In today’s fast-paced digital landscape, businesses are striving to stay ahead by integrating cutting-edge technology into their operations. Yet, despite the rapid advancements, a fundamental challenge persists—the disconnect between technical teams and business leaders. Digital transformation is often discussed in terms of platforms, applications, and connectivity, but how often do we consider it through the lens of business impact?
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To explore this, we turn to the insights of Melanie Franklin, a renowned author, coach, and consultant in business change and digital transformation. Melanie has spent decades working alongside IT and leadership teams, helping them bridge the communication gap that often stalls progress.
The Communication Breakdown in Digital Transformation
One of the core challenges in digital transformation is how it is communicated within an organisation. Often, technical teams focus on reporting technological achievements—what’s working, which applications are live, and what’s been connected. However, as Melanie points out, this technical excellence doesn’t always resonate with business leaders.
"If we can frame transformation through a business lens, we can bridge that gap.” - Melanie Franklin
Business leaders need to understand digital transformation in terms of tangible business outcomes. How does it enhance customer experience? What inefficiencies does it eliminate? How does it drive revenue or reduce costs? These are the questions that resonate.
Seeing Digital Transformation as Business Optimisation
One way to make digital transformation more accessible is to frame it as business optimisation. Instead of a buzzword-laden initiative, it should be positioned as a natural evolution in improving business efficiency and customer satisfaction.
“Everyone’s doing digital transformation, but at its core, it’s just business optimisation powered by technology.” - Melanie Franklin
A key component of this optimisation is the customer journey. Many digital transformations are designed to empower customers through self-service solutions, reducing manual workload for staff and improving efficiency. Whether it’s an insurance claim, an HR platform, or a supply chain overhaul, transformation should be about enabling people—customers and employees alike—to do more with less friction.
Speaking the Right Language for Buy-In
For digital transformation to succeed, leaders must become great storytellers.
Many IT professionals are brilliant problem-solvers, but they communicate in technical terms that fail to engage non-technical stakeholders. Instead, they must adapt their language to resonate with different audiences:
- Operational staff want to know how transformation will reduce their workload and improve their efficiency.
- Finance teams are concerned with cost savings and risk mitigation.
- Executives are focused on long-term strategic growth and competitive advantage.
“You might have to sell the same solution five different ways to five different people to get buy-in.” - Melanie Franklin
Successful transformation leaders don’t just explain what’s happening—they paint a picture of a better future and articulate how each stakeholder benefits.
Measuring Success: What Difference Are We Making?
One of the most overlooked aspects of digital transformation is how success is measured. Traditional KPIs often fail to capture the real impact of transformation efforts. Instead of arbitrary percentage improvements, organisations should focus on the difference the change is making:
- Has customer service improved through faster response times and self-service capabilities?
- Are employees spending more time on high-value tasks rather than manual processes?
- Has revenue increased as a result of better customer engagement?
For example, an insurance company that automated claims processing was able to reduce claim resolution times from three weeks to 48 hours. Instead of measuring the number of claims processed, they focused on customer satisfaction and risk reduction, which had a more profound business impact.
“Go back to the original question: What difference are we making? If we can’t measure that, we’re missing the point.” - Melanie Franklin
The Leadership Evolution: Meeting in the Middle
A significant shift is occurring in leadership. While technologists are learning to speak the language of business, business leaders must also become more technologically fluent. CEOs and CFOs are beginning to understand APIs, data architectures, and digital ecosystems because they recognise that these elements are critical to their strategic objectives.
True digital transformation happens when both sides meet in the middle—technical experts learning to articulate business impact and business leaders embracing technology as a strategic enabler.
Aligning Transformation with Business Goals
At its heart, digital transformation is not just about technology; it’s about making business better. It’s about empowering customers, streamlining operations, and creating a future-ready organisation.
To drive successful transformation, leaders must:
- Frame transformation in business terms—not just technology implementation.
- Become effective storytellers to secure buy-in from various stakeholders.
- Measure success based on business impact, not just technical performance.
- Encourage both technologists and business leaders to broaden their understanding of each other’s domains.
In the end, transformation isn’t about IT versus business—it’s about working together to create something greater.
Want to learn more about leading digital transformation effectively? Join The CIO Circle to watch the full masterclass with Melanie Franklin.
This blog was inspired by insights from Melanie Franklin, author, coach, and expert in business change and digital transformation, shared in a masterclass with The CIO Circle.
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