Digital Transformation: Praise or Daze?

Isn't it true that we often get carried away by tech buzzwords that promise revolutionary changes but often fail to deliver? "Digital transformation" is one such buzzword we're grappling with.

Recently, I had the privilege of leading a round table discussion as part of our Knowledge Management Global Network roundtable series. Our goal? To decode digital transformation, scrutinize the hype, and explore the role of knowledge managers in this realm.

The session kicked off with an insightful definition from Cheng Gong and Vincent Ribiere: "Digital transformation is a fundamental change process enabled by the innovative use of digital technologies. It leverages key resources and capabilities, aiming to radically improve an entity and redefine its value proposition for its stakeholders." (Note: An entity could be an organization, a business network, an industry, or society.)

Alongside esteemed panelists Annie Green, Art Murray, Ron Young, and Yesha Sivan, we dove into the promising depths of digital transformation, especially in the exciting era of AGI (Artificial General Intelligence). Thank you, Yesha, for opening our eyes to the impact of the AGI

Here are some key takeaways:

1. Business needs should guide our digital transformation journey. Technology-oriented only is an aimless approach that won't get us far.

2. We should put only some eggs in the technology basket; human expertise matters. This is an essential part of our role as KMers, bringing in, again and again, human knowledge.

3. Remember, digital transformation is not a one-off project; it's a perpetual 'Plan-Do-Learn' cycle. Learning through systematic KM-based debriefing makes the process more effective.

4. Never underestimate the power of change management.

5. We all should commit to ongoing learning about new digital technologies and empower our knowledge workers to do the same.

6. A true transformation combines digital, data, knowledge, and collaboration transformations.

7. We must ensure responsible AI and digital transformation implementation.

8. Last but not least, we should embrace Generative AI! It's a golden opportunity to supercharge KM and digital transformation.