I was recently invited to present at the AFSUG Digital Special Interest group – a domestic SAP roadshow in Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town. In putting the talk together, I took stock of my recent accomplishments founding a Data Science programme at Blue Label Telecoms Ltd. Unexpectedly, I found my way to a very personal understanding1 of Digital Transformation:
enterprise-wide culture that brings business closer to technology
Data science and big data have long been lauded as the future – the road to the promised destination of data-driven efficiency and opportunity. It’s a journey of significant transformation in the necessary de-siloing of business, statistics and technology. But strategic transformation alone is not powerful enough to do this.
We need to be inclusive, holistic and agile. A cultural shift in the enterprise is required.
Innovation, business and technology are converging towards data. Without cultural change, transformation will be too slow to consume isolated data initiatives. We need strong polymaths to bridge the gaps and lead the change by example. It’s starting to happen in South Africa, and so exciting times are ahead.
A big thanks to AFSUG for the platform to discuss this idea. Have a look at the slides below and join the discussion below.
1: Understanding, yes, but also grudging acceptance that the introduction of the new “Digital” hypeword was warranted.