In 1827 Georg Ohm published his book entitled Die Galvanische Kette, Mathematisch Bearbeitet which gave rise to the formula now universally referred to as Ohm’s Law which explains how electricity flows through a conductor:
I = V/R
Ohm’s Law states that the current passing through a conductor between two points is directly proportional to the voltage across the two points, where I is the current, V is the voltage and R is the resistance. Ohm’s Law states that R is a constant, independent of the current. As we fast forward two centuries into the digital age what can we learn from this formula in relation to the new energy force of digital?
At Ionology it is our view that the principles embodied in Ohm’s Law apply to how the energy of digital transformation flows through an organisation.
We believe that D = S/C
In this adaption of Ohm’s Law, D is digital transformation, S is the organisational strategy and C is the organisation’s culture. Resistance arises from an organisation’s culture which reduces the power of digital transformation and obstructs implementation of organisational strategy. One of the difficulties however is that in terms of electricity (R) is a measurable constant whereas organisation culture is a living, breathing, evolving intangible factor that differs from one organisation to the next.
Is there a constant that can be applied that will reduce resistance and create the right digital culture? We believe there is. We propose using a framework which puts digital transformation into context for everyone – particularly the leadership, marketing and technology teams.
The movement from the analogue age into the digital age, we would argue, is equivalent to the change from using horse and cart for travel to the modern vehicles we have today, but is happening over a much-condensed timeframe. Leaders are quite rightly focussing on developing the organisational direction and journey and selecting the right vehicles to use but less effort is being expended on ensuring that the organisation understands and obeys the highway code of digital transformation (the principles upon which culture arises).
Creating that highway code for your organisation can be easily done when using our digital transformation framework. This framework gives guiding principles, ties direction to a plan of action and creates a shared language and vision that everyone can understand and work towards together. It’s important because it cuts down on random acts of digital and scattered efforts that aren’t contributing to an outcome. The principles underlying our framework can be measured, defined and are underpinned by data which removes subjective interpretation and room for misunderstanding.
So many organisations agree a new strategy, spend resources on new technology, train their staff how to manage that new technology but don’t provide them with means and understanding to navigate the new digital age . The Transport Highway code is taught to all new drivers!
This is where Ionology comes in. We have years of providing digital transformation leadership development courses and have worked with many organisations to create and implement digital business strategies. We know what works through our experience. Applying the 7 Principles of Digital Business Strategy has been shown to truly transform organisations. These principles become the constant in an organisation’s culture which then reduces resistance to transformation.
The Transport Highway Code was first published in 1931. It remains valid and necessary for our modern transport system and is updated as new situations arise. Similarly organisations that want to progress in the digital age will need to ensure the principles of The Digital Highway Code are understood, properly applied and updated as we fully enter the age of Artificial Intelligence.
