Annual Report Unveils Opportunity at a Global Scale Through Flexible and Resilient Transformation Strategies
TEKsystems, a global provider of technology, business and talent solutions for more than 80% of the Fortune 500, released its third annual State of Digital Transformation report. This year’s annual report builds on the findings of the previous two and is the first to include a global view, including respondents from Europe and Asia, to provide new insights on how digital leaders continue to modernize and deploy digital strategies on a global scale.
Following the initial pandemic-led disruption, digital leaders capitalized on key learnings by implementing nimble and modern technology architectures and strategies to expand their competitive advantage in the digital economy. The report found that leaders who strategically applied technology to enable business transformation thrived and further increased the gap between themselves and digital laggards.
“This year’s findings highlight the successes, challenges and areas of improvement enterprises around the world face in their digital transformation journeys,” says Jay Alvather, president of TEKsystems. “Our research reveals that leaders must remain steadfast about their transformation ambitions, they must foster inclusive, nimble cultures and mindsets, and they need to keep the customer at the center of all business decisions.”
The 2022 report collates results of a TEKsystems global survey that was issued in late 2021 and focused on nearly 600 technology and business decision-makers based in the United States, Australia, Canada, China, India and the United Kingdom.
The report revealed three key strategies that can set digital leaders apart from laggards in their transformation journeys:
- Build strategic alignment: 89% of leaders say digital transformation is a core pillar of business strategy.
- Value the right voices: 88% of leaders say the planning stages of digital transformation initiatives include the right mix of IT and business stakeholders.
- Future-proof the workforce: 86% of digital leaders say they are well-positioned to reskill/upskill the workforce to be productive using digital technologies.
“We continue to recognize the intrinsic relationship between business transformation and technology innovation investment. Deploying digital strategies that drive business value creation through technology innovation is going to drive industry leadership. Companies must determine and relentlessly work toward those outcomes, powered by their workforce and technology, to drive industry leadership, attract and retain customers, and sustain and grow market position,” says Ram Palaniappan, chief technology officer, TEKsystems Global Services.
Deliver transformation value at scale
The report found that digital leaders do not allow failures to deter digital transformation investment or hinder progress for long-term success.
- Leaders are two times more likely to invest in technology, with 44% seeing an actionable return on investment in one to three years after implementation, compared to three to five years for digital laggards.
- Digital transformation is not immediate, and planning is vital. 85% of leaders clearly define their desired business outcomes before beginning transformation initiatives, outlining the importance of building a roadmap that establishes existing problems and anticipates expected business performance improvements.
Design a digital workforce that prioritizes talent
Nine out of 10 organizations indicated that they are experiencing significant gaps in critical skills. Organizations can cultivate a workforce that will evolve alongside its digital strategies by identifying new talent pools, reskilling and upskilling existing talent.
- As organizations look ahead to 2022, addressing gaps in technical talent is a top priority for leaders, a sharp increase compared to ranking as the eighth biggest digital transformation challenge in the 2021 survey.
- 48% of companies signaled that cybersecurity and data analytics / data science skills are the top gaps that need to be filled. 46% of respondents added that cloud computing is a major void that is impacting their ability to drive an effective digital transformation strategy.
Address the tactical implementation of inclusion and diversity
While organizations have been able to build strategies focused on inclusion and diversity, leaders are struggling with tactical execution of these plans.
- 70% of leaders responded that they have developed diversity, equity and inclusion practices in the workplace, compared to 39% of laggards.
- 82% of leaders have effectively fostered an inclusive work environment, 21% higher than laggards.
The full report, complete with additional findings, expert recommendations and advice for achieving digital transformation, is available in an interactive, online experience on TEKsystems.com.
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