Why Resisting Digital Transformation Is a Mistake
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Shifting Course
61% of enterprise IT buy-side execs surveyed strongly agree that the new wave of digital tech is fundamentally changing the way entire industries operate. -
Falling Behind
52% of those surveyed strongly agree that enterprises which fail to embrace digital transformation will lose ground to competitors very quickly in the next couple of years. -
Top Digital Tech Goals
To improve the usefulness of operational insights/data to boost productivity: 73%, To decrease operations costs and/or increase efficiency: 72%, To enhance the targeting and usefulness of market insights, growth opportunities and data that improves competitiveness: 70% -
Biggest Obstacles in Adopting Digital Tech
Poorly integrated processes among internal and external providers: 37%, Resistance to consolidation among leading business units: 34%, Ineffective change management: 32%, Lack of conviction that a service provider can drive value: 27%, Lack of capability on the part of IT leadership: 26% -
Last Call
40% of enterprise IT buy-side execs surveyed said the CIO makes the final decision in determining which processes are ready for digital transformation, but 38% indicated that the CFO does. -
Leadership Statement
38% of those surveyed said their organization has appointed a senior exec to lead their digital transformation strategy, and another 18% said they will within the next three years. -
Purchase Options
39% said they'll make "extensive" investments in internal shared services, and 38% said they'll make similar investments in global business services/integrated services. -
Top Tech Focuses of Shared Services and Outsourcing Programs
Analytics/big data: 60%, Interactive/collaborative tools, apps and social media: 53%, Cloud/Software as a Service: 52%, Mobility: 50% -
Organization Departments/Areas Most Impacted by Shared Services/Outsourcing of Digital Tech
Sales/customer service/CRM: 85%, Industry-specific needs, such as making insurance claims or processing retail transactions: 83%, Marketing: 81%. Finance and accounting: 78%, Supply chain/logistics: 74% -
Top Capabilities of Internal Shared Services Teams
Transacting digitally oriented business processes: 38%, Convincing leadership of the value of digital tech: 37%, Implementing digital tools and apps: 31%, Developing and empowering talent with analytical skills: 29%, Providing scale and flexibility to support global digital initiatives: 29%
The majority of executives making tech-purchase decisions said that enterprises are reaching a turning point when it comes to digital transformation–one that will result in a failure to maintain a critical competitive edge if their organizations fall behind. And many companies are turning to shared IT services and global business services/integrated business services to make this transformation, according to a recent survey from Accenture and HfS Research. The report, titled "Disrupt or be Disrupted: The Impact of Digital Technologies on Business Services," reveals that either CIOs or CFOs are ultimately responsible for selecting business processes for tech investment. But, within the next several years, most organizations will appoint a senior exec as their designated digital transformation strategy leader. With this, they hope to expand their use of shared services/outsourcing to benefit data analytics, collaboration and cloud initiatives, among other focus areas. "Savvy organizations are realizing that new digital technologies can propel their use of more advanced integrated services to support unconventional areas, better focus on the external customer- and supplier relationships, and enhance their competitiveness," said Christian Campagna, a global managing director with Accenture Strategy. A total of 115 enterprise buy-side executives who make IT purchase decisions took part in the research.