{"id":69218,"date":"2021-09-28T13:27:14","date_gmt":"2021-09-28T11:27:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/?p=69218"},"modified":"2026-01-29T17:56:58","modified_gmt":"2026-01-29T15:56:58","slug":"human-centric-digital-transformation-a-blueprint-for-success-webinar","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/human-centric-digital-transformation-a-blueprint-for-success-webinar\/","title":{"rendered":"[Webinar] Human-centric digital transformation: A blueprint for success"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t[Webinar] Human-centric digital transformation: A blueprint for success\t\t\t\t\t<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

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\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\"\"\t\t\t\tJoanne Carew<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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In many industries, there still exists a fear that digital transformation and automation equal job losses. While this is a valid concern, the truth is that technology helps humans. It makes our jobs easier, expedites time-consuming processes, and ups productivity.<\/span> This was the word from\u00a0Mohammed Mosam, Director of Sage AME, during a recent\u00a0webinar as\u00a0part of CFO South\u00a0Africa’s\u00a0Finance Indaba Network series.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Talking about the human side of digital transformation, Mosam stressed that replacing manual processes with digital ones actually puts people first. While we may think that digital transformation is all about technology, it’s actually about people. For Mosam, digital transformation should be an “all-inclusive metamorphosis”, whereby you are digitising business processes to improve human work. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What is human-centric digital transformation?\u00a0<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

Human-centric digital transformation seeks to change how people, technology, and processes interact, with the goal being to achieve better outcomes.<\/mark> When we talk about digital transformation, we’re looking at how we can fundamentally transform business models to improve the lives of humans. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

You\u00a0may remember pulling out a\u00a0map book\u00a0before heading somewhere\u00a0you’d\u00a0never been before, explained\u00a0Mosam.\u00a0You’d\u00a0spend some time having a good look at\u00a0various\u00a0route options, taking note of different landmarks,\u00a0and trying to memorise how to get\u00a0to your destination. Today, we just key\u00a0an address into Google Maps, hit\u00a0‘Start’,\u00a0and\u00a0we’re\u00a0on our way.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>“This has transformed how we travel.\u00a0Suddenly,\u00a0you’re\u00a0able to enjoy your journey without having to stress about\u00a0taking a wrong turn or worrying about where you\u00a0have to\u00a0go,”\u00a0he says.\u00a0“This is a\u00a0very\u00a0simple example,\u00a0but it\u00a0showcases\u00a0how automating processes can reduce complexity and boost\u00a0overall\u00a0efficiency\u00a0for people.”<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

How to get\u00a0human-centric digital transformation\u00a0right<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

Want\u00a0to ensure your digital transformation\u00a0doesn’t\u00a0leave\u00a0people behind?\u00a0Here’s\u00a0how to get it right.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Understand your ecosystem<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

You\u00a0can’t\u00a0change what you\u00a0don’t\u00a0know, noted\u00a0Mosam. As such, you need to take time to look at your existing ecosystem and identify\u00a0inefficiencies\u00a0that are proving\u00a0incredibly\u00a0time-consuming for your team.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Also speaking during the Webinar, Yudhvir Seetharam, Head of Analytics, Insights & Research, FNB Commercial, noted that this business process audit is essential for larger businesses because there are countless moving parts to consider.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Often,\u00a0we’ll\u00a0do\u00a0things\u00a0a certain way simply because\u00a0that’s\u00a0how\u00a0we’ve\u00a0always done\u00a0them, added\u00a0Seetharam.\u00a0But if you scrutinise\u00a0your business processes,\u00a0you’ll\u00a0be amazed at where\u00a0you’re\u00a0wasting time and resources.\u00a0Once\u00a0you’ve\u00a0identified these stumbling blocks, ask yourself what small changes\u00a0you can implement to make a\u00a0significant\u00a0impact.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Start small<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

Speaking of small\u00a0changes,\u00a0you\u00a0don’t\u00a0have to do everything at once\u00a0when it comes to digital transformation.\u00a0As the saying goes, you\u00a0can’t\u00a0run before you\u00a0walk.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Start by streamlining a single business process, advised Mosam. For example, whenever money is spent in business, there is typically a lengthy, manual sign-off process that has to be followed, involving a lot of people and a lot of red tape.\u00a0<\/span>“Implementing a\u00a0digital\u00a0document management system that allows for\u00a0electronic sign-off removes\u00a0a huge amount of inefficiency,”\u00a0he says.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Human-centric digital transformation aims to free up time so that you can\u00a0focus\u00a0less on the administrative side of your business and more\u00a0on\u00a0the\u00a0strategic side of your business.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/mark><\/p>\n

Consider\u00a0the\u00a0‘why’<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

