In the face of COVID-19, digital transformation is being held up as to key to organisations’ survival; but, many are still unclear about what it is and have best to achieve it. Digital transformation specialist, Matthew Cowen, shares first-hand insights and recommendations that businesses and organisations was immediately adopt, in order to successfully embark upon, and more importantly complete, their digital transformation process.
This episode is also available in Apple iTunes, Google Play Music and on Stitcher!
The term ‘digital transformation’ has been a buzz phrase over the past few years, with organisations trying to realise it – with varying degrees of effort and success. However, now, digital transformation may be crucial for organisations to not only survive, but more importantly, to be in a position to thrive, once we get to the other side of the current COVID-19, which is also known as the novel coronavirus, pandemic.
Over the past several weeks, organisations have had to grapple with how they can best leverage technology in order to keep themselves afloat, and digital transformation is frequently being touted as the key to their survival. However, as much as the term ‘digital transformation’ has perhaps reached the point of overuse, we may still not have a clear understanding of what it is, and how best it can be achieved.
To a considerable degree, organisations are looking for a magic bullet: a quick fix that would allow them, at the very least, to sustain their operations, and to be able to meet their financial commitments. To that end, their focus when pursuing digital transformation is the use of digital tools, specifically software applications that can assist with specific tasks – but which in fact are not necessarily ‘transforming’ the business or organisation.
Hence the focus of our podcast episode today is the mechanics of digital transformation in businesses, and how organisations can bet the ball rolling now, and more so in the face of the ongoing pandemic.
Meet our Interview Guest
Matthew Cowen
To help us unpack digital transformation, and with particular attention to the context of COVID-19, we are thrilled to have back on the Podcast, Matthew Cowen. Matthew was a guest on our May 2019 Community Chat, and thereafter to discuss the telecoms and ICT space in Martinique, where he has been based for over a decade.
Matthew has over 20 years’ experience in IT and ICT, and is a Business Consultant and the Founder at dgtlfutures, which aims to help small businesses across the Caribbean to develop and implement their digital transformation strategies. He is also the author of The Future is Digital newsletter, and is a thought-provoking and excellent read.
Due to the subject, it is easy to have in-depth conversations on individual aspects of the digital transformation process. However, and in order to keep the discussion with Matthew to a manageable length, below are some of the questions raised that guided our conversation:
- What has been the reaction and the experience of the Martinique business community to COVID-19?
- What are some of the challenges tech businesses are experiencing or are likely to experience at this time?
- How would you define the term ‘digital transformation’?
- Typically, what would you say are the key steps as an organisation thinks of embarking on a digital transformation process?
- How might the digital transformation process during COID-19 be different from what might have been implemented pre-COVID-19?
- For service-based businesses, their income is likely to be adversely affected when they become digital. How might that be managed?
- What are 3 to 5 questions an organisation should ask itself to determine how or where they should start their digital transformation effort?
We would love to hear from you!
Do leave us a comment either here beneath this article, or on our Facebook or LinkedIn pages, or via Twitter, @ICTPulse.
Select links
Below are links to some of the organisations and resources that either were mentioned during the episode, or otherwise, might be useful:
Image credits: Gerd Altmann (Pixabay); M Cowen
Music credit: Ray Holman
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