Cédric Deniaud: "Digital Training Must Be Planned for the Long Term to Build a Lasting, Useful Digital Culture"

The internal transformation of companies is no small undertaking. Faced with this vast challenge, many rush to answer it with action — throwing buzzwords like blockchain, artificial intelligence and the like at every problem, carefully chosen for their media resonance. Stop, says Cédric Deniaud, founder of The Persuaders consulting firm and the SYSK corporate accelerator. Before anything else, we need to understand why transformation is necessary, and prepare employees — not just a handful of Digital Champions — through genuine digital acculturation. Interview.

Why do companies struggle to transform?

Companies often ask the wrong questions. They imagine that doing and acting is enough to make people learn, understand, and change. They are focused on the "what." But most employees don't understand why their employers are making this or that decision — why they're betting on blockchain or artificial intelligence, for instance.

Asking why — that's the question companies must answer first. And it has to be said: there's a strong element of fashion around digital transformation. You hear that you have to do it, that competitors are doing it, that the media drums it in constantly. So many companies simply tack the word "digital" onto their overall strategy… without really having a vision.

My clients often ask me: "What digital strategy should we define?" I don't answer that question directly. I first propose defining a broader vision within which digital can play a role. In this journey, it's not just the destination that counts. Digital transformation is a path, not a straight line. The problem today is that companies haven't necessarily chosen a direction — they're chasing trends in every direction, following buzzwords. Their transformation plans are filled with the same terms: big data, artificial intelligence, blockchain — and instead of answering the questions that go with them, they default to "test and learn." Lots of testing, not much learning. Some companies end up multiplying initiatives, giving themselves the feeling they're transforming, when that isn't really happening. That's why I talk about the illusion of transformation.

You're interested in acculturation — a process that involves all employees. Why?

I'm interested in acculturation because digital transformation doesn't concern just a few Digital Champions. Transforming a company means transforming it in its entirety — from HR to procurement, finance to customer services. Every employee is affected! Not everyone moves at the same pace — but everyone must move, and the sooner the better. Transformation is a global process that concerns absolutely everyone.

What does acculturation actually involve?

Acculturation means mapping digital maturity at three levels: the organization, the business functions, and individual managers and employees. We don't expect the same things from each. But in the end, everyone has a role to play. I'd even say: a company doesn't change unless each individual employee changes. The sum of individual changes is what sets the company in motion.

Take the example of learning in a school setting. Knowledge acquisition goes through three stages: you learn, you understand, then you're able to apply. In the workplace, however, employees are often asked to apply without first understanding what an enterprise social network is, for example. They're simply told to use it, to collaborate, to be cross-functional. But why? The question every employee is entitled to ask is: "What's in it for me?" Knowing how to use a platform, knowing how to send an email or click a button, is within everyone's reach. But understanding the meaning — and more specifically, the use case — allows people to go much further. Ultimately, that's what matters most, beyond simply deploying a solution.

Read also: "A Talent Management Strategy: HR's Grand Challenge"

And where does training fit in all of this?

Companies need fewer trainers and more coaches — guides who take people by the hand according to their maturity level. When I work on training programmes, I often tell employees that I'm there first to "unlearn" them, to help them let go of certain habits.

Without first establishing a baseline maturity level, you put everyone in the same box. It's essential to avoid uniform digital culture and skills: we don't ask the same things of every role. Some will want to go deeper into coding or artificial intelligence… Of course, there must be a common foundation — the bedrock of a company's digital culture. But there also need to be differentiations. Yet digital culture programmes are often put together by people who don't themselves have that digital culture. So from an acculturation standpoint, it's important to know which skills and knowledge are useful right now for a given employee, and which will be useful down the line — because the goal is to prepare for the future. Digital training must be planned for the long term, to build a lasting and useful digital culture. It needs to be tailored to each individual, while fitting within the company's strategic vision.

What role do HR teams play in digital acculturation?

I find it a shame that HR isn't more involved. Usain Bolt's coach doesn't run as fast as his athlete; yet he knows what works and what doesn't — he knows how to optimise raw talent and shape it. In my view, HR teams need to act like coaches. But if HR itself doesn't understand why and how digital is integrated into the company strategy, it won't be able to explain it to employees. The training providers they call on don't necessarily share the company's strategic vision. So their training is biased — partial and oriented. In my opinion, HR must have a holistic view of digital transformation to avoid falling into the buzzword trap.

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