"“when it comes to digital transformation, most companies don’t know what they don’t know.” Heather Clancey Fortune 2016

CEOs, Digital Transformation Officers, Chief Digital Officers attempt to "shake up the business" but too often they do not involves the people with practical experience in the enterprise. Technology takes too important a place whilst intimate knowledge of customers and their aspirations trails behind.

"Tap the right people, give them permission to be their creative best, and magical things can happen quickly. This is how companies can implement a strategy which centres on redesigning their systems with digital transformation in mind. It is time for “normal” companies to be able to take up the mantle of innovation in real, practical ways." Sally Blount Dean Kellogg School of Management 

“digitally maturing organizations have organisational cultures that share common features,” and this is independent of industry, and agnostic of geography. Those features, as will not be a surprise to us by now, are: “an expanded appetite for risk, rapid experimentation, heavy investment in talent and recruits, and developing leaders who excel at ‘soft skills’.”  MIT Sloane/Deloitte University  Study 

Technology is in a supporting role- it must facilitate rapid experimentation by business leaders without having to rely on armies of  consultants and developers. Use the bright ideas within the customer facing teams to test ideas, iterate, improve and gain competitive advantage.

Fintech, Insurtech, Healthtech, Regtech technologists are full of solutions looking for real-life problems. Inside the organisation there are people who know what the problems are and are often ignored, down-trodden with new digital transformation technology foisted on them with no chance to change it.

How about a massive vehicle recall programme actioned at short notice; how many digital platforms could within days deliver a practical answer that orchestrates all parties involved from vehicle owner through insurance company to franchised dealerships? A platform using the practical experience & skills of the frontline workers joined to configurators to deliver a scalable answer.

Companies usually know enough when they know their customers and then digital transformation starts on the right track.

Thanks to Author Ralph Talmont @ralphtalmont & Filiberto Amati of Amati & Associates for article June 2018 linked below