Digital transformation isn’t just about technology and processes. It’s also about people. Ultimately, it’s a company’s people that will make or break the transition.
Enterprises have increased their adoption of digital manufacturing during the COVID-19 pandemic – and this trend is not expected to slow down as people return to work. However, driving successful digital transformation within industrial organizations requires not only having the right technology but also achieving a step change in operational productivity. Even before the pandemic, people’s day-to-day roles were changing at all levels – and the accelerated pace of digitalization as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic will only make these transitions more extreme. When not properly planned for or communicated, these changes can often be resisted, meaning costly transformation initiatives could slow down or fail.
Manufacturers face two initial challenges in digital transformation. The first: digital transformation is a massive endeavor that spans several disciplines. In a manufacturing environment, the process must be driven equally by both IT leaders and OT leaders, working together toward a common goal. For the transition to be successful, these two groups must collaborate effectively. This can pose a major hurdle, as IT and OT divisions are often siloed.
The second challenge is developing the right roadmap for actually executing transformation efforts. Businesses may have mapped out how digital transformation is going to benefit the organization and gained executive buy-in, but do they understand what is required to actually bring the transformation to life in a manufacturing plant? To do this, they need to carefully plan how they will leverage software, cybersecurity, and hardware tools to transform their business.
For digital transformation to succeed, organizations need to first address these two issues. Once these gaps have been bridged, they can turn toward the most important concern: people.
Workers have often expressed anxiety about digital transformation, particularly in the manufacturing sector. But these fears are misplaced, as this transition won’t render humans obsolete. Quite the contrary, as people play a key role in digital transformation. They’re core to the change, development, and productivity of this transition, ensuring that digital transformation efforts are properly implemented and that organizations get the desired results from it.
People won’t be replaced as part of digital transformation, but it will change their roles – for the better. They’ll gain more insights and increased productivity. With people being so critical during and after digital transformation, and since their functions will change because of it, manufacturers must develop a comprehensive change management plan centered around their employees. For these employees to deliver optimal results in these new roles, they’ll need to be properly prepared, trained, and supported.
To create this plan, leaders first need to define for themselves what exactly will change in their organization and how those changes will impact employees. This requires an understanding of how manufacturers operated in the past and how they’ll operate after digital transformation.
