. Employees frequently find it difficult to understand why their companies and organisations need to adapt, which can create significant bottlenecks. They must grasp the significance of digitisation in opening new avenues for growth and opportunities for expansion. Companies should foster a dialogue about the magnitude of digital transformation and place employees at the heart of this process.

The lack of a people-centric business

The first steps of a digital transformation often involve implementing new technologies, changing budgets, and making infrastructural updates. However, the primary challenge lies in a business approach that prioritises people at the forefront of digital evolution. Unfortunately, business strategies often overlook the digital skills gaps that arise from a multi-generational workforce and the rapid pace of technological change. 

Companies sometimes adopt an outside approach to digital transformation, focusing on transforming their customer-facing side. However, an inside path sometimes works best, where your colleagues are the first on your digital readiness checklist.

An inside approach ensures that your employees align with your company's vision and contribute to digital transformation.

Training, support, and reskilling must accompany a new technology upgrade to help your colleagues maintain the desired business momentum. Conducting a digital readiness assessment for your team can be the first step in evaluating their digital tools and developing an approach that considers their learning agility. A people-centric approach is essential for digital transformation to maximise its impact.

Digital transformation involves enhancing and simplifying processes through the use of technology. It also includes equipping all colleagues with tools compatible with their existing devices, such as mobile phones, and integrating these tools into their daily work routines.

The lack of experimentation 

Technology can make processes more efficient and streamlined. However, it can also alter your colleagues' roles. For example, your colleagues will no longer work in silos but will instead continuously collaborate to share knowledge. Digital transformation challenges your business structures and affects every aspect of your personal and professional lives. As technology advances, workplace culture will naturally adapt. Nonetheless, people are inherently resistant to significant change, which presents an exciting challenge.

The modernity of digital transformation requires a space where your company and colleagues can take risks, experiment, and learn from failures. 

Building a culture of experimentation and creating a safe space to take risks is part of a significant shift. Therefore, companies must proactively instil a digital culture by starting small but significantly. For example, your colleagues' simple tools for handling tasks must be added to your digital readiness checklist as the first step to introducing technology into all daily work.

The lack of digital-savvy leaders

The right leaders who guide the way can only bring about the desired change. Digitally proficient leaders must be the driving force behind your company's digital transformation. These leaders don't need to know every technical detail; they need to be rational, demonstrate digital readiness, and show agility for their organisation and colleagues. Digitally proficient leaders are a valuable asset in your digital transformation; they help speed it up by leading and setting a positive example.

Are you a digitally savvy leader? Or do you have the ambition to become one? Either way, could you look at our in-depth guide to digitalisation? It covers more aspects of digital readiness and will give you new knowledge when embarking on a digitalisation journey. So enjoy! There's also an additional guide that you can download for free below.

This is an updated version of an article originally published on Nov 3, 2021.