In the movie Back to the Future, Marty McFly is accidentally transported back in time where life was different, while the movie Blast from the Past saw Brendan Fraser’s character move forward 35 years into the future. If you could time travel, where do you want to be and what would you have done differently?

Since 2010, organisations have been reshuffling their businesses backed by technology. Grab redefined the meaning of mobility while WeWorks reimagined office spaces. In retrospect, this was unheard of in early 2000. Yet, new technologies have given way to new business models, leveling the playing field for everyone involved. The pandemic may have been an uninvited guest in our lives, but it has accelerated the digital transformation journey for most organizations.

A critical question that all organizations ask themselves is — do I have the people with the right digital mindsets for a successful digital transformation? Before diving into how to measure a digital mindset, let us first understand what it means to have a digital mindset and how to leverage it effectively. Let’s get started.

What Does It Mean by Having a Digital Mindset?

Gone are the days when an organisation decides on a strategy and executes it over the next five years or so. Today, every part of a business is subject to new expectations, threats, competitors, channels, and opportunities. Companies such as Grab, Uber, and Airbnb did not exist before the year 2000 but are now considered multi-billion dollar poster children for digital disruption. How did they do it? By adopting a digital mindset.

Embracing a digital mindset is not just about becoming an expert in all things digital. It is about having a set of attitudes, behaviours, and beliefs that influence curiosity towards disruptive digital technology within an organisation. It is about working in an environment where both the employers and employees are comfortable working with digital technologies and applying them to solve problems and drive growth. While there are many definitions, lets keep this simple and define it as follows:

Adaptive — responding well to change and disruptionGrowth-oriented — being intellectually curious and committed to continuous learningReceptive to failure — viewing failure as a learning opportunityEcosystem focus — prioritizing the well-being of the entire multi organisational system and not just the company

The Pike Syndrome

Talk To Our Assessment Experts

Let us share with you a famous analogy known as The Pike Syndrome. Have you ever wondered why some organisations are successful while others are not? This syndrome is based on a classic experiment conducted in 1873 by German zoologist Dr. Karl Mobius. A large pike and small bait fish were placed in a large tank with a heavy glass pane separating the two. Seeing the fish prompted the pike to charge at them. But each time it did so, it crashed violently into the glass. A number of painful attempts later, the pike gave up. But when the glass pane was removed, the pike and its prey peacefully shared the tank. The pike learned that pursuing the fish caused a lot of pain. Based on the experiment, four lessons can be learned from the experiment:

Failure to recognise changeBeing stuck in the pastGiving up easily and stopped tryingMissing out on opportunities

Most of us are not much different from the pike, allowing self-limiting beliefs, past failures, or perceived shortcomings to hold us back from new efforts. When confronted with such drastic transformation, organisations may find it difficult to change if the culture is built around silos. Hence, building a culture for successful adoption requires everyone in the organisation to work together in an open and transparent way.

Cultivating a Digital Mindset

Efficiency in the digital age is about seamlessly bringing people and technology together. Not to mention how increasingly interconnected the world is becoming today but not all of us know how to make the most of it. So, how do we achieve this? KNOLSKAPE, an experiential learning company that delivers digital transformation solutions, may have an idea:

Build a vision for digital transformation

This stage requires leaders to create and execute a vision that focuses on change and agility, while being able to lead the organization through the era of digital disruption.

Practise employee empowerment

Empower employees to experiment with new ideas and remain relevant in their roles, the business and industry, as well as the organizational structure and culture.

Simplify the digital execution

Get rid of antiquated processes that hinder growth and agility, while developing the digital culture, capabilities, and mindsets for executing strategies to deliver results.

Cultivate the right skills

Organizations need to understand the skills required for success in the digital age and redefine strategies and business models to respond to opportunities presented by the digital disruption.

Assess the digital readiness of the workforce

Traditional reporting structures and rigid hierarchies restrict autonomy and innovation and should be replaced with new models that assess your company for digital awareness, readiness, and maturity.

Assessing a digital mindset

Digital Mindset and Readiness

Technology is drastically shifting beyond our personal lives and the emergence of new digital technologies is reshaping the way organizations transform themselves. From the digitization of products and services to the way business processes are carried out, the transformation of companies is no longer a question of what if, but rather a question of how should we do it?

Talent strategy requires an understanding of what your organization is trying to achieve in the next few years. A good measurement of a digitally ready workforce is via the key competencies in skills and roles.

According to KNOLSKAPE’s Digital Blur concept, there are four types of personas that can thrive in today’s digital environment:

Networked leader

Someone who operates with a collaborative and sharing mindset, while focusing on leadership without authority using influence as the main currency. A networked leader is defined by their:

Fluid mindsetOrganizational dexteritySocial intelligenceSystems thinking.

Learn More: What is a Digital Mindset and How Do You Assess It?

0