Although digital transformation has opened a world of opportunities for organisations to conduct business, it has also brought its own set of challenges.

The most pertinent? The increased demand for digitally skilled personnel.

As businesses continue to invest in rapid technological advancements, a lack of essential IT and digital skills among the workforce is substantially affecting transformation initiatives.

For example, many existing internal IT teams within organisations are now over stretched for technical expertise. If not addressed, this shortage of digitally skilled talent can have serious implications such as increased burnout and reduced productivity, which in turn impact long-term profitability.

Businesses can address this challenge and ensure transformation initiatives are successful by taking three  essential steps

  1. Establish an in-house digital skills training program

In order to create a successful training program, organisations must first define their goals and objectives. This includes investing significant time and resources to better understand the skills that are necessary to scale future digital transformation.

By careful planning of a curriculum, businesses can equip their employees with the skills and knowledge needed to harness the various opportunities that accompany digital transformation.

  1. Make best use of automation/ AI

Artificial intelligence (AI) and automation have the potential to positively transform businesses and economies. As rapid technological advancements associated with these innovations continue to generate value for businesses across various sectors, organisations need to consider how they will apply this technology to improve their own operational efficiency.

While adoption of AI and automation can free your employees to focus on value-add activity and the customer experience, it also requires companies to re-evaluate their current work-flow processes, to make best use of the skills in their workforce.

  1. Adopt new ways of working

Remote and hybrid working has not only helped workers to establish work-life balance, but it has also enabled organisations to tap into a larger talent pool not restricted by geographical boundaries.

With a strong talent mobility strategy, organisations can attract and develop diverse employees with the right digital skills. This helps solve any local talent conundrums while contributing to greater inclusivity and diversity within the company’s workforce.

As businesses continue to rely on digital operations, the key for organisational development is to adapt their HR and talent management processes in this new digital environment, to more effectively support the changing requirements of their business and employees. With the right digital expertise, businesses can now work towards closing the skills gap within their organisation by identifying  key roles and mapping out capabilities.