Digitalization doesn’t only mean cool apps and fun tools that make day-to-day life easier. More than anything, digitalization also means ever faster technical development, new workflows and, above all, ever greater complexity that affects all areas of life.

This can be summarized by the acronym VUCA. VUCA stands for: volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambivalence—four characteristics that define our modern working environment. We live in a constantly changing world that is getting less and less predictable. Uncertainty regarding future developments, mutual dependencies and the high complexity of systems are difficult to handle and demand a high degree of agility. But what does this mean in concrete terms for companies?

Agility is important in order to adapt to constantly changing conditions. At the same time, the most dynamic processes and the latest tools do not do much good if they are not customer-focused. The existing work processes and procedures should therefore first be critically examined before considering how they can be digitized. When outdated, inefficient processes are digitized, they remain inefficient digital processes.

However, if you use the design-thinking approach and think through all processes in a customer-centric way, you can develop effective solutions with added value and ultimately find the appropriate tools.

Digital tools such as cloud-based systems and the use of agile methods such as Scrum and KANBAN help to make workflows and communication more transparent and dynamic. At the same time, digital tools and agile methods promote more effective work processes and shorten work cycles and coordination phases.

The trick is to keep an overview and focus on a few relevant tools and methods. An agile company does not necessarily need the full range of digital functions but uses only those that offer real added value.

It is important that all business areas—not only IT— become familiar with these tools, and integrate them into their working methods. Only then can an agile organization work, and the company benefit from greater effectiveness and speed in implementing target group-oriented products and services.

By Stefanie Peters,

CEO, enable2grow GmbH

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