Why is knowing your organization’s Digital Maturity important?

Over the past two decades, and especially in recent years, organizations across industries and geographies have been undertaking digital transformation initiatives. The intention to become a digital organization is common among these organizations, but the similarities end there. Each organization has a unique focus, budget, and capabilities to run a digital transformation program. As a result, when one looks at the digital maturity spectrum (that reflects the progress organizations have made on their digital journeys), they will find different organizations positioned at different points in the digital maturity spectrum. While an organization’s position on this maturity spectrum is the outcome of numerous decisions, priorities, and implementations, it also holds answers to how the organization can move forward.

As the saying goes ‘to know where you are going, you must first know where you are’, understanding where an organization stands on the digital maturity spectrum is an invaluable input to the digital transformation plan. 

We, at Greyamp Consulting, based on our experience working with clients, have designed an online Digital Maturity Assessment, that enables organizations to understand their overall digital maturity and corresponding opportunity areas for further digital growth. 

It takes just 5 minutes and provides you insights that can inform your transformation program.

This blog aims to be your guide to the Digital Maturity Assessment model on our website, providing a detailed overview of what it entails and how it can help your organization.

Who can take the Digital Maturity Assessment?

Organizations can run the Digital Maturity Assessment in 2 scenarios

1. As a checkpoint before launching on to the next wave of digitization,  
2. As a periodic indicator (every 6 months) of the progress made and the impact created for your customers/business, thereby providing a checkpoint to consider potential next steps.

How do we define Digital Maturity?

With increased investments going into digital initiatives in an organization, knowing what RoI to expect at different stages of the journey is crucial. The path to digital maturity can be broadly categorised into four distinct stages, each representing a unique phase in this transformative journey.

‍Emerging

Emerging organizations are at the ‘forming’ stage of transformation, if we were to align this to the Tuckman's stages of group development. This being the start, organizations tend to be cautious and follow the ‘let us see how this goes’ approach. The danger here is not to take the leap at all, staying as close as possible to the comfort zone and repackaging the old as the new - as the adage goes - old wine in a new bottle. This is the chasm of transformation that organizations need to be vary of at this stage

At this stage, organization’s digital arsenal is limited, often comprising only the most basic tools and practices. Instead of proactively strategizing for the digital future, their approach is characterised by a reactive stance, responding to digital challenges as they arise rather than anticipating them.

That they recognise digital's significance is a positive first step, but there's a vast reservoir of potential they have yet to explore. The journey ahead involves not just expanding their digital toolkit but also shifting their mindset to fully embrace and integrate digital strategies into their core operations.

‍Developing

Developing organizations are at the ‘Storming stage’ in the Tuckman's model. This stage is characterised by uncertainty, ambiguity and volatility that goes with not having a clear picture of how the strategy to execution should and will map out. This period has the highest amount of flux and is marked with ‘Frustration’ and ‘Depression’ – in line with the ‘Kubler: Ross change curve’. Knowing that these are expected in the journey and moving on is the Chasm to cross here. Many organizations see their transformation programs fading out here

Similarly, a Developing organization has recognized the value of digital tools and is starting to develop its digital capabilities and strategy. However, the organization may be experiencing conflict and disagreement between different departments and teams. The organization may be resistant to change, and it may be struggling to implement new digital solutions.

Developing organizations should focus on creating a shared digital vision across teams and fostering a culture of collaboration.

Maturing

The Maturing stage in the Digital Maturity Assessment framework is akin to the ‘Norming stage’ of the Tuckman's model. It is usually characterised by the silver lining that people, teams and organization start to see. This is where the ‘Depression’ changes to ‘Experimenting’ and ‘Deciding’ in the ‘Kubler: Ross change curve’. At this point the organization starts to see the impact of their change program.

Maturing organizations have a clear understanding of their digital strategy and how it aligns with their overall business goals. They have also invested in the necessary tools and technologies, and are developing a culture that supports digital innovation. They have begun to leverage digital to improve their customer experience, increase their efficiency, and create new products and services. 

