Míša Stonová and Vojta Klimeš, among others, answer questions about digitization and how best to approach it.
Digitalization is one of the key themes of our time. Companies spend vast sums on it, yet many take a rather formal approach: they scan paper documents, upload them to a system, and when they don’t see the expected improvements, they give up on digitalization altogether. For change to be meaningful and to free people up for more purposeful work, it is crucial to start with the processes—especially those that involve a lot of unproductive labor.
In a well-executed digital transformation, knowing "why" is more important than knowing "how." "Most companies ask how and what to digitalize, but they often can't answer the question of 'why'," says Vojtěch Klimeš from OKsystem. Without a clear purpose, digitalization often boils down to an electronic copy of a document that is handled in much the same way as its paper counterpart. "The best approach is to create a process where no document is generated at all. Yet every step remains recorded, traceable, and available for audit," adds the OKsystem expert.
Get rid of the routines of the past
How to begin? It is essential to identify activities that consume a lot of employees' time while creating little added value. The goal is simple: to save skilled labor. Starting digitalization only makes sense when the reason—even if it might be unpopular—is well and clearly presented within the company. "Reluctance among employees to embrace digitalization usually doesn’t stem from inertia, but from a lack of understanding of its purpose and benefits. They fill in the blanks themselves and then resist the change," explains Klimeš.
It is also important to strip away the layers of the past—unnecessary steps, exceptions, and redundant information. "Technology—especially Artificial Intelligence—often tempts us into believing that we can feed it any amount of data in any form and it will handle it. After all, it’s designed to process large amounts of data. But that is a mistake," Klimeš emphasizes.
In all phases, an experienced partner is more helpful than expensive software alone. A common pitfall can be a lack of trust, for example, because the client considers their processes to be perfect and refined over years. Only collaboration born from the joint effort of both parties tends to be successful.
Digitalization the Czech way
Experience from the Confederation of Industry of the Czech Republic shows that many companies are able to grasp digitalization correctly—they manage to re-evaluate their processes, work effectively with data, and utilize new systems to their full potential. "Digitalization set up this way brings higher productivity, savings, and a better ability to react to market changes," says Anna Hroudová, the Confederation's Manager for the Digital Economy. "However, we still encounter cases where digitalization only means automating old procedures without any deeper change," she adds.
And how can you actually recognize a good result? "By the fact that, after a year of operation at the latest, we consider it completely natural and a matter of course—and we actually wonder why we didn't do it that way much sooner," Klimeš offers as a simple benchmark.
As Anna Hroudová’s words suggest, however, it doesn't always work out. "In those cases, there is a risk that the solution will not be used to its full potential, decision-making remains based on feeling rather than data, and security is sometimes sidelined. Such an approach can backfire on companies in the future," she says. This is also why the Confederation, through its Industry 4.0 Award, recognizes companies from the Czech Republic and Slovakia that have grasped digitalization correctly and serve as an inspiration to others.
Security as the Foundation
Security is also a key factor for success. Michaela Stonová, Security Director at OKsystem, confirms that even a single incident can completely ruin a successful digitalization project and bury it for several years. Digitalization always involves sharing data between various systems or registries, not all of which are under the direct control of the company. Therefore, it must always be ensured during implementation that data – including personal information – cannot be exploited by a third party.
"In the case of the state, however, even that may not be enough. We may look with envy at Estonia, which has long been a leader in digital services for citizens, but we must objectively admit that Czech society is not ready for such extensive sharing of personal data. There is still a great deal of distrust that data – even with the best possible security – could not be misused," Stonová concludes.
If the results don't meet expectations, go back to the beginning
Just like anywhere else, we learn from our mistakes, and the first failure should not be a reason to stop digitalizing. When a change doesn't turn out as expected, it is necessary to go back to the beginning and objectively analyze the reasons and expectations..
The full article in Czech is available on the E15 website.