Everyone knows that Darth Vader is one of the main antagonists from the Star Wars Universe. But how does his character fit in a Digital Transformation project? Well, that’s because he’s actually used to describe the negative impact of not embracing change and not going through a digital transformation fast enough. And if you think about it, it makes perfect sense! The Digital Transformation process requires that we rethink all processes, procedures, and even products and services. We have to leverage new technologies (e.g., artificial intelligence, machine learning, virtual reality, blockchain), new ways of working together (e.g., agile methodology), new partnerships with third party vendors, new suppliers from afar (e.g., vendors from cloud providers) and more. If your company is still using processes from the Industrial Revolution or earlier, then you need to embrace this change pronto!
Darth Vader and the Culture of Fear
When Darth Vader took over the operations of the Empire, he made sure that everyone was afraid. He used fear as a means to control the masses, because he knew that fear was the easiest way to motivate people. But how does this apply to a digital transformation project? The first and most important thing that you need to do during a digital transformation project is to create a sense of urgency. But how do you do that if you don’t have a clear vision and strategy for your transformation? If you don’t have a clear plan for what your business transformation looks like, then there’s no reason for anyone to feel urgency. And if there’s no urgency, then you’ll probably have trouble securing funding, finding the right talent, and getting buy-in from your employees. Imagine the digital transformation as a war: if you don’t have a vision and strategy, then you’ll have trouble finding the right weapons, and you’ll probably lose.
No Clear Vision or Strategy
If your company is in the middle of a digital transformation, then you should have a clear vision and strategy. If you don’t, then this is a clear indication that you still don’t understand what your business transformation actually looks like. If you’re one of the companies that has no clear vision or strategy for your transformation, then you need to ask yourself why. Why do you want to go through a digital transformation in the first place? What are the benefits of going through a digital transformation? What value does your transformation provide for your customers? Is there any value for your employees? Going through a transformation is a big project that requires a lot of resources. Therefore, you need to be sure that you’re doing it for the right reasons. Otherwise, the transformation will be a complete waste of time and money.
Lack of Communication and Engagement of Employees
One of the key elements of any successful project is communication. Unfortunately, too many digital transformation projects lack communication, or they have poor communication. If you don’t have a clear communication strategy, then your digital transformation project is doomed to fail. If you don’t know where you’re going, then you won’t get there. Going through a digital transformation is a great way to engage your employees. But only if you have open communication channels, and you encourage your employees to provide valuable input. If you don’t have communication, then it’s like travelling blindfolded. You’ll probably end up lost, in the wrong place, and you won’t even know what happened.
The Emperor is still Managing Everything
If your transformation is still in the hands of the top management, then you’ll probably never succeed. Transformations need a strong management team, but it also needs to come from the employees and the departments. You need to bring people from different organizations and functions to the table, because only they know the pain points, and they know the best solutions. If your transformation is still in the hands of the Emperor, then you’re doing it wrong. It’s important to involve everyone in the decision-making process. Otherwise, people feel like they don’t have any control over their own future. And when people feel like they have no control over their own future, they get demotivated, and they quit.
There’s Constant Confusion about Roles and Responsibilities
If there’s one thing that every employee would like to avoid during a digital transformation project, then it’s confusion. If you don’t know who does what, or what your role is, then you’re probably going to be confused. If you’re confused all the time, then you’ll probably be demotivated, and you won’t be able to produce any results. If you don’t know who does what and if you’re constantly confused about roles and responsibilities, then you’re probably not on the right path. Going through a digital transformation demands clear roles and responsibilities. Otherwise, you’ll probably produce a lot of noise, but no results.
Constant Change without Clear Explanations or Reasons
When you go through a transformation project, change is a given. You have to change things, and you have to embrace change. But that doesn’t mean that you constantly have to change things without any clear reasons or without providing any explanations. If you constantly change things without any clear reasons, then employees will become demotivated because they won’t know what’s going on, and they won’t be able to produce results. If you don’t explain why you’re making these changes, then people will feel like they’re in the dark, and they won’t trust you. They’ll probably assume the worst and wonder why they have to go through this transformation. But if you keep your employees informed and if you provide them with clear explanations, then they’ll trust you more, and they’ll be more motivated to keep going through the transformation.
Conclusions
As you can see, Darth Vader is a fitting symbol for everything that is wrong with the transformation. The good news is that you can avoid the pitfalls of the transformation by remembering to embrace the following traits: clear vision, strategy, open communication, strong engagement, top-down management, solid decision-making, and constant change with clear explanations.