How To Build Empathy Into Your Digital Transformation Processes

In order to succeed at digital transformation, business leaders need to ensure that teams and customers are able to get empathetic technology interactions. It is necessary for tech to ‘speak human’. That starts with emphasising user-centricity and ends with careful measurement.

As organisations plan and undergo digital transformation initiatives, there is one fundamental component that every company needs in order to remain relevant: a relentless focus on an empathetic customer experience, supported which is supported by connected technologies and networked infrastructure.

Humanising The Boardroom

Empathy used to be an infrequent word in the boardroom. Many organisations firmly believed that if you wanted results, you needed to steer the ship with an iron fist. This is no longer the case, and the notion of authentic leadership is starting to metabolise across global business leaders which is creating a competitive advantage for those who are able to lead with empathy.

Empathy is critical in:

• Understanding employees and customers,
• Improving your offerings,
• Driving efficiencies, and
• Improving ROI.

Empathy is also critical in improving how we interact with technology. Realising the full value of your technology requires a focus on how human users interact with platforms, systems as well as processes. The idea applies both to your employees using technology in the flow of their daily work and your customers who experience the end product.

The Role Of Continuous Learning And Employee Empowerment

Continuous learning is essentially what is at the core of digital transformation. All in your organisation need to constantly learn new ways of working as well as how to leverage the best techniques and technologies for your organisation. While concentrating on the technology part is fun, it’s also the simplest part of this shift.

If you’re giving individuals opportunities to learn as well as providing them the space and support to grow and develop, they will contribute in more meaningful ways to your organisation. Constantly evolving, training and learning new things is a re-imagined approach to business that pays for itself.

The second your business stops evolving is the second it will no longer be competitive.

The Upside Of Digital Transformation

Certainly, many people will appreciate having repetitive and mundane tasks eliminated thanks to digital transformation. At the same time, there are some people performing tasks, that are soon to be automated, really like the work they are doing and don’t want to see it change.

This hesitation is more than the usual change aversion. It reflects our innate love of mastery and the discomfort we feel while being a novice at something new.

As leaders, we need to be doing more. Of course, we should explain business goals as well as advancement opportunities in order to help those who are facing changes because of digital transformation.

However, we also need to empathise with those facing a loss of mastery in their area of employment. Doing so acknowledges what matters to them. Better yet, it helps with creating the right environment which allows those employees to believe they can take the steps needed to make the leap to excellence throughout the digital transformation process.

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