SMART CIO EUROPE

Panel Discussion: Collaboration is a Key Part of Digital Strategy

The workplace is rapidly evolving, and today’s leading CIOs recognize the need to enable business transformation for a digital-first world. But without a holistic view of the organization, simply adding new technologies can do more harm than good. For true digital transformation success, organizations must understand the critical nature of cross-departmental collaboration and alignment.

In the past, it may have been acceptable to plan for new technology implementations in a silo, but this is no longer the case. Without a thorough understanding of end user needs and workflows, it can be all too easy to increase complexity with the addition of new digital tools, which can quickly undermine employee productivity and customer experience.

Leaders must therefore establish open communication throughout the organization in order to have the information necessary to make improvements. If teams are not empowered to voice their needs and concerns, then the entire organization will eventually be negatively affected. In contrast, when leaders across departments are aligned and can seamlessly collaborate on strategies that take into account how the business operates as a whole, then successful transformation is much more likely.

Strategic alignment throughout an organization removes barriers to transformation. This alignment begins at the top with leaders who foster a culture of collaboration, partnership, growing skills, and teamwork. Organizations that are unable to adopt such a framework may soon be left behind.

Panel Questions

1. How can CIOs identify whether the structure of their organization is supportive of collaborative work?
2. What steps can CIOs take to foster a culture of improved collaboration within their organizations?
3. How can CIOs measure improvements in collaboration?

Fourth Industrial Revolution

The Fourth Industrial Revolution is a technological revolution in which the lines between the physical, digital, and biological spheres are increasingly blurred. Examples are abundant today as artificial intelligence powers commonly used digital tools like voice-activated virtual assistants and facial recognition software, while conventional home and office products such as security systems, thermostats, and lighting are becoming more connected as they join the “smart” Internet of Things ecosystem.

Learning Outcomes

• How to keep up with the fast pace of change
• How to implement strategies to leverage the massive amounts of data being produced and consumed by the latest technologies
• How to address mounting customer privacy concerns

Customer Centricity

Customer-centric organizations prioritize their customers above all else and place them at the core of their business. IT organizations can learn from this model by shifting away from a role of simply support toward being a strategic partner to other departments within the organization. In this way, IT can become a value-adding asset as opposed to a cost driver within the organization.

Learning Outcomes

• How to understand the major challenges facing IT organizations today and how customer-centricity can help address them
• How to reorganize roles and responsibilities within your department and organize specialized teams to be more customer-centric
• How to evaluate external service providers and cloud services to keep costs and complexity to a minimum

Digital Transition vs Transformation

Although sometimes referred to interchangeably, digital transition and digital transformation are actually quite different. While digital transition is a shift away from analog in favor of digital platforms and tools for improved speed, accuracy, reliability, etc…, digital transformation is a fundamental change in how organizations structure their relationship with technology and how they do business. Both must be embraced and prepared for as digitization continues to disrupt and restructure all industries.

Learning Outcomes

• How to embrace strategies for digital transition and transformation in your organization
• How to enable employees to foster digital transition/transformation
• How to prepare for and address the new security risks associated with digital transition/transformation

Value Optimization

To stay competitive in the digital age, today’s IT leaders must guide their organizations through innovative and strategic changes that are often focused on value rather than costs. Identifying and focusing on the critical 20% of efforts that produce 80% of business value can help the organization dramatically reduce its costs while reducing effort spent on work that only produces marginal value.

Learning Outcomes

• How to anticipate and overcome the challenges associated with value optimization
• How to create a team of relevant stakeholders to help guide the organization through the value optimization process
• How to identify new business capabilities and processes the organization will need as it becomes increasingly digital

Cloud Adoption

The benefits of increased agility and flexibility that cloud computing offers are undeniable. Individual business silos, historically accustomed to operating independently, now have the opportunity to collaborate with others like never before. With the right cloud-centric mindset, organizations can innovate faster and more effectively than ever before. But questions remain about how to most efficiently and securely transition data to the cloud and integrate this data across public and private cloud environments.

Learning Outcomes

• How to determine which workloads are best suited for the public vs private cloud
• How to take steps toward embracing a cloud strategy
• How to identify workloads most applicable to cloud adoption

Blockchain

Blockchain holds the promise of fundamentally altering the way commercial interactions occur by allowing individuals and groups who may not know each other to safely and directly do business. Although the blockchain technology landscape is changing rapidly, there is little doubt that it will begin to significantly impact the business of a majority of IT leaders in the next 3-5 years. It is essential for IT leaders to begin to develop blockchain strategies today in order to remain competitive in the future.

Learning Outcomes

• Learn what problems blockchain uniquely solves
• How to know if you have an appropriate blockchain use case
• How to avoid the pitfalls that lead to blockchain project failure

Cultural Diversity in the Talent Pipeline

An inclusive and diverse workforce gives companies a competitive edge in the global economy and is an asset not only for employees but for the organization itself. This holds true whether considering race, gender, age, religious background, sexual orientation, personality type, or skill set.

Learning Outcomes

• How to rethink job descriptions, the hiring process, and onboarding to prioritize diversity
• How to identify inequality issues that may prevent employees from staying in a job or applying for a new one

How to ensure your workforce understands and embraces a work culture of inclusion