Establishing digital readiness
Industry: Manufacturing, approx. 3,000 employees, employees affected: 400, areas:
manufacturing, IT, administration
Project duration: 1 year, consulting services: readiness check, training and coaching, 2
consultants
The company had been implementing a digitalisation initiative affecting both administration and production. After two years, it became clear that not much progress had been made. Resistance to the new technologies was evident among both managers and employees. Management was aware that things could not continue this way, but did not know how to proceed.
Bröker + Partner first conducted a digital readiness assessment to gain clarity about the current digital mindset of the workforce. This included evaluating the key competencies of openness, willingness to learn and cooperation. As a result, managers and employees could be divided into digital starters, digital adopters, digital challengers and digital leaders.
On this basis, tailor-made development programmes were designed and implemented, first for managers and then for all employees. Following the six-month development programme, its success was measured by a re-assessment.
At the end of the six-month development programme, it was clear that both managers and employees had significantly developed their digital mindset. This meant that they were more open to mistakes, showed a greater willingness to learn and collaborate, and had learned to use and value data as the basis for their decisions and actions.
Only after this foundation had been laid the digitalisation initiative was resumed and successfully completed two years later.
START: AS IS
The company had been stuck with its digitalisation initiative for two years and did not know why
GOAL: TO BE
The digitalisation initiative was critical to the future development of the company. It was essential to ensure that it could be implemented within a reasonable time frame. Positive development of the digital mindset of employees and managers.
IMPLEMENTATION
Conducting a digital readiness assessment. Analysing the digital mindset of employees and managers. Developing and implementing a targeted empowerment programme to develop a positive digital mindset. Monitoring success.
EVALUATION / RESULTS
After completing the empowerment programme, employees and managers were demonstrably more willing to experiment, more open to mistakes, showed a greater willingness to learn and collaborate, and had learned to use and value data as the basis for their decisions and actions. As a result, the digitalisation programme was successfully completed.
LESSONS LEARNED
The success of digitalisation is not purely a technical issue. Success depends heavily on the mindset of the employees and managers involved. Before launching a digitalisation initiative, the digital mindset of those involved should be assessed and, if necessary, developed, otherwise there is a risk of wasting a lot of time and money. It is better to invest some time and resources at the beginning to ensure the success of the initiative later on.
