Digital transformation projects continue apace, with some estimates suggesting that more than half of IT investments will be allocated to DX projects by the end of 2024. But even amid the rapid increase in digital transformation initiatives, the leaders in charge of these projects are often perceived as lacking the skills necessary to make DX initiatives successful.
No one expects leaders to learn to code or earn certifications, but some level of digital literacy can provide many advantages for leaders in charge of DX projects. Here are five ways that becoming digitally literate can help you more effectively lead your DX initiatives:
1. Improve communication with it experts
Taking the time to learn foundational concepts and terms of the digital world will improve communication with your internal IT experts and external consultants and vendors. When the technology experts don’t have to spend time explaining foundational terms and concepts, everyone saves time for the tasks that matter most.
2. Build Trust with it
A digitally literate leader who wants to tie business strategy to technology initiatives will be better able to create that bridge than a leader who has a dim view of how technology can help achieve the strategy. Trust erodes when leaders expect IT to meet unclear strategic goals or to overcome poor strategy through technology. Understanding how technology works and spending time with your IT department will help you improve trust in the IT function’s expertise and their trust in the business side.
3. Understand Your Team’s Needs
As a leader, you may not be required to use all of the same technology tools that your team uses on a daily basis. Gaining a foundational level of technical literacy can help you gather the correct information about what your team needs to perform and meet strategic objectives so that you can advocate for your team.
4. Align Technology Across the Organization
Too often, as different departments or functions implement new technologies, little attention is paid to aligning those technologies with others in the organization. As a digitally literate leader, you can help prevent the proliferation of disparate technologies by communicating the overall IT strategy with your IT team.
5. Better Manage Change
Perhaps the most critical function of a leader through a DX initiative is managing change. A leader with a basic understanding of technology—including new technology—can help manage expectations, better guide a team through training and adaptation, and communicate in a way that fosters connection within and across functions.
Digital literacy doesn’t have to be complicated, and it doesn’t require MBA-level education. For most leaders, spending time using common technology tools and learning the basic terms and concepts used by IT professionals will provide the foundation for good digital literacy. Even meeting with an internal IT professional weekly or semi-weekly for a short briefing on current initiatives will provide an opportunity for questions and help build digital literacy.
Becoming a digitally literate leader isn’t about becoming a technology expert. Instead, basic digital literacy will improve communication, connection, trust, and efficiency as your organization undergoes digital transformation efforts.
Self-Check:
- Do you consider yourself digitally literate? Would your team consider you digitally literate?
- What is one technology tool your organization uses that you could learn or improve your skills in?
- How often do you speak with internal IT people? Can you set up a short meeting to learn about technology initiatives in the organization?