To continue growing, Maturing organizations should focus on constantly innovating and adapting to changing market conditions. Additionally, they should cultivate a culture of continuous learning and experimentation to stay ahead of the curve in the digital landscape.

‍Innovating

This stage in the Digital Maturity Assessment framework is the same as ‘Performing stage’ in the Tuckman's model and is represented by the "Integrating" feeling in the ‘Kubler: Ross change curve’. At this point, teams have embraced the way of thinking, working, delivering, and deciding. This is where the true impact of change and digital transformation is seen, where disruptions and innovation are handled as a part of day-to-day operations

Innovating organizations not only possess advanced digital capabilities but also consistently innovate and set industry standards. They prioritize a culture of continuous improvement and digital-first thinking, positioning themselves at the cutting edge of digital innovation.

How do you compute Digital Maturity of an organization?

We use Greyamp Consulting proprietary ‘Digital Maturity Assessment’ framework to assess an organization’s Digital Maturity.

It is a comprehensive assessment of an organization’s digital readiness, encompassing a wide spectrum of factors across strategic alignment, operational agility, and cultural adaptability. The framework takes into consideration: 

1. Maturity pillars of alignment, relevance, effectiveness that assess an organization's ability to leverage digital technologies to achieve its strategic goals and objectives; 
2. Agility levers (people, process, culture, organization and governance, market), that are essential for building and sustaining a successful agile organization; 
3. Transformation enablers that encompass the organization's ability to effectively plan and govern digital initiative across teams

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AER – The Triad of our Digital Maturity Model

Together these 3 pillars - alignment, effectiveness, relevance - refer to the degree to which an organization has designed and implemented the right alignment vertically and horizontally across the organization, enabled by effective process & practices to drive the required Relevance to market.

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“FOCUS”: Quintessential Elements for Digital Success

Employing our FOCUS framework, we explore five essential levers that define an organization's digital trajectory. We assess organization’s preparedness, current workflows, organizational frameworks, commitment to a digital-first culture, and market trends to provide a comprehensive understanding of an organization position in the maturity spectrum

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Transformation Enablers – The Digital Ecosystem Creators

As of the Digital Maturity Assessment, we take a close look at the ways of working within the organization to assess organization's ability to effectively plan, and govern digital initiative across teams. By evaluating the following critical dimensions, we aim to offer insights into growth opportunities and actionable areas.

• Planning & Decision Making: This evaluates if an organization has a clear digital strategy aligned with overall business goals and whether it has data-driven decision-making processes.
• Collaboration, Organization, & Feedback: This refers to how teams collaborate using digital tools and the feedback mechanisms in place.
• Practices, Forums, Governance, & Tech Experience: This refers to the best practices adopted by organizations for knowledge sharing, governance models for overseeing digital projects, and the overall technological experience provided to both employees and customers.
• People and Teams: It looks at how people are equipped, trained, and motivated to drive and adapt to digital changes.
• Effectiveness & Utilization: This assesses how effective digital strategies are in achieving desired outcomes and how utility is maximized in digital tools and platforms. 
• Skills & Knowledge: This evaluates the skill sets within the organization and how these are leveraged in the transformation journey.
• Learning & Innovation: It evaluates how committed an organization is in developing a culture of continuous learning and innovation
• Vision: It evaluates how clear, forward-thinking, and aligned an organization’s digital vision is with the evolving digital world.

Conclusion

The Digital Maturity Assessment, as presented in this comprehensive guide, offers a structured and detailed approach to gauge where an organization stands in its digital journey, based on your responses. This assessment examines various facets, from strategic alignment to fostering a culture of continuous learning, to provide invaluable insights that can shape the future trajectory of any business in the digital realm. By taking the Digital Maturity Assessment, organizations not only gain clarity on their current digital standing but also uncover actionable insights to drive meaningful and sustainable digital growth.