Everybody is going ‘digital’, but few agree on what it really means
Digital initiatives touch primarily on the marketing, sales and business processes, while ignoring people and cultural aspects
For over a decade companies have been urged to “digitalise” or risk being left behind. However, too often information about “digital” and its impact on business comes from experts and analysts, consultancies and the media.
While many business professionals accept this as a reality, the interesting question remains: what does digital truly mean to business people, and how is innovation in digital technologies impacting organisations around the world?
We spent a year researching the answer to this question. The findings, as well as 11 insights and 10 recommendations, have just been published in a report titled The Real Impact of Digital - As Seen From the ‘Virtual Coalface’, of which some key insights are shared here.
Of the 1,160 people surveyed – managers, executives and board members in companies of different sizes across industries, functions and regions (including Asia) – all are engaged in digital initiatives. There is no doubt that business across the globe is becoming digital – hence digital must be on everyone’s agenda, from board members down.
The meaning of “digital” differed significantly between organisations. It was not without a challenge that we were able to group the digital initiatives gathered into 21 main categories. One conclusion is clear: the number of business problems addressed by digital is both vast and varied.
