You might think the buzzword ‘digital transformation’ is a recent innovation, but the underpinning idea has its origins in the 1940s.
That’s when the digital revolution began, thanks to the work of the late mathematician, electrical engineer and cryptographer Claude Shannon, who set us on a path to digitalisation – shifting analogue technology to a digital format.
But it was only until the 2010s that the digital transformation era started to emerge, with the pandemic speeding up the adoption of digital technologies by several years, says professional consultancy firm, McKinsey & Company, in an October 2020 report, How COVID-19 has pushed companies over the technology tipping point – and transformed business forever.
We’re now in the digital age – taking on a broad change mindset about digital technology, data and human-centred design to transform business models, streamline processes and improve customer and employee experience.
This new wave is also much more than simply an IT trend. Rather, it requires not only hard skills related to digital technologies, but heart skills — that is, the ability to work collaboratively, communicate effectively across different channels, and build relationships with stakeholders based on transparency and trust.
Cross skilling for digital transformation success
A focus on digital technology alone could be why many organisations struggle to transform their operations. They need to cross skill their C-suite and employees as well, says Dr Hoe Siu Loon, a specialist in digitalisation and change management based at Singapore Management University. He is an associate professor of information systems (practice) and the director of the new Master of IT in Business (MITB) programme - Digital Transformation Track. The new track provides graduates with the digital competencies to strategise and execute digital transformation initiatives for organisations in a fast-changing environment.
Assoc Prof Hoe explains that cross skilling is about learning how to apply knowledge and skills from another discipline or domain to your expertise.
“The traditional way is to leave ‘business’ to the business people and leave ‘technology’ decisions to the tech people, meaning these domains stay as silos and function independently,” he says.
“In a more complex world, especially when embarking on digital transformation or IT-enabled change, it is essential to be able to transit between these two domains. We need to equip people with both business and technical competencies.”
Therefore, organisations must adapt, or risk being left behind. This process of digital transformation has many dimensions and moving parts, and it demands a fresh approach to harnessing people, processes, technology, and data. While some organisations have been able to successfully navigate this transition, others have struggled to keep up.
The power of cross skilling
Organisations are starting to value cross-functional teams more, which means that employees need to have a diverse set of competencies. For example, a business-savvy individual who is also technically sound will be a more valuable asset to an organisation.
“In the early days of digital transformation, the common questions that people asked, were ‘what is digital transformation?’ and ‘why is this important?’, and they used the term very generically,” notes Assoc Prof Hoe.
“As digital transformation matured, people began to identify the suite of digital competencies required to deliver results.”
“One must build up a set of building blocks for digital transformation in the workplace. The exposure to these digital competencies is important – not in itself, but by connecting all the elements. It’s still the creative human path that brings it all together.”
These are the eight essential building blocks of digital competencies:
- Digital Transformation Strategy – knowing the ‘why’ that underpins the business model your organisation uses to deliver value
- Digital Governance and Risk Management – assessing the performance and risks of all projects happening within an organisation
- Digital Organisation and Change Management – transforming staff with, for and through IT
- Experimental Learning and Design Thinking – uncovering customers’ unmet needs, even those they don’t yet know they have
- Agile and DevSecOps – being nimble and responsive to customers’ needs and wants to get products/services out to market fast (think three weeks, not 10 years)
- (Digital) Product Management – assigning professionals to manage the product/service life cycle within a digital lifecycle from inception to launch, renewal and retirement
- Digital Enterprise Architecture – understanding how IT systems and their components work in your business, and
- Business Applications of Digital Technology – having insights into how digital technology can be applied in specific domains and industries. For example, how Internet of Things will deliver value and appeal to human needs.
As part of the new Digital Transformation track design, SMU School of Computing and Information Systems (SCIS) faculty and staff interviewed industry experts about current and future skills needed for their organisations to drive digital transformation. The experts represented Singapore-based multi-nationals and public-sector organisations in healthcare, telecommunications, logistics, retail and more.
“We wanted to hear and find out directly from the industry the practical skills that are important to corporations and the public sector for digital transformation,” he says.
Curating a cross skillset to bridge the gap
These essential skills articulated by industry veterans have allowed SMU to curate the curriculum for a new postgraduate degree – the MITB Digital Transformation track. Its first cohort started in August 2021 and the teaching staff consists of both industry practitioners and academics.
Key employees are the heart of any business, and their skillsets are essential to the success of the company. However, it can be difficult for these employees to keep up with the ever-changing landscape of digital transformation.
The course aims to develop Pi-shaped instead of T-shaped managers, says Assoc Prof Hoe. T-shaped managers have broad-based experience with a single depth, such as a skilled IT manager who specialises in data management. Conversely, a Pi-shaped manager has mastered broad management skills, plus deep functional or domain expertise in two or more areas.
“Our graduates will have a blend of both business and technical skills and be very comfortable bridging the gap. The emphasis though is on how they connect those skills, not the depth because depth is endless – you can go as deep as you want,” he says.
The master’s degree is offered both full-time and part-time. Full-time students have the opportunity to complete a six-month full-time internship in an organisation; part-timers undergo a real-world capstone project either with the professors or the student’s own companies that will assess their work.
MITB graduates could explore career paths as digital transformation consultants, digital innovation managers, digital product managers, digital architects, or any role that supports the Chief Digital Officer (CDO). Most are expected to work in large, complex organisations. Students from our first Digital Transformation cohort held positions with conglomerates such as DBS Bank, ExxonMobil and GovTech, says Assoc Prof Hoe.
“The course prepares you to participate in the C-suite. We expose you to industry case studies, relevant training, and key research studies. Also, we encourage you to tackle digital transformation in real life. We guide to assemble the essential building blocks of digital competencies and advance your professional developments – you could eventually be any of the C-Suite officers.”
“In the real world, things are messy and haphazard. When we teach in the programme, we set it out on a planned path – we can’t do it randomly, but we guide our students to make crucial connections within their learning. This makes their MITB education relevant in the real world.”
With the rapid pace of digital transformation, businesses are seeking employees who have the ability to cross skill and work across different competencies. A robust postgraduate programme needs to recognise how digital transformation has evolved and equips students with the ability to synergise a plethora of skills to thrive in the new economy.
By recognising the complexities of a changing digital milieu, educators can identify opportunities for students to put these skills into practice and ensure that their graduates are well-equipped to take on the challenges of the digital world.
“Digital transformation is not in the future – it’s happening now. We are in the digital age. The digital competencies we teach are necessary for our graduates to move forward and excel in their careers.”
Last updated on 22 Sep 2022 .
