The SME before the Digital Transformation or how to go from being a reactive company to being a proactive company
Today I went to Pamplona to present the strategy that the Industrial Engineers College of Navarra (COIINA) will develop during 2019 in its capacity as Digital Transformation Office for Navarra, a figure created by the Ministry of Economy and Business to promote the culture of Digital Transformation among companies.
Recognizing that almost any initiative in this regard helps, I do not stop perceiving the great difference that exists between SMEs and large companies. In contacts with clients, I see that small and medium businesses usually have a reactive attitude, either forced by customers or by regulatory changes. It is the external circumstances that usually lead these companies to adopt new technologies and tools that involve a transformation in their culture and in the way of doing things. But seldom has the company designed a global strategy that covers all the areas of work of the company. And this is often the case, due to a lack of technological culture and also due to a lack of personnel with adequate training.
In contrast, the large company, which usually has more resources, both human and financial, is leading the processes of Digital Transformation. The large company adopts a proactive attitude, analyzing how it can anticipate the needs of its customers, and designing a strategy that encompasses all aspects of the day to day of the company.
Another element that strikes me is that many times, when talking about Digital Transformation processes, we talk about technologies and solutions with a lot of "glamor" (blockchain, augmented reality, additive manufacturing ...). However, in many companies facing the Digital Transformation should begin by modifying much more, if you will, mundane procedures but that have great influence on the efficiency of the companies.
In the vast majority of SMEs there are numerous processes that could be optimized by applying tools that are now available to any company. But the day to day, that in the SME can end up postponing indefinitely the adoption of changes, makes that strategic decisions are postponed in favor of solving emergencies and extinguishing fires. Meanwhile, new companies appear with lighter structures, lower fixed costs, more agile in their capacity to modify their operating modes.
The ability of a company to move from reactive to proactive behavior will depend, in my point of view, on its future possibilities. And that capacity is closely linked to the attitude of its leaders and its human team. If they do not overcome the natural resistance to change, companies lose competitiveness until they reach a point where their clients opt for other alternatives. That is why it is important to adopt the decision to carry out the Digital Transformation and put the means to carry it out in practice
Recognizing that almost any initiative in this regard helps, I do not stop perceiving the great difference that exists between SMEs and large companies. In contacts with clients, I see that small and medium businesses usually have a reactive attitude, either forced by customers or by regulatory changes. It is the external circumstances that usually lead these companies to adopt new technologies and tools that involve a transformation in their culture and in the way of doing things. But seldom has the company designed a global strategy that covers all the areas of work of the company. And this is often the case, due to a lack of technological culture and also due to a lack of personnel with adequate training.
In contrast, the large company, which usually has more resources, both human and financial, is leading the processes of Digital Transformation. The large company adopts a proactive attitude, analyzing how it can anticipate the needs of its customers, and designing a strategy that encompasses all aspects of the day to day of the company.
Another element that strikes me is that many times, when talking about Digital Transformation processes, we talk about technologies and solutions with a lot of "glamor" (blockchain, augmented reality, additive manufacturing ...). However, in many companies facing the Digital Transformation should begin by modifying much more, if you will, mundane procedures but that have great influence on the efficiency of the companies.
In the vast majority of SMEs there are numerous processes that could be optimized by applying tools that are now available to any company. But the day to day, that in the SME can end up postponing indefinitely the adoption of changes, makes that strategic decisions are postponed in favor of solving emergencies and extinguishing fires. Meanwhile, new companies appear with lighter structures, lower fixed costs, more agile in their capacity to modify their operating modes.
The ability of a company to move from reactive to proactive behavior will depend, in my point of view, on its future possibilities. And that capacity is closely linked to the attitude of its leaders and its human team. If they do not overcome the natural resistance to change, companies lose competitiveness until they reach a point where their clients opt for other alternatives. That is why it is important to adopt the decision to carry out the Digital Transformation and put the means to carry it out in practice
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