Adapting to survive in the digital age
Burke Turner
Change is difficult. However, if there is one common denominator for success in the evolving digital environment, it is the ability to adapt. Businesses that can move with agility are the ones that will outperform the market.
Technology alone does not breed agility, and it doesn’t drive increased productivity. People do. Without a new culture of ownership, change is simply too difficult and costly. Productivity will not be achieved and the enormous potential of digital will be wasted.
Employees are at the coalface of technological change and will feel the greatest impact. It is they who will need the flexibility to adapt, to take on the changes and embrace them positively. Given that the entire organisation will reap direct benefits from the digital transformation process, why are employees so often left out of the equation? It does not make business sense. After all, success or failure lies in their hands. Literally.
“Any company can digitally transform, in their own way. However, they should remember one thing: if they make every other change but employees are not empowered, the digital transformation will not be successful.”
– Josh Bersin, The Five Elements Of A ‘Simply Irresistible’ Organization
The positive impact of successful digital transformation is measureable. A global survey of nearly 400 large companies found that the digerati are 26% more profitable and drive 9% more revenue from their physical assets. In a new book The Digital Helix, Michael Gale and Chris Aarons back up the positive impact on the bottom line. Digitally transformed organisations deliver twice as fast as others, cut OPEX by over 30% and have seen a near-immediate doubling in brand value.
But as we said at the beginning, change is difficult. How do you mitigate the risks? How do you orchestrate and manage the change process?
Atmosphere have created a practical and actionable insight report, including a 3-stage Ways of Working model. It helps organisations better understand their current position, identifies the issues to address and sets out a clear strategy for moving painlessly into the digital age. 
