eCAC40 : a digital transformation without method

Coaching advice Les Echos Executives publishes the eCAC40 ranking, which highlights the state of digital transformation of these very large companies. Gilles Babinet, digital champion of France at the European Commission, president of the jury and instigator of the survey, gives his findings and advice. Although awareness of the stakes of digital transformation is now effective, the processes to implement it are still perfectible, to say the least. The barometers that I am conducting in partnership with "Les Echos Executives" are unequivocal: the digital transformation manifests itself through disordered methodologies where, too often, partnerships with start-ups, the implementation of mobile applications, the integration of data-scientists or artificial intelligence specialists are perceived as the alpha and omega of the digital transformation. In reality - and it is important to remember this - the prerequisite for any digital transformation can be summed up in five simple notions. - Carry out a mapping of digital skills Companies are largely unaware of the talent available to them. Especially if they are outside of management, or even middle management. But it is important to identify them and make them champions on whom to rely to accelerate the company's development. The anthropologist Ken Keyes has brilliantly demonstrated, through his "Theory of the Hundredth Monkey", that a minimum critical mass of converts to a new practice is needed to turn an entire organization around. Cheaper to mobilize than an army of consultants, these champions will be better able to convince their collaborators. Especially if the latter benefit from additional ad hoc training. - Pay special attention to all new recruitment For example, a forklift driver in charge of transporting pallets will in the near future be required to move semi-autonomous pallet trucks through a tablet and cloud service. However, for this type of subordinate function, the mastery of these skills is very rarely ensured. On another level, working on one's employer brand and ensuring the existence of an aspirational business project are all points that make it possible to recruit valuable skills. Students at the Grandes Ecoles de Code generally have four to six job offers! - Having a high-quality training and commitment tool at your disposal Training remains one of the weak points of companies, including large ones. It is a strategic asset. We hardly dare to talk about vocational training, so decrepit and cumbersome in its implementation... Rethinking training tools is essential. Rethinking training tools is essential. We need to rethink training tools by taking inspiration from so-called "blended" models, which successfully mix virtual, if possible encapsulated in a playful approach, and face-to-face training. On the other hand, the usage rates of MOOCs are very low and work has shown that if knowledge is not implemented, 70% of their content will be forgotten within four months! - Conducting a clear transformation project over a long period of time For fear of showing their uncertainty about future business models, a large majority of executives are reluctant to expose the digital transformation project to the entire company. However, this transparency will determine whether or not the technological transformation project will be supported. As in the case of a company such as Amazon, the roadmap of these axes must be expressed over at least five years, or more. It should be possible to envisage a strong flattening of the hierarchical pyramid, and therefore a shift to project mode, an expression of the technological architecture based on platform models (data lake, API, etc.) as well as business model tracks. - Valuing risk taking, small-scale prototyping, user experience, design thinking These notions are too often forgotten in favour of seemingly more important constraints. While French companies must redouble their efforts, they can be reassured: their traditional American counterparts do not seem for the moment to be much further along this road than they are.