The Digital Fog
The Digital Fog is the silent business killer; invisible yet destructive, it creeps in when strategy lacks clarity.
Unfortunately, in the absence of a Chief Digital Officer, or someone solely responsible for managing a company's digital strategy, it can be easy to be enveloped in a ‘Digital Fog’ that makes it difficult to move forward.
What is a Digital Fog?
The Digital Fog is that murky haze that surrounds a company when there is no clear direction or ownership of the digital strategy. It's a state of confusion caused by competing agendas, undefined digital jargon, siloed departments, and a lack of coordination between digital initiatives between departments. This fog can make it difficult to prioritize initiatives, make decisions about technology investments, or even know where to start.
What are the consequences of being enveloped in a Digital Fog?
It’s not just that you can’t see things clearly, like when you’re trying to figure out how to use technology in your company, it’s that this mess can make you see things that aren’t even there. So instead of one clear path to follow, you see a bunch of paths and can’t tell which one is real. Being enveloped in a digital fog can lead companies to chase after the wrong goals, pouring resources into projects that don't align with their vision or the market's needs. It also creates a frustrating work environment, where employees feel overwhelmed and directionless, often missing out on leveraging new technologies that could propel the business forward.
How can you clear the Digital Fog?
If your organization is caught in the Digital Fog, there are a few things you can do to clear it up. First, appoint someone responsible for digital and give them the authority to make decisions and drive change across the organization. Second, break down digital silos by creating cross-functional teams that focus on specific parts of the customer journey leveraging inter-departmental data flow. And lastly, define and document a digital strategy that clearly explains the vision (what), the purpose (why), strategy (how), and tools the company will use to achieve business objectives.
For more information on how to clear the Digital Fog, I encourage you to read Part 5 of Brian Evergreen's book Autonomous Transformation.
