In Digital Transformation, HR is Your Most Trusted Friend CareerMetis.com

In Digital Transformation, HR is Your Most Trusted Friend â€" CareerMetis.com Source â€" DepositPhotos.comWhen we hear about corporate digital transformation projects, we usually imagine massive undertakings on an organizational level. What we don’t often discuss, however, is that these seemingly large projects are actually several small transformations that occur concurrentlyacross different teams and departments.Most organizations today work under strict hierarchies that divide not just responsibility and authority, but also communications and interaction between teams. This unfortunate status quo creates siloes across organizations that limit day-to-day efficiency, but also make undertaking company-wide projects a nightmare when there is no cohesion.Even though digital transformation projectsâ€"adding digital communications, integrating new tools, and moreâ€"are meant to help collaboration and improve overall efficiency, they can fall flat when they’re not coordinated. This is where your Human Resources team becomes crucial. Thanks to their unique posit ion, HR teams can act as bridges between teams and ensure that digital transformations are smooth and successful.Silo Walls Are Hard to Tear Down evalevalIt’s not uncommon for organizationsto structure themselves into neatly divided silos. Rapid growth and expanding responsibilities for different departments make it easier to keep every group focused on their own work, separate from the bigger picture. Indeed, silos do offer some benefitsâ€"the ability to focus on a single issue at a time, better intra-team communication, and a clearer hierarchyâ€"but they create more problems than they solve.Consulting firm McKinsey estimates in a recent study that less than 30% of digital transformations succeed, while only 16% have markedly improved performance. The problem is also worse as companies grow, with small organizations Nevertheless, while digital transformations are broad undertakings, they are stressful times for smaller teams. Here, HR’s role is to support each team and understa nd how their needs fit into the larger scope of the project. By coordinating at multiple levels, HR also helps ensure that the digital transformation’s goals and needs link up.Perhaps most crucially, then, HR’s role is to break down the walls each team has built for its silo and create better communication between teams during times of synchronized evolution.Organizational Change is Hard but PossibleCreating the right basis for a successful digital transformation is no easy task. From ensuring you have the resources you need to actually carry out a complex plan, it requires an immense effort. However, keeping your teams walled off from each other can only make things harder for you.By entrusting HR to take the lead and build communication channels that can support this massive undertaking, you can improve your odds of success, and more importantly ensure that your investment will pay off with sustainable improvements.