How to Make Digitization Meaningful to Employees

Digitization is critical to the long-term success of a business, and according to SSON Research & Analytics, over 85% of shared services and GBS are playing a role in supporting their enterprise’s digital agenda. Given the responsibility GBS has taken on to either participate in the wider digitization initiative or drive the digital agenda, SSON made sure to focus on digital transformation during the IA World Series this September.

Etienne Grisvard, Head of TBS Experience for Takeda Business Solutions, is one of the professionals who will be speaking on digital transformation during the IA World Series. Etienne has spent the past two years at Takeda specializing in leadership and operations management, and at the IA World Series, he will share his thoughts on how shared services can make digitization meaningful to employees.

Before his session on September 19, Etienne sat down with SSON Digital to discuss digital transformation with purpose.

Hesitancy around digitization

In Etienne’s experience, one of the most common hurdles to digitization projects centers around people.

“I think the most traditional challenge we face is receiving employee buy-in to digital transformation,” said Etienne. “People like how things were working for them and are comfortable with what they know, so they don’t necessarily see the need for change.”

Besides this general resistance to change, Etienne said there are three other reasons employees can make digital transformation initiatives challenging. These include:

• Uncertainty: When employees don't know what the change will mean for them, they're more likely to resist it. They may be worried about losing their jobs, being demoted, or having to take on new responsibilities that they're not qualified for.
• Fear of not having the right skills: Employees may be afraid that they don't have the skills they need to succeed in the new digital environment. They may be worried about being left behind, or they may not be confident in their ability to learn new skills.
• Privacy: When a new technology is introduced, one of employee’s earliest concerns is likely to be about whether their personal data is secure. This problem can cause continued issues if leadership is not openly communicating with their employees. 

In order to overcome these privacy concerns, Etienne suggests reaffirming your company's commitment to privacy.

“In the past ten years, there’s been a lot going on with data privacy as far as the GDPR in Europe and different variants around the world,” said Etienne. “So we’ve been training people to tell them they need to care about privacy a lot more.”

Solutions to make digitization meaningful

For Etienne and Takeda, two solutions have found success in engaging employees throughout digital transformation projects.

The first is a series of webinars that offer employees the opportunity to learn about new technologies, engage and ask questions to experts, and even develop new skills. These webinars are critical for ensuring Takeda’s employees are kept in the loop throughout digital transformation. Although these webinars have had success in engaging employees, Etienne said there is another initiative that has been even more useful in engaging employees.

Several years ago, Takeda created an intense class on RPA that offered a certification from UiPath upon completion. Hundreds of Takeda employees took this class, who were eventually equipped with the skills to create their own bots.

“People were able to go from 0, having an interest, to 100, being able to create their own bot with some support from the Center of Excellence in the background,” said Etienne.

These bots employees created could automate repetitive tasks for them. This helped employees to save time and to focus on more strategic work.

This program is just one example of how businesses can make digital transformation meaningful to employees. By providing employees with information about digital transformation and engaging them in the use of digital transformation tools and technologies, businesses can help employees see the benefits of digital transformation and develop the skills they need to succeed in the digital age.