Tokyo, Aug 23: Fujitsu recently released its Insights Global Digital Transformation Survey Report 2021, highlighting the results of a survey drawing on the insights and experiences of 1,200 chief experience officers (CxOs) and decision-makers in nine countries.
The fifth iteration of this survey examines how organisations responded to the changes that the pandemic caused and business leaders’ perceptions around priorities in the post-pandemic world.
The survey results revealed the factors that contributed to an effective pandemic response, identifying essential organisational capabilities and important insights in designing successful businesses after the pandemic.
The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly changed how we live and work.
While many people and organisations were forced to change their previous ways, various responses to the pandemic have yielded many different results.
Moreover, as the digitalisation of business progresses, organisations must increasingly accelerate their digital transformation initiatives.
Against this backdrop, Fujitsu conducted a survey to deliver new insights into how business leaders responded to the pandemic, as well as their perceptions around business priorities in the post-pandemic world.
Summary of survey findingsHow did organisations respond to the pandemic?
While many online organisations that provide products and services purely online saw revenue increase during the pandemic, half of offline organisations that provide products and services completely offline or partially online experienced decreased revenue. Though the impact to revenue was significant for many, 78 per cent of business leaders from offline organisations said that they were able to effectively respond to the pandemic. The three main factors contributing to their effective pandemic responses included agility, digitalisation, and employee well-being.
Organisations with stronger “digital muscles” also responded more effectively to the impacts of COVID-19
The results of our previous global surveys have consistently indicated that leadership, value from data, a culture of agility, ecosystems, empowered people and business integration are the organisational capabilities that lead to success in digital transformation. Fujitsu refers to these six factors as “digital muscles.” The analysis of the correlation between the score of an organisation’s “digital muscles” and ability to mount an effective response to the pandemic demonstrates that organisations with better development of these critical capabilities responded more effectively to the unprecedented changes posed by COVID-19.
Priorities in the post-pandemic world
Resilience is perceived as the top business priority in the post-pandemic world. The survey results indicate that many organisations have understood the importance of a flexible response in the face of changes in an uncertain world. Many respondents also noted the importance of business process automation, data-driven management and a seamless customer experience where online merges with offline.
Many business leaders expect more business processes to become automated
The survey revealed that 44 per cent of respondents from offline organisations predicted that more than half of their current business processes that were not yet automated would be automated by 2025. The survey also found that the premium value of Face to Face (F2F) experiences must be revisited.
Sixty four per cent of respondents from online organisations thought that the value of F2F engagement would increase because premium services that cannot be offered online will become more exclusive.
Forty nine per cent of respondents from offline organisations had the same opinion, exceeding the number of respondents who thought the value of F2F engagement would decline.
In last year’s survey, it was already apparent that most business leaders had recognised the importance of delivering value to society.
The pandemic reinforced this trend. In this year’s survey, 78 percent of respondents from offline organisations said they thought the importance of delivering value to society had increased as a result of the pandemic.
Fujitsu defines its purpose as making the world more sustainable by building trust in society through innovation. The findings of this survey will help Fujitsu to continue to serve as a trusted DX partner, simultaneously helping customers to succeed in business and to provide even greater value to society.
Survey overview:
Period: February 2021; respondents: 1,200 CxOs and decision-makers at large and mid-sized organisations spread across nine countries worldwide and methodology: anonymous online survey.
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