I can’t remember when I first heard that term digitization gap but it was from Caleb Eastman. It refers to this gap where an organization can’t automate and digitize their business fast enough. There’s usually a gap between the skill set, expertise and budget that an organization has and the distance they need to get to in terms of automation, intelligence and general digital streamlining.

I don’t totally understand the market economics that have caused this to accelerate, I would guess less skilled people, aging infrastructure and more demand for online products and services.

I wrote in another post about how data is the new oil.

What to do it about?

That’s a great question and I am sure there consultants out there who have varying opinions. Consultants can help because they bring a skill set and extra resource that generally is required. Your organization still needs to adapt as a whole but Robauto for example does this type of work and we stay really busy.

There are a couple of steps you can take and questions you can ask as a leader:

1. How can I augment my team? Through hiring, re-training and outside contractors with specific experience.

2. Establish a baseline. You are embarking on a major shift in your business. It’s important to know where you are now so you can measure changes and make data-driven decisions.

3. Solution vs. Technology. Be wary of a platform that says it does it all. Instead think of the core dashboards, workflows and automations you need, and work to develop a seamless integration even using tools like Zapier to make new connections and visualizations of data.