How to make digital transformation a success

The digital revolution is turning the world of business upside down. The coronavirus pandemic has underlined that digitalisation is no longer a mere competitive advantage; it is essential. A range of factors must come together if investment in progress is to be a success. We spoke to Ulrich Bergmann, CFO of the international CHG-MERIDIAN Group, about one of the largest transformation projects in the company’s history and about what determines the success or failure of digitalisation measures. 

Ulrich Bergmann joined the CHG-MERIDIAN Group as a Senior Executive Manager in 2019. He was appointed Chief Financial Officer (CFO) at the beginning of 2020. In this role, Bergmann is responsible for the Project Management Office (PMO) and the Accounting, Contract Management, Controlling, Internal Sales, Legal, Operational Excellence, Tax, and Treasury departments. The finance directors in the 27 countries also report to Bergmann.

Transformations significantly influence future organisations, with processes, structures, roles, and job profiles changing. In this context, the digital revolution is not a recent phenomenon, but its pace is noticeably increasing, and digitalisation measures are moving up corporate agendas. This applies not only to the hot topic of working from home, of course. Customers generally expect products to offer instant and straightforward usability; they want transparency when it comes to processing and pricing, and they are increasingly looking at self-service offerings. In short, the focus is on the customer experience. The starting point for this is cultural change and the digitalisation of core process within the companies themselves.

The coronavirus pandemic is having an enormous impact on our economy and our society. It has highlighted the fact that digitalisation is no longer just a competitive advantage; it is a minimum requirement for long-term business success. Companies that invest in digital transformation today will be the winners tomorrow, as they will be in a better position to react to changes in the market and therefore be more competitive. The current situation makes that very clear.

We are a global technology management company, and as such, we can clearly see the benefits of investing in digital progress. Our ambition is to shape the future rather than simply reacting to events. As the full Management Board, we have therefore made digitisation a top priority on our agenda. Driving forward the digital transformation at CHG-MERIDIAN is one of our most important tasks with a view to the coming years in this regard. This includes increasing our profitability and creating an environment to scale up our business model further.

CHG-MERIDIAN came up with initial ideas for digitalisation some years ago. In mid-2019, we used these to develop a company-wide vision that was set in motion in early 2020 with the Global Digital Transformation Program (GDTP). We have now rolled out the first international projects less than a year after the initial launch, including a system for electronic signatures and software for digitally archiving documents. Both systems simplify and speed up the processing of international contracts. Further strategic projects will be ready to roll out shortly or are in development; for example, our asset and contract management system TESMA®.

A clearly defined plan is hugely important. Organisations in the midst of transformation need to understand what has been implemented already, what is currently happening, and what the next steps are. This makes it easier to gauge the status quo, set priorities, and focus without losing sight of the bigger picture. In this context, it is important to analyse existing processes with a critical eye. Do not digitalise inefficient processes! We must also bear in mind that organisations undergoing transformation do not act in isolation; they are part of an ecosystem in which other organisations are embedded. These may be at a different stage in their digitalisation process, and interfaces may not work with each other. Without keeping a watchful eye on both the finer details and the bigger picture, it can be easy to lose track of the transformation.

We want to integrate our customers, partners, and suppliers even more closely into our processes in the future, as this simplifies and accelerates the exchange of data on both sides. Our platform TESMA® also simplifies communication. It enables us to better understand our customers and partners, their pain points, and the environment in which they operate. This allows us to create customised business concepts for them. Simultaneously, self-service functionality allows our customers to address their needs themselves and initiate orders quickly and conveniently. The digital integration of CHG-MERIDIAN into the customer’s or partner’s ecosystem creates a win-win situation for everyone involved.

A digital transformation project as comprehensive as this requires all stakeholders' approval and acceptance, both internal and external. Redesigning processes and upgrading IT hardware is important, but it is of little value if employees cannot cope with the changes. Everyone needs to be on board. After all, innovation and agile working are not limited to the transformation team but should be permanently embedded within the corporate culture. This can be achieved by being transparent about the reasons behind the transformation and, ideally, by actively involving everyone in the design of the projects. Our advantage at CHG-MERIDIAN is that we have always had a start-up culture rooted in our company's history and that our employees have a strong affinity with new technologies. Nevertheless, change is not something that happens of its own accord, which is why we are working on strategic change management with our Human Resources department.