Increasing business productivity requires increased use of technology and the adoption of new tools of this type to improve operations and processes. However, there are some obstacles to implementing them, such as a lack of clarity in strategy, resistance to change, and a shortage of qualified personnel, according to Infor , a company specializing in the creation of cloud-based, industry-specific business management software.
According to the global study How to Achieve the Possible , conducted by Infor in 15 countries and covering seven industries and 3,600 participants , among the factors that are driving digital transformation are economic pressures, changing customer and consumer expectations, as well as a rapid evolution of new technologies, such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) and automation.
In the presentation, Luis Gustavo Peccicacco , Communications Manager at Infor, pointed out that there are two ways for a company to increase its productivity: hiring more people. He indicated that this is a complicated issue since half of graduates are not performing adequately enough to generate more value and products.
He pointed out that Mexico has a shortage of 1.3 million professionals , “which means that qualified professionals are needed, and these professionals are not available.”
In this regard, he emphasized that there is an 80% talent shortage in the transportation, logistics, and automotive sectors , while in information technology, it is 77% , so he considered that hiring more staff is not the best solution for increasing productivity.
“The other way is to make each of those existing workers able to produce more without bringing in more people,” Peccicacco pointed out, adding that the only possible solution to this is the implementation of technology. “However, there’s a problem with the technology, which we at Infor call the value gap.”
According to the analysis, 75% of executives expect to increase productivity by 20% or more in the next three to five years, although a study by McKinsey found that 30% of digital transformation processes, projects, and operations fail to deliver on their promises.
The main conclusion of this study is that 80% of organizations consider technology crucial to driving productivity gains. Furthermore, 78% plan to increase their investment in technology by at least 20% in the coming years, according to Infor.
“So, on the one hand, we have high expectations for increased productivity, and on the other, there are a large number of projects that don’t deliver on that promise, creating a value vacuum,” Peccicacco explained.
Given this scenario, and according to the Infor study, 83% of companies in Mexico expect to increase their investment in technology by 20% or more in the coming years, and 79% agree that success will depend on the use and adoption of new technological tools.
Among the analysis’ findings, it stands out that 76% of organizations in Mexico expect to achieve a productivity increase of more than 20% over the next three years.
The report identified four key activities that leading organizations are adopting to maintain high productivity: processes and systems, agility and future-readiness, data culture, and customer focus.
By prioritizing these activities, organizations can increase their overall productivity and achieve a competitive advantage by aligning their processes with customer needs and technological innovation opportunities.
Infor’s research showed that the most common errors in business digitalization often originate in key areas.
In this regard, he indicated that regarding strategy, there is a lack of clarity in objectives, a limited vision of transformation, and a neglect of the human factor. In implementation, the main obstacles are resistance to change, a lack of support from leaders, and unrealistic timelines for adopting new technologies.
Regarding technical errors, the incompatibility of legacy systems and a lack of technical qualifications are the main barriers. Furthermore, several errors arise from focusing solely on the customer, without considering other key aspects of the operation.
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