From Digital Transformation to Digital Maturity
What Comes After Digital Transformation—and Why Digital Maturity Is the Real Challenge
In the last 15 years, many companies have overused the term “Digital Transformation” to describe their services and their position in the market. I believe it has done a lot of good across various domains, from B2B to B2G and B2O; but in the current era, we can no longer rely on “Digital Transformation” to describe the new processes and workflows a company must consider to survive in the modern digital landscape.
So what comes after Digital Transformation?
It should be the era of Digital Maturity—an easy concept to understand, but very hard to define, both for consultancies and companies.
Focus on Digital Skills When Hiring
That’s no longer negotiable. I believe that in this new era, there should be hands-on assessments that evaluate candidates’ digital skills using real-case scenarios. Of course, this puts pressure on companies like Coursera to collaborate with universities to create high-quality courses. But a surface-level understanding of AI is no longer enough. A clear understanding of data structure models, and even the ability to interact with advanced tools like Salesforce or SaaS platforms like Airtable or Make, is no longer optional.
Shifting from Consultancy to Coaching
It’s becoming increasingly clear that former digital transformation consultancies need to change their paradigm—moving from offering consultancy or implementation services to coaching leaders and key decision-makers. These leaders must become capable of making decisions about the next CRM, the next feature to prioritise from the roadmap, the appropriate data storage model, or how to integrate AI components into existing workflows.
It is no longer acceptable to view the digital space as someone else’s responsibility, or to rely on external consultants for every decision. The next generation of leaders should be able to speak this language more fluently than anyone else. And it is those companies that will survive in the coming decades.
Chief Technology & Transformation Officer as a Board Member
I believe that in every major organisational decision—from hospitals to FMCG and transportation—the CTO should be a key pillar in leadership discussions. Moreover, everyone at that table should be capable of understanding technical challenges, opportunities, and risks.
Companies should increasingly rely on technology, at least as an assistant—if not as a core enabler. Technology and AI integration should be measured just like the ROI of a marketing campaign. In the future, organisations should be composed of agile squads, ready to address any technical challenge the organisation might face.
Agile Is No Longer Optional
In recent years as a consultant, I’ve worked with companies using Agile or SAFe methodology, and while I was surprised at first, it’s now clear that this is no longer optional. Companies must implement Agile methods and embrace any frameworks relevant to their operations—from business strategy to pricing—otherwise, survival in this fast-paced environment will be difficult.
The paradigm has shifted. The tools available today allow us to drive or pilot the vehicle—but future leaders must learn some mechanics. They must learn how to speak fluently with highly specialised engineers and understand how to fine-tune systems to run faster and better. Sitting in the passenger seat is no longer an option.
But to do that, leaders must transform their vision. They must be willing to be vulnerable—open to new ideas and the implementation of new technologies. Only by doing so can they survive.
Further Reading:
The Leaders’ Path to Digital Value (from an area when AI was not a mainstream option)
What is Digital Transformation from McKinsey