What Does Digital Transformation Mean?

It’s likely that you’ve long understood the need for at least some digitization of your organization, but have been uncertain about the right move or the ideal long-term strategy.

This could be because, even though the concept of “digital transformation” has been around since the late 1990s, there’s still a lot of confusion over exactly what it is. One of the reasons digital transformation is hard to grasp is because there are so many different definitions floating around.

So what does digital transformation mean?

Some use it to mean a complete integration of technology into all areas of business, changing the way you operate and deliver customer value.

Others use it to mean any digital adoption or transition, such as moving to the cloud or starting an analytics project.

As Melissa Swift, Global Leader, Digital Transformation Advisory at Korn Ferry tells us:

To add to the confusion:

“The term digital transformation has been overused, misused and hijacked to the point where it has become a meaningless catch phrase,” says Scotts Miracle Grow CIO, Marc Sims.

If you share this frustration, you might like the way Dmitry Bagrov, Director of DataArt puts it:

“The term is irrelevant; the key issue is how to transform business to match changing reality.”

That’s what businesses are really trying to address with any technology implementation or digital solution. Especially today, when everything has changed almost overnight, with many of the changes likely to stick.

In fact, in our new reality, the concept of “digital transformation” is almost meaningless. Being a business and being digital are now one and the same.

With that in mind, here’s the way we encourage you to think of digital transformation, for as long as the term remains in the lexicon:

What Does Digital Transformation Mean: Conclusion

Business is almost always undergoing some kind of change, adaptation, or “transformation.

The current shift just happens to be largely digital. Don’t get too caught up in the definition, or overwhelmed by the endless digital options.

A perfect starting point is to ask yourself how technology could most benefit your business. Then check out our digital transformation ebook for next steps.