Digital maturity: Large companies catching up

The second edition of the "Digital Maturity & Transformation Report 2016" shows: Large companies have caught up significantly compared to the previous year, management is more interested in digital transformation and: Digitally mature companies assess the economic effects of their transformation more positively than less mature ones.

The digitization of the business world is advancing in leaps and bounds, making it a necessity to regularly review one's own business model. Nevertheless, not all companies are yet clear about what it really takes to survive in the new digital competition. There are also differing opinions about a company's own digital maturity. The "Digital Maturity Model" developed by the University of St. Gallen (IWI-HSG), the strategy consulting firm Crosswalk and 'Best of swiss Web' and the "Digital Maturity Check", an online survey based on it, address this problem: The two instruments enable statements to be made about a company's digital maturity and show where there is a need for action. For the second time, the two partners University of St. Gallen and Crosswalk invited companies from various industries to participate in the survey. With almost 550 participants, they were able to more than double the number of participants compared to the previous year - the interest in a location assessment around the topic of digitization has increased once again.

Now the results are available, summarized in the "Digital Maturity & Transformation Report 2016".

Key findings:

Large companies have caught up: While companies with fewer than 100 employees achieved the highest maturity levels last year, large companies now have the best scores on average.

The digital transformation is definitely in the Management awareness arrived: Two-thirds of survey participants work at the executive or department head level.

Companies from the Communication and information industry are best equipped - industry still has some catching up to do: As in the previous year, companies in the manufacturing sector achieve only low levels of maturity.

The topics Process digitization and customer experience still receive little attention: The maturity levels for these topics are the lowest in the entire survey.

Digitally mature companies assess the Achieving economic goals positive: Participants from companies with a high degree of maturity are significantly more positive in their assessment of the success of the digital transformation than survey participants from digitally less mature companies.

The second edition of the report with information on the model, the results of the survey including industry-specific evaluations and recommendations for action can be downloaded free of charge at Crosswalk.ch/dmtr2016 be ordered.

Who will win the "Swiss Digital Transformation Award"?

Also for the second time, the "Swiss Digital Transformation Award" will be presented at the Best of Swiss Web awards gala on April 7, 2016. The prize goes to companies or organizations that have particularly improved their digital maturity. The jury bases the award on the "Digital Maturity Model", among other things. The first winner in 2015 was SBB.

The nominees for the Swiss Digital Transformation Award

Between last November and the end of January this year, around 400 companies and organizations completed the comprehensive "Digital Maturity Check" questionnaire from the IWI at the University of St. Gallen. This self-declaration was also the qualification requirement for the "Swiss Digital Transformation Award" business prize. In a multi-stage qualitative assessment process by the expert jury, the following nine companies finally made it onto the shortlist (Werbewoche.ch reported): Alpha Sprachwelt, Axa Winterthur, Interio, Medela, Post CH, Sanitas, Swiss Life, Victorinox, Wincasa.

The jury's comments on the 2016 nominations:

Alpha language world

Education and further training are among the most important foundations for Switzerland's economic success. Innovative companies like Alpha Sprachwelt therefore play an important role in the modernization of the education system. By digitizing its core processes with the help of an innovative industry solution, Alpha Sprachwelt has demonstrated how even a small company can benefit from digital transformation.

Axa Winterthur

The digital transformation is in full swing at Axa Winterthur and is being driven forward with many different measures. For example, in the area of organizational development (e.g. with a department for transformation and market management) or product innovation (drive recorder, connected home, hackathons, cooperation with start-ups, etc.). This, and in particular the commitment shown by senior management and the broad support for the program within the organization, were praised by the jury.

Interio

Furniture retailing is also becoming increasingly digital. For some time now, Interio has been consistently focusing on digital marketing: good content, high-performance campaigns and numerous features on the website support the web store. Top management supports the corresponding initiatives - resources are increasingly being shifted from traditional marketing to digital. Social media and various touchpoints are actively managed and used as a dialog tool. For the jury, Interio is a good example of online-active multichannel

Medela

As part of the digital transformation, Medela is constantly expanding its relationships with target groups. On the one hand, new customers are being addressed with a cross-channel concept, and on the other hand, the duration of contact with customers is being intensified and extended. As a result, Medela is already generating significantly higher online sales.

Post CH

Swiss Post has made significant progress in the area of digital transformation. This not only refers to new innovative solutions at various interfaces to the end customer, such as the new Twint payment system, the new online portal or the autonomously driving PostBus shuttles, but there is also a great deal of digitization within the Group.

Sanitas

Sanitas convinces 'digitally' with its far-sighted and very well-structured approach led by the Board of Directors and the Management Board. In addition, with analytics on the one hand and two-speed IT (or agile IT) on the other, Sanitas is betting on the important horse for the future in terms of big data and fast implementation.

Swiss Life

Swiss Life's digital transformation is particularly impressive due to its high stringency in the dimensions of strategy and transformation management, but also in terms of culture and expertise. Swiss Life is one of the very few companies surveyed to include the topic of digitalization in the overarching strategic goals approved by the Board of Directors (keyword "Swiss Life Strategy 2018").

Victorinox

The transformation of Victorinox into a multi-channel retailer is a very exciting development - so the entry belongs on this year's shortlist. Precisely because the company, with its brand and product history, would actually be predestined to live "digitization at your fingertips," it could even become a veritable success story of dealing with adversity, situational agility, and upholding brand values in the medium term.

Wincasa

At Wincasa, a great deal of further development is evident in terms of strategic maturity. One of the key factors here is the management's clear commitment to the digital transformation. The cases successfully implemented to date in the areas of process optimization and digitization are an important proof of concept in the view of the jury. Wincasa is also on a very good path in terms of IT alignment.

The jury members of the "Swiss Digital Transformation Award

Bramwell Kaltenrieder, Crosswalk (Jury President)
Martin Armand, Infocentric Research
Sabine Berghaus, Institute of Information Systems, University of St. Gallen
Beat Bühlmann, Yourposition
Patrick Comboeuf, Swiss Life
Dr. Tim Dührkoop, Namics
Dr. Florian Hamel, AXA Winterthur
Andreas Eggimann, Swiss Post
Milos Radovic, Swisscom
Stephan Odermatt, UBS