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Habit #7 'Transformation'...is a dirty word | Digital Transformation Australia

Many companies…particularly those of the market size of an SMB, believe that digital innovation in business is donkey work and so Transformation is a dirty word…Meaning 'Transformation' is far too large for what their organisation needs, or even wants.

To ‘transform’ something…put simply…is to turn something that isn’t performing the way you want it and to make some changes to the way you do things to improve it.

The result may include…a new way of working internally…extending your company’s product range…a new way to engage your customers to be able to sell them more of those fantastic products…the list goes on.

Many companies can’t wrap their heads around what the future might look like for their organisation and therefore don’t even really get out of the blocks. This is another classic in ‘The Secret Playbook for Screwing up your Digital Transformation’  in the series ‘Habits of Unsuccessful Digital Transformation’.

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Eating the Elephant…with one bite

Let’s set the scene…

Consider the CEO of a company…let’s call him Bill.

His sidekick is the CFO…let’s call him Ben.

Bill founded the business and has made a great early-stage success of business in its first few years.

With his help from Ben, he is keeping the company afloat…his employees are getting paid on time and his customers are happy with his service.

All is well, but Bill wants to grow his business to the next stage...

After running the annual strategy session, Bill and Ben agree…‘Let’s double the growth of this business in the next 2 years.

They engage a few consultants to learn how they should develop the business... and all the consultants talk about this digital innovation or ‘transforming’ their business to the next level.

Bill is good at creating product ideas that meet the needs of his prospects and customers and knows he needs to do something, but ‘transforming’ the business model that he created and has delivered successfully for him, is not sitting well with him… and it all sounds too big to consume.

And to Ben, it all sounds too complex…And in his experience, with complexity comes to expense and cost over-runs. 

Like a Kangaroo in the headlights

Like a Kangaroo in the headlights (or a Deer in the headlights…for those outsides of Australia), Bill and Ben retreat to their safe place and both agree...'Really all we need to do is improve a few processes'.

'Let’s get some software vendors in here who can tell us how to improve our processes…and we’ll do this incrementally'.

Bill and Ben have successfully stepped out of the way of that ‘Transformation Truck’ bearing down on them and retreat to a far more comfortable place.

Phew…that was close…

Looking in the rear-view mirror

The years pass on by…and Bill and Ben reflect on where the business is and whilst it has experienced good organic growth, it’s a long way from achieving what they set-out to achieve a couple of years ago…doubling the business.

What they have changed in terms of improvements to their processes, has made it easier for their employees to do their work, but it hasn’t returned anything to the business…well nothing that can be traced back to a raft of investments that were made to improve a number of processes.

They sit back and realise, the investments they have made all add up to a lot of money and they haven’t much to show for it.

They scratch their heads and can’t figure out what has gone wrong…

Let’s have another crack at this!

Bill and Ben pick themselves up off the canvas and whilst their egos have been in for a pounding, the testosterone won’t let them stay down for too long.

So, they get a new set of consultants to come in…but this time they are going to engage them to set a strategy for their business.

They nearly fall off the chair with the cost of the consultants, but this time they are ready to bite down and invest some real money into this, so they don’t end up on the canvas again.

They spend the money to fund the strategy formulation…but now the cost of the digital innovation or this transformation is slapped on the table and both Bill and Ben nearly have a heart attack.

Now they are completely lost…’ what the heck do we do now? 

'We can't afford to implement this!'

Do Bill & Ben need to eat the Elephant?

The good news for Bill and Ben is that  Digital ‘Transformation’ Australia didn’t have to be a dirty word. And no…Bill and Ben don’t have to eat the elephant all at once…

Digital Transformation Australia is a must!

A2B Transformation Australia was founded specifically to meet the needs of SMB organisations like Bill and Ben’s.

A2B is able to show Bill and Ben how to maximise their chances of meeting their goals, making changes to their business that return a high positive impact whilst minimising the disruption to their business at the same time.

A2B Transformation can provide Bill and Ben with pragmatic and actionable advice, suitable for SMB companies... give them access to the world’s best software and service partners to transform their growth...all while paying for their growth 'Transformation' on a monthly payment plan. 

So no…they did not have to eat the elephant all at once.

Talk to a2b today about setting up your digital transformation Australia for success, growth, and operational efficiency.

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