The digital leader is a digital transformer

Digital transformation can't be decreed, it has to be lived! In fact, shaking up past, sometimes well-established, codes has consequences for everyone involved, both in terms of who they are and what they do within the organization. To make a success of his company's digital transformation, the leader is called upon to accompany this change appropriately.

Digital technology is changing the way we interact, learn and produce, as well as the way we think and feel: it generates joy and envy, but also distrust and resistance.

What's the point of developing a digital tool that doesn't serve its intended purpose? Or investing in a technology that no one can use?

If the integration of a new tool brings about change, it is indeed the men and women of the company who are transformed, both in what they do and in who they are. Indeed, digital technology is changing the way we interact, learn and produce, as well as the way we think and feel: it gives rise to joy and envy, but also to mistrust and resistance.

To ensure that digital transformation generates lasting change within the company, the definition of digital transformation cannot be limited to the selection of a digital tool or service. In fact, it must be extended to the human dimension of the company.

It is important to understand how employees perceive change and to ask the following questions:

• What do we need?
• What solutions will help us make the transition?
• What skills do we need to develop?
• What are the new behaviours to adopt?

Accompanying the change that underlies digital transformation is not something you can improvise. It requires enthusiasm, but also tact and expertise. To meet this challenge, the leader must be open, listen actively and, above all, involve the employees affected by the change in the process. Indeed, the ostrich strategy of change management is a bad idea, as it increases the risk that the digital project will be ill-suited to the business in question, will be diverted from its original purpose, or will remain in draft form!

Consequently, successful transformation requires a change in managerial attitude. What's more, there can be no evolution without an evolution in the posture of each and every manager. In today's complex world, the days are long gone when the company could leave decision-making solely in the hands of the manager who "had it under control" and operated on the basis of his or her unique perception of the world. The days of the directive manager imposing the use of a new tool are long gone, and the notions of autonomy, trust, flexibility, benevolence, personal fulfillment, work-life balance, etc. are now part of employees' aspirations and conditions of success. organization development.

The digital leader is no longer concerned with control, but with accomplishment: he supports his team and each individual in their search for meaning and usefulness within the company. And for the leader: that's the challenge! Because, like Sunday runners who put on their sneakers for different reasons: decompression, weight loss, a breath of fresh air, etc., employees don't necessarily commit to change for the same reasons. In conclusion, while an objective may be common, there may potentially be as many reasons for working towards it as there are employees. It's up to the leader to discover what will make everyone want to contribute to the digitization of the company.

In view of this reality, and to meet the challenge of digital transformation, the role of the leader is complex, subtle and based more on emotional and relational intelligence: open-mindedness, authenticity, empathy, adaptation, humility, etc., but also courage and optimism. As a result, digital technology has brought the manager's "soft skills" to the forefront, where they are now shared with all employees.

As with any change, the introduction of a new technology requires individual support to ensure that the overall digital transformation is beneficial to the company. The aim of this support is to ensure that employees adopt the change effectively, and that companies react quickly to technological developments. This ability does not come about by chance, however, and requires a strategic approach to integrating change management throughout the organization.

The ADKAR model (abbreviation: Awareness - Desire - Knowledge - Ability - Reinforcement) offers leaders a structured approach. In fact, this model is particularly well-suited to supporting changes as far-reaching as digital transformation, forcing leaders to consider the five phases underlying any transformation. Accompanying digital transformation on the basis of these benchmarks ensures that every employee is a player in the change, and that digital transformation is a lasting success for the company.

The leader creates the need for change. In concrete terms, this means raising awareness of the reasons for the transformation, whether it's a minor one (a new tool used by a small number of employees) or a more significant one (a new business model following the acquisition of a new technology). Getting as many people on board as possible remains the top priority. After all, what's the point of investing in a tool that no-one uses because they don't see its usefulness? To make your organization evolve, you need to be willing to invest the time. This will enable everyone to understand and accept the change, and then make it their own. If time and communication are the leader's allies in making this first step a success, so too is cooperation. In conclusion, the sooner the leader involves his colleagues in the process, the greater the risk of resistance and frustration.

