Digital maturity in companies - more than just a good connection
How did it really get going?
In the spring of 2020, people were eagerly watching their televisions, office screens or cell phones while on the move. The first lockdown was announced at an impromptu press conference. Looking back, such a crisis was not completely unimaginable, we could have seen it coming and yet it caught us completely unprepared. How long would everything remain closed and how could work continue if no one was allowed into the office?
From one day to the next, everything came to a standstill and yet it still had to continue somehow. The big improvisation started and the first step was to work from home as an emergency solution. Meetings suddenly took place in video tiles, often organized using makeshift tools or improvised WhatsApp groups, because there was no central communication system. Many people sat on exercise balls during video calls because there was no good desk chair available. Kitchen tables became desks. During these weeks, many companies became painfully aware of how analog their processes still were. Not due to a lack of readiness, but because the digital infrastructure could barely cope with the abrupt change. Digital maturity, or rather immaturity, became apparent overnight.
The pandemic acted like an unplanned stress test. Those who did not or could not act were left behind. At the same time, the crisis became an accelerator for many companies. All of this affected and still affects many more areas, such as industry or the development of new business models. But even in a seemingly straightforward field such as office work and remote work, the challenges were particularly evident.
Today, exercise balls are once again sports equipment and improvised solutions are history. But video calls, working from home and hybrid work have remained. Five years later, the consequences of this time are still having an impact. Rarely before has it been so clear how differently companies are positioned digitally and how crucial digital maturity is for their future viability.
Where do we stand today?
Studies, indices and industry reports provide countless figures. In this jumble of figures and data, it is difficult to get a consistent picture of the situation.
What can be said with certainty, however, is that digitalization has neither gone uphill nor downhill in recent years. After the extreme corona peak, digital maturity in companies had to go through a phase of sluggishness, but it is currently gaining momentum again. SMEs in particular are driving this upward trend. Internally, people are working more efficiently, automating and experimenting, and even artificial intelligence has long since become part of everyday working life. However, progress is also being dampened by digital administration and skills in the general population, with slow administrative processes, low use of digital government services and a growing lack of basic digital skills dragging the trend down.
The bottom line is that there is no clear picture and no general trend in one direction. Progress and stagnation are closely related, depending on company size, industry and framework conditions. This is precisely why it is all the more important to take a look at yourself and your own company. Because if you know where you stand, you can decide how to move forward.
And where does my company stand?
Before talking about strategies, tools or major transformation projects in your own company, it's worth pausing for a moment and reflecting: What is the current state of affairs? Because there is often a bigger difference between the feeling of being well positioned and the actual realistic picture of your own digital maturity than you might think.
Processes, working methods and routines have grown over the years and cannot be assessed at a glance. Digitalization can be seen on both a small and large scale, in daily interactions as well as in the technology in the background, in the way decisions are made, how people work together and how open a company is to change. It's not about perfection, but about finding your own way.
Fortunately, you are not on your own on this journey. Support services such as speed tests or structured assessments offer a neutral perspective from the outside and help you to realistically assess your own digital status. They provide orientation without being overwhelming and turn a vague assumption into a tangible starting point for everything that follows. And this is exactly where the path from classification to implementation begins.
What are we building on?
What happened in 2020 not only showed us how companies work, but also what they rely on. Video calls did not fail due to a lack of will, but due to unstable connections. Work didn't get stuck due to rejection, but because systems didn't interact with each other or access was lacking.
Digital infrastructure is far more than just fast internet or new end devices. It determines whether digital processes reduce workload or simply create more work and frustration. People like to work digitally when it works and turn away when technology becomes an obstacle. No matter how much digitalization you undertake, if the basis is missing, the latest technology won't help. However, the disruption in 2020 made it clear to many companies just how indispensable this foundation is. The enforced state of emergency became an accelerator. Digital infrastructure came into focus, was expanded, stabilized and professionalized and now forms the basis in many companies for digital work no longer to be improvised, but to function as a matter of course.
How is it being received?
Once the status quo and the foundation on which to build have been established, the urge to get to work grows. But what's the right way to go about the digital transformation?
In the beginning, there is a lot of planning, projects are launched, software is purchased and goals are set. Change is not something that can simply be decided. The step from planning to implementation and then, above all, to acceptance is often more difficult than the plan anticipates.
In order to create acceptance, it is important to get everyone on board and involve them, employees as well as the management team, because digitalization is not just an IT issue, but affects the entire company. Explaining why processes are changing at an early stage reduces uncertainty and creates trust. Learning takes time, you have to try things out, ask questions and sometimes fail.
The people who have to work with new tools, processes or systems on a daily basis must understand them, be able to use them confidently and feel comfortable with them. Training and further education provide the necessary technical knowledge, but an open mindset at all levels is just as important. Managers have a key role to play here. If they set an example of openness, use new tools themselves and embrace change, digital can mature. Even five years after the lockdown, the following still applies: no matter how many new things you acquire, if they are not understood, accepted and used willingly, digital transformation will remain just a project rather than a state.
And how do we go about it?
Digital maturity cannot be imposed, it has to be built up step by step. In concrete terms, this means that companies first need a stable and resilient digital infrastructure. In addition to the internet connection and hardware, this ranges from cybersecurity and secure access via VPN to clear, standardized systems for files, communication and video calls. At the same time, training is needed to provide employees with the necessary tools and make digital working a matter of course. This requires continuous training via digital learning platforms for the people who are expected to work with the tools and co. on a daily basis. Remote work also needs clear structures. This includes transparent controlling, reliable quality management and processes that function independently of the place of work. It is crucial to combine technical development with cultural development. Employees must be empowered and encouraged to use digital solutions through support, training and active support. Digital maturity arises where infrastructure is available and people can use it confidently.
From stress test to normality
A look back to spring 2020 shows how digital maturity suddenly became a question of survival. What had to be improvised under pressure back then has now become a permanent reality for many companies. Digital transformation begins with an honest look at where you stand, requires a stable digital infrastructure as a foundation and only succeeds if people are taken on board. However, it is also crucial that technological solutions are accompanied by targeted enabling. Knowledge about digital tools, clear structures and the confidence to use them confidently must be communicated. When employees are empowered to use digital working methods confidently and independently, acceptance and stability are created. This turns the state of emergency of the past into sustainable progress and digital maturity into a strength that makes companies fit for the future.