The Cost of Inconsistency: How Leadership Instability Derails Your Digitization Journey
Digitization, is it a journey or a Jump?
It is not a jump, it demands endurance, structure and above all, Consistency. Much like laying railroad tracks, it needs to follow a consistent path and method.
It is not a jump, it demands endurance, structure and above all, Consistency. Like the launch of a Total Productive Maintenance or Lean Launches, many companies stall, or all out fail in the launch of a digitalization journey. The stall is not typically attributed to a technology limitation, but because of a lack of focused leadership that promotes standards, discipline, or resolve to stay the course.
Many of you have observed the same problem albeit with other initiatives. A promising roadmap torn to shreds by shifting priorities, an absent leader, or the next big idea. A capable team disoriented by something “new” and “urgent”. A leader that is an idea man and has a new idea for direction at every turn. A workforce so used to the pivoting priorities that they stop moving and just wait out for the initiative to pass. If that all sounds familiar, the issue is not the tools or the methods that you are trying to deploy. There is no new cool template or project charter that can fix the problem. What you have is an inconsistency of leadership, and that needs to be addressed before a digitization initiative can take your company to the next level.
Lack of Leadership = Chaos filled Vacuum
Standards are the foundation of digital transformation. They bring clarity to what is being built and how it is supposed to be completed. When leadership neglects to establish, or worse, enforce the standards, your journey will turn into a series of false starts and dysfunctional teams.
To aid in the understanding, ask yourself what do you think digital transformation means? Then go ask 5 other people. They do not have to be anyone from work, ask at your kids’ sports field, your church, your spouse, or a friend. You will likely get several different answers.
If you and your best friend or spouse have different answers, how do you think your teams at work will respond? One team may:
· Chase cloud migration to get more data storage spaces
· Build new dashboards for leaders to observe processes in real time
· Start searching for new sensors and data collection devices (see aged equipment conversation)
All the above are good and, most likely needed, tasks that your team should explore. Which one gets the time and budget for their initiative? Each effort is most likely valid on its own, but without alignment, they fracture the momentum, dilute ROI, and lead to a disenchanted team.
Directionless Pivots Are the Silent Killers of Morale
Changing the team’s course too often may feel agile, but it usually reflects a lack of conviction. Not a leader with strategic adaptability.
Digital transformations already ask people to step outside their comfort zones. Some of your team may even be scared of the potential outcome of a digital initiative. They could be concerned about job loss, learning something new, or even Skynet. Constantly redefining priorities or launching new “top initiatives” every quarter burns out your best performers and teaches everyone else to wait things out. You must remember the effort required by an individual to try something new and scary. Many will think “Why invest effort when the direction changes again in six weeks?”
The message becomes clear: nothing sticks, so don’t stick your neck out.
This dysfunction slowly corrodes trust. Your team stops believing in leadership’s commitment to any long-term vision. Your vendors stop pushing innovation because they’re caught in scope creep. And your ROI gets buried under a pile of half-finished pilots.
Stability Isn’t Stagnation! It is the foundation of and enables Speed
Many leaders falsely equate consistency with bureaucracy. Consistency is what frees your teams to move faster and think bigger. Overly Bureaucratic processes will hinder any good initiative. A true change leader will find the balance between bureaucracy and the lack of. When expectations are clear, when standards are known, and when priorities don’t change with the weather, your organization can gain velocity and not just activity.
Legacy Assets are typically the first upgrade teams want to make. Make sure that the upgrades track with your overall vision
The companies winning at Industry 4.0 don’t just have cutting-edge tools. They have:
Clear standards of execution.
Aligned cross-functional goals.
Steady leadership that resists distraction.
Cultural buy-ins that build over years, not quarters.
Digitization is like laying down track for a high-speed train. If you keep ripping up the rail mid-project or arguing over the direction, the train never leaves the station.
As a leader, how can I set a steady course for digitalization?
Pause and reflect do you have:
1. Clearly defined and documented standards for how we digitize?
2. Does long-term digitalization align with our company goals?
3. Can we articulate to the senior leaders the What this initiative is, and why is it important?
4. Can we do the same What and Why to our front-line team members?
5. What simple standards can be developed and executed in the next few weeks? Can we tie those effectively to the long-term digitalization goals?
Raise the bar on standardization of your systems. Invest 20 minutes into researching what standards you already have and compare those to what you find available online. There are many places where standards others have created and shared. This may be the most valuable 20 minutes of your entire journey. Take your time and start building your foundation.
If you found this article thought provoking and want to take action? You can download this free worksheet to get 5 fast actions launched today.
There are many ways to build your journey, I would love to hear your story and journey!
