July 11, 2021
Resilient business processes and correspondingly robust IT infrastructure is currently becoming a central factor for many market participants. This is happening against the backdrop of rapid technological progress in the IT sector, which has fundamentally changed and shaken up many companies and organizations in recent years.
However, there is widespread agreement that there is a need for action. Even before the current crisis, many market players were aware of this fact. While 2-3 years ago, there was still a fundamental debate in many places about the sense and purpose of IT's consistent use, digital transformation has been one of the hot topics in society and politics in recent months.
Nevertheless, it is not surprising that the degree of maturity for process digitalization in some cases, depending on the organizations' market segment and size, differs significantly. The starting point and target level of digital maturity can vary greatly. Nevertheless, one phenomenon that can also be identified on a broad scale is surprising: In the context of the transformations, digital innovations to supplement existing business models have been focused on by companies in a freestyle method.
However, during the crisis, everyone suddenly became aware that before we can run, we have to learn how to walk. Companies must master the complexity that directly comes with digitalization. At every stage, organizations must create transparency to respond to any unforeseen changes and requirements appropriately. Unpredictable changes are changes that were not directly taken into account while designing the processes and infrastructure.
From a business process management perspective, this has long been the goal. We call these correction processes or repair and alert workflows. The response to these changes must be dynamic and flexible. Another element is the acceptance and encouragement of change. This acceptance of change is closely linked to a completely different corporate culture when compared to a more traditional approach. In this culture, changes are seen as an opportunity to optimize (IT-supported) business processes and are actively used in the context of digitalization. Such a corporate culture can only emerge - here, too, the image of walking and running suggests itself - if the infrastructures and technologies used are flexible and adaptable. This does not happen at the push of a button but requires strategic decisions to implement the change in a targeted manner at all enterprise levels.
Therefore, it must be stated that corresponding technologies drive digitized process adaptations and changes have far-reaching consequences for market participants and employees worldwide. These developments are intensifying daily with unprecedented momentum. The digital transformation of companies in 2020 will "gallop." Only when business continuity has mainly been ensured may new business areas be penetrated by more digitalization. Despite all the fatalism of recent weeks, companies that take this to heart will emerge from the crisis stronger and more digital. Companies that have already launched suitable initiatives and introduced corresponding IT infrastructures are considerably faster or have long since returned to the mode.
