Recently, Forbes highlighted Artisan’s Rob Harbols for his expertise in digital transformation. After two decades of leading large-scale digital innovation efforts, Harbols understands that success always comes down to the individuals involved. Digital transformation is ultimately organizational change. While implementing the right technology is always important, leaders must slow down enough to educate every level of stakeholder along the way. In the article, Harbols shares three essential strategies for building consensus throughout the digital transformation journey.  

1.    Involve everyone early.

True digital transformation always involves changes to processes and often leads to major shifts in overall culture. If all levels of the organization—from executive-level leadership to front-line employees—are not bought in, the result can be disastrous. Ahead of major changes, people need to understand the "why" behind an initiative and how this particular solution will improve things. When the entire enterprise is educated and bought in, there will be a much greater adoption rate for the new systems, steps, and strategies that come with digital transformation. 

2.    Show the big picture and use language everyone understands.

Leading any type of change requires effective vision-casting, and one of the most effective ways to cast vision is by painting the big picture. Leaders who slow down enough to articulate the end-to-end value stream of a new solution (in language that resonates with each audience) will bypass initial barriers to change and garner more supporters along the way.  

3.    Set the right KPIs and revisit them often.

Finally, key performance indicators (KPIs) can serve as helpful tools for building consensus. When the organization is aligned around the end goal, it is easier to unify around specific investment or operational shifts. KPIs are also essential for tracking the progress of multi-year initiatives and should be reported on regularly.

As Harbols writes in the Forbes.com article, “by measuring success toward clear milestones, leaders provide opportunities for the rest of the organization to join the journey, as well as chances for everyone to celebrate along the way.” 

To read the entire article, visit Forbes.com.

At Artisan, we partner with organizations to help them embrace, adopt, and realize the benefits of today's digital offerings. From finding ways to automate and streamline your business to unlocking your organization's potential with new technology or modernizing your infrastructure, we are here to offer cutting-edge solutions and thoughtful leadership along the way. Ready to take the journey towards transformation? Reach out to us here to start a conversation.