We tend to see caterpillars come out in the springtime. They crawl around on their numerous legs and eat some leaves for a few weeks, before setting up their chrysalides so they can turn into butterflies.

Now, not that there’s anything wrong with caterpillars. They’re beautiful creatures. But can they fly? Can they drink nectar? Do they have wings that look like they were painted by a master artist?

Sadly, no.

They have to undergo a transformation before they can achieve their full capability. And if you haven’t caught on to the blunt force metaphor yet, that’s just like a lot of businesses. Until we examine the ways in which we can make the most of new technologies to digitally transform what we do and how we do it, we may never be able to spread our wings and fly.

Digital Transformation is like Metamorphosis

Luckily, coming to grips with the changing technological business world isn’t as complicated as it sounds, and certainly easier than growing your own wings. The ways companies can take advantage of these updates is often referred to as digital transformation. And when you break it down, digital transformation rests on four pillars:

Business model transformation: This looks at the foundations of how your company delivers value within the industry. Think about how Netflix changed the way we watch shows and movies.

Culture transformation: This involves changing the ways your company does things – embracing the digital world as a part of your business. Things like remote working and other such developments are a culture transformation.

Domain transformation: This covers generating entirely new revenue streams in the digital sphere. Think Amazon initially selling just books, then moving into entirely new products and services.

Process transformation: If culture transformation is how you do things, process transformation is improving what you do. The actual processes within your business. Whether that’s new software, or even automated systems.

Becoming Butterflies through eLearning

That still might sound like a lot to handle and it may seem unclear how you would apply all of those pillars to your business. So, let’s break it down further by looking at some of the methodologies – like agile and hybrid working, and tools such as AI – that you can use to help adapt. It may also help to examine the practices of some of the companies who’ve very successfully transformed to fully digital models, such as Amazon and Uber.

All of this information is available as part of a new Digital Transformation content collection from Litmos Training Content. Please see the full collection to transform from digital caterpillars into elegant digital butterflies.