The leader creates motivation. The leader explores the benefits of change with the employees concerned, and identifies any resistance. Each of the "stakeholders" in the use of the new digital solution must see a concrete benefit in the exercise of their profession. After all, what's the point of investing in a tool that nobody wants to use? To achieve this, the leader places meaning at the heart of the approach. In concrete terms, all stakeholders must be able to give a clear, positive answer to these 2 questions: "Is there a benefit for me in this transformation project? and if so, what is it? Like the leader, perceiving the opportunities offered by the digital solution "for oneself" will motivate employees to take an active part in the transformation.

The leader invested in skills of its employees. The transformation project is subject to an ROI calculation. Let's face it, the human factor and the quest for profitability are inseparable! To ensure the performance of the tools in which the leader wishes to invest, it is necessary to devote part of this investment to the acquisition of new knowledge on the part of employees. In concrete terms, all stakeholders must have answers to the following questions: "How will this new tool influence my job and my activities?"; "What remains the same and what is evolving?"; "What skills and knowledge do I need to develop?"..

Every employee needs to understand what change is, and how to approach it.

Leaders enable their employees to implement change. Once the employee sees the benefits, is motivated and has the necessary knowledge, the next step is to give him or her the means to become operational. The aim of this stage is to implement the change in the day-to-day activities of each employee. After all, what's the point of implementing a tool that no-one uses because they can't use it? To get past this stage, we need to encourage employees to test their new knowledge through practice and experimentation. This logic goes hand in hand with the right to make mistakes and new organizational and managerial logics. Several actions can be proposed to accompany this stage: coaching, mentoring, on-the-job training, etc. An Indian proverb perfectly expresses the importance of learning by doing: "Tell me, I forget - Show me, I retain - Involve me, I understand" to which is often added: "Let me experience it with others, I'll make it my own".

The leader highlights progress, no matter how small. Digital transformation cannot succeed without the principle of continuous process improvement, and this principle needs to be embedded in the corporate culture. Organizations that have adopted their digital culture regularly review their processes to gain in quality and efficiency. In this phase, it's important to experiment and highlight successes to gain momentum. Experimentation means iteration and continuous corrective action. In concrete terms, while it's important to celebrate project progress, it's also important to learn from mistakes: "What did we learn?" "What worked?" "What do we need to improve?

This way of doing things leads to a viral approach to change through gradual "contamination". And finally, since change is now permanent, day-to-day support and recognition, whether for initiatives or efforts, are essential to sustaining an innovation dynamic over the long term.

If there's one area that's under-invested in the digital transformation of companies, it's change management. As part of its 2020 barometer, The Agence du numérique (AdN) has identified a few figures to illustrate this observation:

• 2/3 of managers do not see digital technology as a strategic opportunity for their company, and 28% of managers consider that "no digital transformation is necessary in their business";
• 74% of executives say they do not need new skills to advance their digitalization, while 58% of workers say they need further training and guidance in technology. And indeed, in the Walloon Region, only 12% of companies employing staff have trained at least one employee in a digital subject in the last two years.

In parallel with this study, as part of its citizen barometer (2021), the Agence du numérique highlighted the following findings:

• Only 29% of Walloon citizens are passionate or simply enthusiastic about technology, as opposed to 43% in Flanders,
• 32% of Walloon citizens have very little confidence in technology, and use it very little or not at all, compared with only 18% in Flanders.

Digital transformation doesn't happen overnight. It happens step by step, collectively and iteratively. But where to start? To get started, it's essential to identify the main challenges that will serve as your starting point, and that must support la stratégie globale de votre entreprise. To achieve this, evaluate the maturité numérique of your company and meet your employees in the field. Dream up this new organization together. This will enable you to identify the important points that need to be considered: think of all the tasks you could automate, or the data you could collect and exploit to bring new opportunities to light. And don't forget, when it comes to adapting the way employees work, support and corporate cultural factors are essential elements to consider for success. It's only when these factors are taken into account that the first challenges can be successfully met, generating the enthusiasm needed to continue your digital journey.

Agence du Numérique has created a center of expertise dedicated to this theme: the "Humans and Society(s)" center. It aims to mobilize organizations to develop an agile and responsible strategy to meet the human and organizational challenges of digital transformation.

Three tools are already available:

• DigiScore to assess your company's digital maturity
• Digital organization to choose your HR and management tools 
• Ditigtal Skill Scan to test your digital skills

To find out all you need to know about projects and possible grants, get in touch with one of the experts atAgence du Numérique.