Digital acceleration is the narrative to adopt

In the wake of the pandemic, we found that 87 percent of businesses rushed to integrate digital solutions to address challenges with supply chains, customer services, employee communications, and other key areas.

However, most businesses were not fully prepared for this digital revolution; in fact, our Digital Acceleration vs. Digital Transformation whitepaper revealed that 99 percent of respondents indicated that they could’ve been better prepared in terms of digital tools, systems and processes to handle the fallout from the crisis better.

During the pandemic, businesses were forced to expedite their integration of digital technologies to address their operational challenges practically overnight. Many organisations soon realised that while the accelerated, iterative approach they adopted during the pandemic was successful in overcoming their immediate business challenges, they would now need further refinement in order to keep them operational and effective.

Furthermore, 84 percent of companies reported that the rapid technological transitions expedited certain aspects of their digital adoption by up to ten years.

In today’s online, technology-driven world, most enterprises have embraced digitisation.

These businesses must now shift their focus away from the overhaul of digital transformation to instead implementing and improving the right technologies to keep pace with quickly changing demands through adopting the mindset of digital acceleration.

Digital acceleration differs from digital transformation through its quick paced approach thus fast-tracking a business’ digital adoption by several years ahead of initial predictions. A strategy initially adopted due to the pandemic’s push towards remote working, it has moved on to become the chosen path for many companies.

How things have changed

The rapid technological adoption that has been triggered over the last two years, has enabled IT teams to play a greater role in the organisation. The most significant change is that technology is now regarded as a true enabler of good in enterprises. It is anticipated that funding will continue to increase, allowing businesses to continually accelerate digital initiatives. Businesses are also expected to invest significantly more in developing their employees’ skills to improve their digital capabilities.

Approaches shaping future digital priorities

Having to continually re-examine, upgrade, and optimise their use of digital technologies, companies should consider their approach towards digital technologies as not a one-and-done transformation process, but an ongoing, continuous process, better described as “digital acceleration”.

To accomplish such an accelerated approach to digital, businesses need to view the process as a succession of incremental steps, each with practical deliverables and measurable objectives. By emphasising this iterative strategy, businesses can forge a new digital capability that enables them to quickly deploy new features, learn and adapt based on real user feedback and rapidly mature their digital products.

Mitigating risk factors within digital adoption

While digital acceleration enables agile delivery without jeopardising long-term strategic thinking or existing digital underpinnings, there will always be underlying risks that drive technology decision-making. Understanding the business and technology’s primary objectives, as well as their larger context, is critical to combating these threats.

Despite a global shift towards more remote and hybrid work, these capabilities remain the most significant global risk factor. This example alone bolsters the case for iterative evolution, which builds on and enhances existing technological stacks.

Future priority technologies

Creating a digital acceleration roadmap begins with a thorough examination of prospective solutions and consideration of those that are most likely to provide greater value.

The metaverse, for example, should not be adopted solely because it is new, but because it improves or adds value to existing processes. Virtual reality (VR) has its origins in gaming, but it is quickly becoming apparent that it can be applied to a wide range of businesses, and it is expected to see major growth and investment in the future years.

Conclusion: a better approach

Our research indicates that businesses recognise the need for investment and improvement in their digital capabilities, as part of a well-defined digital acceleration strategy that gives them the flexibility to respond to changing needs. These aren’t necessarily novel concepts; in fact, organisations that are considered best-of-breed in terms of technology, use this method on a regular basis.

Nick Curran, Head of Endava MENA.