With the consolidation of mobile devices such as cell phones and tablets, and the constant expansion of the online universe, public consumption and interactions with companies has changed for good.
To keep up, entrepreneurs and managers need to work towards creating a digital culture within their organizations.
This corporate transformation is essential for both internal and external activities to adapt to modern requirements. Social media, blogs, websites and emails are essential to provide a memorable customer experience, and brands that don’t invest in these resources end up losing out in the market.
Organizations are dedicating more and more time, effort and capital pivoting to digital, with mixed results reflected in different approaches to digital adoption.
While this shift can be challenging for management, it represents a huge opportunity for operational innovation, competitiveness and business expansion.
What is digital culture?
“Digital culture” is often conflated with the corporate use of technology, but in fact it refers to the structural change experienced by society through technological innovations.
It is characterized by the process of integrating digital resources into all activities and departments, in order to streamline the routines of employees, managers, suppliers and consumers.
Tasks that were previously performed manually are now automated. But the mere use of digital tools is not enough – they should lead to genuine operational revolutions, impacting society as a whole as it interacts with brands.
Unfortunately, many companies have not yet made this transition or are not even considering it, which is problematic in the long and medium term. The market is extremely competitive and does not tolerate complacent brands for long.
To find out which stage of digital cultural change your company is in, assess its current technological level and identify how these tools are being used in the work environment, in order to develop a strategic plan for your business.
Digital culture has been impacting people’s daily lives and business activities around the world for some time now. Many of these consequences are linked to practicality, productivity, billing, profitability and survival.
Companies need to adopt technological innovations to improve their offers to the market and audience’s commercial experiences. Meanwhile, professionals within the company need to adapt accordingly.
What has changed?
Firstly, this digital transformation does not exclusively affect the obviously technological sectors: e-commerce, applications, tech companies, etc.
On the contrary: technology has proven to be indispensable in offering the final product – not just as an end, but as a means in companies’ strategies and operations.
Digital transformation directly affects businesses’ search for greater efficiency, from internal processes to the experience of their collaborators and customers.
The impact of this transformation on various areas is undeniable, including:
- Employee Experience assuming a central role and contributing to the development of remote work;
- Process automation and business agility;
- Use of artificial intelligence in processes;
- Data Science and the rise of analytical decision-making based on data.
- Digital culture has also made possible the use of tools which facilitate our work routine. For example, managers can now create a flowchart that visually represents all project steps in one place, making information clearer and facilitating teamwork by transforming data into a visual guide.
What are the main benefits of digital culture?
More efficient processes: digital culture makes it possible to improve a business’s demands and departments, by making processes simpler, more efficient and more economical.
By adopting the right tools, especially those aimed at automation, employees gain motivation and productivity, by wasting less energy on repetitive activities and focusing more time on strategic functions.
This scenario also lets management monitor the flow of all processes in real time. Goals, performance indicators and the like can contribute to measuring this change, making decision-making more accurate for potential improvements and corrections.
Practicality: corporate interactions have become more practical in daily life thanks to digital culture. For example, tasks and situations which previously took place offline are now online, with no physical barriers.
Meetings, training, contact between departments, supervision of activities, hiring and firing are all examples of this change.
Overlooking the opportunities provided by technological innovation hinders a business’s evolution, and the deployment of strategic resources needs to be carefully assessed so that everything works according to plan.
5 steps to develop an organizational digital culture
1 – Online mapping: mapping processes, while time-consuming, can be very worthwhile. Once you know the steps needed to deliver the required innovations, you’ll be able to detect bottlenecks and points of improvement, and expedite these tasks.
2 – Online presence: if the brand already has a corporate website and social media presence, analyze the use of these tools by raising the following questions:
- Which platforms generate traffic to the business?
- Are the networks being well managed by the marketing team?
- Are responsible employees in tune with the public and company policies?
- Are consumers interacting in a positive way?
3 – Aligning team roles: aligning team behaviors and roles is necessary for everything to go as planned. Specific training will determine ways to fulfill the potential of new technologies. Here are some subjects that should be a part of this process:
- Standardization of services;
- Optimized use of digital channels;
- Stimulating creativity
- Listening to criticism and suggestions for improvement.
4 – Integration: the integration of software and technologies is a very important step towards operational success. This process must be very clear and efficient to ensure that all departments work cooperatively, without crosstalk.
5 – Customer experience: concern with your audience’s experience is essential for streamlining negotiations and sales, improving the quality of services and taking your company to the next level in the market.
Assess the behavior and demands of customers to improve their purchase journey, and try to innovate by facilitating bureaucratic processes through digital features.
6 – Online communication and management mechanisms: finally, whether working remotely or in person, communication is a key part of operational efficiency, and should be part of an organized process, especially online.
More and more companies work with cloud-based processes which guarantee operations, even in the face of adversity. Online communication and management mechanisms depend on mapping, commitment, organization and, above all, security.
More tips for developing digital culture
Digital culture should not be exclusive to the IT sector, but to every company.
It is important to understand how to make the most of new technologies, by analyzing company-wide data – not just to enable digital strategies, but to understand how to better explore opportunities using technology.
The organizational culture should absorb all these benefits, and identify aspects that may resist and block changes.
You may also need to change your perception with regard to hiring – otherwise you will continue to attract candidates who fit the culture which you are attempting to change. Try to make room for employees who will contribute to building a new culture.
Finally, remove conventional structures and upgrade to a one that embraces digital transformation, and reinforces a flexible new digital culture. Your collaborators should become more autonomous and purposeful as a result.
Digital culture and transformation is a process which demands constant investment – not only in the new and emerging technologies, but in the workforce and internal structures, to encourage qualifications and behaviors that will guarantee business sustainability.
