A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step

Despite the increasing urgency for global businesses to digitalize and standardize operations, many companies are unsure of what the journey entails and are often reticent to buy into a large-scale transformation. The prospect of a massive change across multiple geographies or business units, without the guarantee of a risk-free transition, can be terrifying.

Small steps on the road to big transformation

No matter whether your organization manufactures structural ceramics or produces Hollywood blockbusters, every business has a set of established practices and beliefs that can either help or hinder the transformation process.

Successful large-scale, global and multi-discipline transformations often rely on getting just one or two things right very early on in the process. In most cases, taking “small steps” can help overcome the challenges of a transformation journey. Applying a robust transformation process model to deliver results, even when conditions change, is paramount; and the importance role of human collaboration and communication, well-planned change management and mutual respect in any digital transformation journey shouldn’t be underestimated.

At Capgemini, we’ve spent a lot of time “demystify digital,” and there are two key aspects that enable our teams to work closely with our clients to execute dramatic, digitally-driven business transformations:

• Start with a proven methodology – each transformation journey we carry out for our clients follows a set of steps based on proven frameworks that guide every effort and decision. These frameworks are adapted and modeled on the specific parameters of each company according to their objectives.
• Leverage a best-in-class digital operating model – using a flexible, platform-based methodology for business transformation and benchmarking can deliver the right operating model for an organization. In turn, this can provide a complete platform to deliver the right outcomes at the right pace, based on the individual needs of our clients’ business.

Transformation is a journey, not a single destination

Throughout every transformation journey, we seek to be our clients’ guides – they help us set the destination and we help them walk the route. But when we see our customers getting just as excited for the next leg of the journey, it’s because they see that digital transformation is not only possible but also profitable.

However, not every organization is in a place where they can jump into a large-scale global transformation with both feet. It’s crucial to roll out a digital transformation methodology incrementally and be able to prove at every stage of the journey that the transformation is going to plan. Once the business case has been verified and a client’s trust has been earned, our teams often have a greater opportunity to be involved in future projects at an earlier stage, which can deliver greater value in a more integrated way.

Partnership is a key aspect of a successful transformation. It gives our teams the freedom to think big with regards to transformation and propose wide-reaching process transformation. It’s also important from the outset to align our transformation model with our clients’ immediate and longer-term goals. Having an agreed roadmap in place gives us a platform for growth, innovation and continuous improvement. And once a cost or productivity benchmark has been met, the bar is immediately raised.

It’s when all these early steps come together – when we get to look back at how far we’ve come – that the next leg of our journey looks that much easier.

Learn more about how Capgemini can help your organization take the small steps that lead to a big transformation.

Lee Beardmore  helps Capgemini’s clients face complex challenges through innovation and by making sound technology decisions for real business gain. A computer scientist by education, a technologist at heart, and with many years of cross-industry experience, Lee has a wealth of experience to draw upon.