Earlier this year, Marina Glogovac, President and CEO  at CanadaHelps, gave the keynote address at the Digital Strategy Conference in Ottawa. Marina’s experience leading digital companies such as Lavalife and Kobo, and through numerous consulting engagements in strategy and in particular digital strategy development, has given her great insight into the ways digital has changed organizations of all types, and how essential good strategy is.

Here are some key takeaways from Marina’s speech:

Avoid reactionary decisions or suffer the technology consequences.

There are a number of obstacles to overcome in order to make this happen. We live in an age when technology is constantly advancing and as a result, most businesses are forced into a reactionary state. You can make the meaningful integration of technology within your organization difficult—if not impossible—by jumping on board too quickly. By having a strategy in place ahead of time, it will help you look at new tools with a methodology that can allow for a stronger and more effective implementation of the new technology.

Lately, organizations are becoming increasingly reactive due to the fact that strategic thinking has atrophied within them. Although this may not have negative effects to the organization in the immediate future, it is always best to have a strategy that guides the direction of the organization as a whole rather than relying on reactionary tactics to drive improvement. To be able to do so, it is best to have a strategy that is flexible in response to whatever the digital world throws at it. Regardless of whether or not the strategy is well-designed, it is best to review the strategy often to make sure it is still in sync with the organization’s goals and objectives.

Your strategy can ensure you use your data wisely.

Another obstacle that you may face is the data. There is simply so much of it, so ask yourself, what are you going to do with it and what does it all mean? What will you act on and what will you ignore? Having a clear strategy will help you answer these questions and decide which data is important and which is not. It is best to have an idea of what you want the strategy to do and make it clear. Decide on the criteria that you will need in order to analyze the data properly and note your growth.

Having the right strategy is essential for future success for your organization. Strategy development models are constantly evolving in order to handle the ever-changing business and technological landscape. Keep in mind your organization’s goals and continue to monitor your progress by implementing these new digital tools.

Some things to think about:

• You cannot separate your digital strategy from your organization’s overall strategy and you must remember to encourage everyone’s involvement (not just the digital team)
• Tactic is not strategy
• Reactivity is not a strategy but being adaptive is vital
• Continuous learning is key

You can read more of Marina’s thoughts on digital strategy in this blog post from the conference: Digital strategy touches every aspect of business strategy

Updated on November 1, 2024