There are common challenges in the quest for delivering Digital outcomes and developing a world class value proposition.
After experiencing the technology industry in many different types of organisations, roles and decision making levels, I have found common opportunities for Digital teams.
One of these opportunities is the ability to deliver outcomes when the business value proposition is distant from any Digital perspective.
Digital is not the value proposition
Everybody wants to be as engaging as Apple, but very few understand the value of a Human-Centric Digital Strategy to achieve it.
There is no sufficient data to justify a radical change, or that is what Blockbuster said when Netflix was trying a different customer digital approach. So they jus focused on a Digital Strategy that supported their classic operational model.
In businesses with low value perceived by taking a Human-Centric aproach, the Digital teams are not invited to the strategic business decisions.
In this context we might need to take a deep breath, and be prepared for a long term strategy. This will be a marathon and not a sprint.
Approach to showcase a Human-Centric Digital Strategy
There are more probabilities to succeed with proving the value of the Human-Centred approach by starting with the focus in only one or two strategic initiatives with low resistance, unite forces to pitch for funding, and to allocate the best people to ensure the best outcome.
Choose the right initiative
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.Identify what initiatives will get decision makers more receptive, either because it’s part of the company focus; no other approach has worked before; or simply because it is in the too hard bucket.Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.
An example that has worked for me in the past has been Digital Inclusion, Accessibility and Privacy Policies.
Find supporters and funding
Find people in the organisation interested in your topic, either because is part of their KPI; is an opportunity for them to increase their profile; or because they are passionate about the subject and they want to be part of it.
By presenting a united front, you will be able to reach decision makers in a way that you can pitch for your initiative in order to get funding.
Allocate your best people
Now you need to put your money where your mouth is. This is where your leadership skills are critical as you won’t be able to deliver the design solution by yourself.
Motivate your best creative people to deliver their magic in your initiative, and to gracefully replace them in any other project they are working on at the moment, so they can focus on only one thing for this time period.
Your strategy will play out differently, depending on the value proposition of your organisation, the initiatives available and your team skills.
The key to understand how to overcome these challenges lays in understanding the organisation’s way of working, and defining a specific way to operate as an Digital team in the initiative you have selected to showcase the Human-Centred approach.
It is ultimately in the best interest of the organisation to involve their Digital teams in the strategy planning, it is ok not to be the next Netflix, but it is not ok to be the next Blockbuster.
Do you need help proving the value of a Human-Centred Digital Strategy in your organisation?
Let’s brood together a solution that will help your team to succeed in delivering great experiences and developing a world class capability.
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