Getting ahead of digital transformation
There’s no denying the world has fundamentally changed.
COVID-19 has accelerated digital transformation at a pace that’s made it difficult for IT professionals and management to keep up.
Disruptive innovations such as e-commerce, artificial intelligence, crowdsourcing, and crypto-currency impact the way products and services are designed, manufactured, delivered, and consumed. And while such profound technological advancements can result in uncertainty, the potential rewards are vast.
Dr. Joe Cox, Canada Research Chair in Digital Disruption at Athabasca University (AU), describes digital transformation as the integration of digital technologies into the operations of a business. These technologies fundamentally change existing operations and business practices so they can be done more efficiently, produce better information, and create new opportunities.
“A lot of what digital business transformation allows organizations to do is to know more about their workers, the products or services and their markets, and ultimately, make better decisions,” said Cox, who is also a subject matter expert within PowerED™ by Athabasca University’s Digital Transformation Leadership Certificate.
“Firms that are able to do that will have a huge competitive advantage over organizations that can’t or won’t move in this direction.”
Related: Three disruptive technologies that have the potential to transform your business
“A lot of what digital business transformation allows organizations to do is to know more about their workers, the products or services and their markets, and ultimately, make better decisions.”
– Dr. Joe Cox, Canada Research Chair in Digital Disruption at Athabasca University
Digital transformation in a digital era
In this digital era, every industry has faced some form of disruption: streaming services changed how we listen to or purchase music, apps made it easier to order food or groceries, and GPS has simplified how we navigate the world.
Now more than ever, there are significant benefits for leaders and businesses that leverage new and transformative technologies. In fact, the Calgary Economic Development, projects that Calgary businesses will spend nearly $7.5 billion on digital transformation between 2019 to 2022.
For businesses to better respond and adapt to change, they need to be prepared for the impact of disruptive technologies on business operations.
The rapid transition to remote work during the COVID pandemic is a perfect example of digital transformation. Many businesses transformed face-to-face meetings to virtual ones, face-to-face training to online and even customer service with AI-powered technologies. How leaders support and engage with their employees and acknowledge how their work and lives have shifted has become even more important.
Businesses need training to adapt to change
To help leaders adapt, PowerED™ has developed an online and on-demand Digital Transformation Leadership Certificate that doesn’t require an advanced technical background.
Related: Leading through digital disruption: PowerED’s Jessica Scott featured on CTV Morning Live, Calgary
“There’s been a rise in the need for skills in areas like coding or web development, which is great, but what’s missing is training tailored specifically for the business community,” said Jessica Scott, director of PowerED™. This includes training that helps develop soft skills necessary to adapt to digital transformation.
“We need to fill that gap and prepare business leaders to withstand digital transformation.”
“There’s been a rise in the need for skills in areas like coding or web development, which is great, but what’s missing is training tailored specifically for the business community. We need to fill that gap and prepare business leaders to withstand digital transformation.”
– Jessica Scott, director of PowerED™
Digital Transformation Leadership Certificate
PowerED’s course won the Peer Choice Award Best Online Program at the 2019 Conference on Management and Executive Development (CMED) awards. The four-course certificate lets learners explore disruptive technologies, build a leadership plan to help digitally transform their organization, and focus on change and being agile as an organization.
Related: PowerED™ wins Peer Choice Award at CMED Conference
The course content leverages knowledge from Alberta’s fast-growing tech-sector and AU experts like Cox, and helps identify opportunities that can be directly applied to business.
Now is the time for leaders to learn more about how to transform their organization—and prepare for the future of digital disruption.