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What Does Digital Transformation Look Like in 2021?

Originally published May 15, 2021Guidance reviewed August 26, 20262 min current guide

SDI Clarity Insight. This article is part of our Knowledge Base, drawing on 20+ years of organizational design and talent development expertise. See our eLearning Development services and L&D Glossary.

Current practitioner guide

Treat digital transformation as work redesign.

Map the value flow before selecting technology.

Start with the customer or business outcome, then trace the workflow, information, decisions, handoffs, exceptions, constraints, and measures that create it. That map shows where the current system loses time, quality, trust, or capacity. It also prevents a tool from becoming the transformation narrative. Technology should be selected because it enables a defined future-state behavior or operating choice, not because the organization needs a visible digital initiative.

Design human and agent authority.

For each activity, decide what can be standardized or automated, where context and judgment remain essential, who owns the result, how exceptions escalate, and what evidence earns trust. Agents can increase throughput and consistency in repeatable work, but accountable people still need visibility into controls, consequences, and failure modes. Roles, decision rights, capability, and management routines must change with the workflow or the technology will sit beside the old work.

Reinvest released capacity deliberately.

Capacity is not value until the organization decides where it will go. Name the customer relationships, experience improvements, innovation, problem solving, or growth work that people will take on, and remove the conditions that would simply refill their time with more transactions. Measure both sides of the redesign: the reliability of agent-supported work and the human value created with the released capacity. That is the transformation case leaders can govern.

Pressure-test this decision with Clara

Use the article as context, then describe the work, role, capability, or adoption challenge behind your question. Clara can help frame the decision, identify the evidence to gather, and suggest the most relevant SDI next step.

Read the original 2021 articlePreserved as historical context; the reviewed guidance above reflects SDI's current point of view.

Many organizations found last year's transition to work-from-home a little rushed, to put it lightly. Looking back, we've now had 365 days of wisdom to reevaluate digital technology in the workplace and see what does and does not thrive in our industry. With plans to return to the office now circulating, how does digital transformation continue post-pandemic? Understand these four components of ongoing digital transformation to best influence the future of your organization.

Some of us miss our days of being gophers, popping over the top of our cubicle to meet with coworkers instantly. Whether or not we return to that time, that feeling of comradery does not have to go away. Incorporating digital communication tools, such as direct messaging and file-sharing programs, in the workplace can allow for ease of communication and boost collaboration among your teams. Research shows trust and transparency build engagement among workers. Digital collaboration is vital to preserve healthy office relationships when working miles - or even further - apart from one another.

How do successful organizations stay in touch with trends and know when to update their systems? Data. Frequent tests on product quality or tracking key point indicators (KPIs) let professionals know where things are going. Updated technology lets you gather and manage data both externally (through product value and customer satisfaction evaluations) and internally (work hours put in, productivity, etc.). These factors should be considered when evaluating company progress and evolution.

Businesses can expect to "grow revenue by 23%" as a result of training employees to use a variety of digital tools for communication, like cloud sharing, security, and streamlining operations. This adaptability keeps workers engaged in their job, which in turn boosts productivity and group morale. Including technological advancements in your growth strategy naturally grows your worker base and improves employee retention, in addition to potentially increasing your revenue.

Unfortunately, there are some pre-COVID work processes that simply will not survive the pandemic. In addition to work programs and systems jumping online, the entire employee experience has shifted from a personalized office to a computer screen. Coming to and from work looks a lot different these days, and that change can have positive and negative impacts on company culture. In addition to work itself, understanding the physical and emotional nuances of working online can help foster the same healthy relationships in-person employees have experienced since the very beginning. While the work world has and will continue to change, your companies tried and true mission and values can still thrive.

Digital transformation is an ongoing process. No matter where you stand with technology, SDI is here to make the adoption of virtual processes and online culture an engaging and fun experience for you and your team. Contact us to learn more about digital transformation post COVID-19.

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