The digital economy is opening up tremendous opportunities for forward-thinking companies and their employees. However, many organizations aren’t moving fast enough to provide leaders and employees with the skills to compete and win in a digitally transformed world.

According to a study cited in this white paper, Knowledge fuels Digital Transformation – Digital Transformation Revolutionizes Learning, 83 percent of respondents said their companies lack the skills needed for digital transformation. Seventy-three percent stated that their business executives don’t have the technology skills required.

As Big Data, cloud computing, internet of things, machine learning and business networks radically alter products, services and entire industries, corporate learning has to close the skills gap now.

“Learning itself is going through a change as skills become the key enabler and foundation for digital transformation. The digital skills gap is among the top barriers to digital transformation,” said Dr. Bernd Welz, Executive Vice President and Global Head of Scale, Enablement & Transformation at SAP. “Business and IT need the right skills to define a digital vision for their companies, and develop execution plans to get there.”

The digital skills gap is among the top barriers to digital transformation

Welz said SAP offers a broad range of knowledge offerings that combine classroom education and digital platforms reaching over one million people each year. Based on the company’s experiences, here are five ways to structure a digital learning strategy.

1. Assess your digital skills gap.

SAP has identified five primary areas essential for digital transformation: analytics, applications, business, technology and architecture. One of the major objectives is to equip business leaders with the technical knowledge they need to develop a strategy and vision before the digital transformation journey begins. The skills assessment is both an initial exercise and ongoing monitoring process to make sure learning aligns with evolving innovations and business objectives.

2. Make learning self-service.

In today’s cloud-based business environment, training needs to be available when and where employees, partners and customers need it. This translates to materials and tools participants can access from any device wherever they are located. Self-serve learning is more than just convenient. It allows people to match learning with their individual preferences.

3. Guide learners with role-based courses.

Map out the skills people need to quickly propel their career and the company forward.

4. Engage learners with social.

Inspired conversations are one of the main building blocks of digital learning. Discussion forums allow learners to spark ideas and gain wider perspectives from instructors and peers as they ask questions, share experiences and spotlight best practices.

5. Break it down for easy consumption.

Corporate learning needs to mirror how information is consumed across our daily lives, offered in digestible bites. This minimizes disruptions in productivity disruptions, adapting knowledge transfer based on each person’s timetable and progress.

Digital maturity is much more than acquiring software and other tools for innovation. Knowing how to develop employee skills for business transformation is equally important.

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