Who is responsible for attracting top talent to your organization? Who creates your marketing campaigns and strategies for sales? Who interacts with customers on a daily basis? Your employees do. Employees are the lifeblood of business and yet we tend to forget what it would be like without them. We forget that even though we have technology for every task, nothing can replace the human touch and spirit. And for this reason, people drive the digital transformation.
Last month I shared my Six Pillars of Digital Transformation, and while I’ve said that no pillar is more important than the next, understanding and developing the people pillar in your business is required if you want to develop the others. I will say once again that leaders must put employees first because at the end of the day, people drive digital transformation. Sure, technology is an important element to meaningful digital change, but without the human element, you will quickly realize how technology is merely an enabler and not the core purpose of digital transformation.
Beyond the idea that you cannot run your business without people, it is important to reiterate that you cannot operate technology without people. Even with new technology such as AI and VR, a human implementing changes, installing updates on machines or training others on how to properly use the tools will still be required for the foreseeable future. Even AI as we know it is entirely dependent on humans training the machines, hence the people drive the digital transformation.
People are required for many aspects of your business.
Throughout the process of digital transformation, change will need to be made and accepted and this ability to adapt comes from people buying into the strategy, vision and culture of your organization. Furthermore, employees will need to feel valued in order to perform to the best of their ability. Companies that invest in their people and commit to their development will build loyal employees. Both anecdotal and quantitative research has shown that people are a critical component for digital transformation in organizations. People that are invested in an organization want to see it thrive. They want to see it succeed. They will help it change.
I really don’t need to remind you that has we progress through digital transformation technology will reach new heights—we are seeing it everywhere. AI, VR and AR are beginning to make their way into our day-today businesses. But as exciting as it is, it is critical to remember that this technology should be used as a catalyst for meaningful experiences, not to replace who we are. Technology can create better experiences for both employees and customers, while still connecting people to people.
There are literally millions of ways to use the people to people connection approach within your business. Whether it is using analytics to speed up the customer service, while still allowing your customers to speak to a human, or creating a seamless online presence using VR for accessibility, always keep the people to people connection in the front of your mind, since people drive the digital transformation.
Although we think we understand why employees are our most valuable resource, we need to take a look at our priorities. As part of your digital transformation process, it is critical to analyze your current employee rules, processes and strategies. Are your employees first? Do you value them over profits or customers? If you really want to see how people drive the digital transformation in your organization, putting employees first is where to start. Let’s take a look at some steps you can take:
Your employees are a critical component to business success and when it comes to a successful digital transformation. I always say digital transformation is technology enabled, but people led. In short, people drive the digital transformation. By giving them more control, communicating with them often, sharing your mission and placing importance on the people to people connection, the changes to come will be simpler, faster and welcomed with open arms.
The original version of this post first published on Forbes.
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