Innovations often take a while to achieve mass adoption. A new technology comes into existence, but most people would rather stick to their old ways instead of spending time and energy (and money!) learning how to use unfamiliar methods or equipment. Then, slowly but surely, it becomes commonplace, almost impossible to imagine living without.

That has long been the case with many useful tools developed for taking traditional education and corporate models into the digital realm. The devices and cloud environments that make remote learning and virtual business collaboration possible have been readily available for years. Distance learning and working from home are often discussed as the inevitable future, while the majority of people and organizations continue clinging to familiar analog ways of doing things.

But accelerated digital transformation is achievable now. There’s no need to wait. In fact, if you choose to hold off any longer, you may find your organization has become archaic virtually overnight.

A Definition

Don’t just rush to your local mall and buy every digital device you see. You first need to consider what digital transformation actually is. The World Economic Forum defines it as a “…shift to a digital-first way of working at an unprecedented speed, demanding transitions to distributed, agile and digital operating models.”

Substitute the word educating for working in that definition, and it can apply equally to schools and corporations. Exactly what this transformation looks like for your organization is relative to its level of technological acceptance.

For example, your school maybe decked out with the latest in-class devices, and all you need to complete your transformation to digital is a few AI auto tracking cameras and an online platform that enables remote distribution of your content. Conversely, small business owners who rely completely on in-person traffic and cash-only transactions at a physical storefront for income will need to make fundamental changes to their business models to maximize their digital potential.

Why It’s Important

Whether you represent a private school or publicly funded institution, a mom-and-pop business, or a multinational conglomerate, accelerated digital transformation is essential to your survival. There are many reasons this is true.

First, as the world-stopping COVID-19 pandemic has proven, you can expect the unexpected to come along at some point and shut down your physical operation. If you have the right digital tools ready to go, you can ride out cancellations and government-mandated lockdowns with virtual retail spaces, meeting rooms, classrooms, and so on. Businesses and schools that aren’t digitized can count on losing their customers and students to organizations that are prepared.

Second, even if the miraculous were to happen and major disruptions cease to exist, the future of working and learning is undeniably digital. Here’s some proof:

• In a survey of IT experts cited by TechRepublic, 80 percent of respondents believe that without digital transformation, their companies will not survive.
• A recent Gallup study found that the vast majority of educators “see great value in using digital learning tools now and in the future.”

The message is clear: your organization must digitize or die.