Human-centric digital transformation starts with understanding the\u00a0‘why’, said Seetharam.\u00a0“Are you doing it because you want to increase efficiency across your business? Are you doing it because you want to have a better relationship with your customers?”\u00a0For FNB, it was both.\u00a0The human side of\u00a0its\u00a0digital transformation strategy was about improving how the people inside the business work so that they could\u00a0offer a better experience to the people outside the business.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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“You might be good at reducing internal efficiencies,\u00a0but if your customer\u00a0isn’t\u00a0gaining anything\u00a0from these efficiency gains,\u00a0what’s\u00a0the point of doing so?”<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\u00a0<\/span>According to Seetharam,\u00a0it’s\u00a0important to be aware that this\u00a0journey\u00a0won’t\u00a0be quick.\u00a0“You’re\u00a0not going\u00a0to develop something ground-breaking\u00a0overnight,\u00a0and\u00a0you’re\u00a0certainly not\u00a0going to\u00a0change the DNA of your organisation overnight.”\u00a0When you know the\u00a0‘why’, your incentive for\u00a0embarking on this journey is clear,\u00a0and\u00a0that’s\u00a0what\u00a0motivates you to keep going.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Rope in finance<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

As our\u00a0<\/span>CFO 3.0<\/span>\u00a0whitepaper explained, CFOs increasingly have a\u00a0crucial\u00a0role in business transformation<\/a> and in helping the business use technology to tap into new opportunities and mitigate risks.<\/span> With human-centric digital transformation, not only do CFOs have to be concerned about how to prioritise budgets and technology investments; they also need to be thinking about how their spend can help people work smarter, faster, and more efficiently.<\/span>

\n\tDownload your free copy of CFO 3.0: Digital transformation beyond financial management<\/a>\n<\/div>\n<\/span><\/p>\n

Don’t\u00a0be afraid to challenge norms<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

COVID-19\u00a0accelerated digital transformation for many businesses, forcing us to do things\u00a0that\u00a0we\u00a0would never have\u00a0considered\u00a0doing in the past,\u00a0commented\u00a0Mosam.\u00a0Citing\u00a0another document-signing\u00a0example, he recalled\u00a0regularly\u00a0visiting\u00a0the offices of a\u00a0financial services company or having them come to his office\u00a0just\u00a0to\u00a0sign\u00a0documents.\u00a0But,\u00a0with the pandemic, this process was digitised,\u00a0and he was able to sign\u00a0documents sent to him via email.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>“I’d\u00a0drive all the way there just to sign a document.\u00a0We never questioned\u00a0how we were\u00a0doing things\u00a0or thought that it was inefficient because it was the just norm. In so many ways, COVID\u00a0has challenged and transformed what we thought was possible.”\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Use saved time effectively<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

We can all agree that having your best and brightest minds spending hours doing tasks that could easily be automated is a poor use of resources.\u00a0If\u00a0digitisation and automation\u00a0are\u00a0to make a real\u00a0impact, you need to\u00a0use the time\u00a0you’re\u00a0saving to\u00a0focus on strategy and\u00a0add value to the business,\u00a0Seetharam\u00a0explained.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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“Here, human-centric transformation is about developing strategies to better deliver what your customers want.\u00a0It’s\u00a0no longer about optimising stuff;\u00a0it’s\u00a0about disrupting stuff.”<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

When done right,\u00a0technology plays a role in digital transformation, but it is not the only\u00a0role-player. Human-centric digital transformation demands that\u00a0you\u00a0keep\u00a0technology\u00a0<\/span>and<\/span><\/i>\u00a0people in mind,\u00a0understanding that real innovation can only happen\u00a0when you combine the right technology with the right strategy and people.<\/span>\u00a0\n

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Webinar: Human-centric digital transformation <\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
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Human-centric digital transformation seeks to change how people, technology,\u00a0and processes interact,\u00a0with the goal being to achieve better outcomes. Want\u00a0to ensure your digital transformation\u00a0doesn't\u00a0leave\u00a0people behind?<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tWatch now<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\"\"\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/span><\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n

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Sage Intacct<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
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Discover how Sage Intacct takes the stress away and can make financial management fun and empowering.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tFind out how<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\"\"\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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Get a roundup of our best business advice in your inbox every month.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSubscribe<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\"\"\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In many industries, there still exists a fear that digital transformation and automation equal job losses. While this is a valid concern, the truth is that technology helps humans. It makes our jobs easier, expedites time-consuming processes, and ups productivity. This was the word from\u00a0Mohammed Mosam, Director of Sage AME, during a recent\u00a0webinar as\u00a0part of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1287,"featured_media":68903,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_sage_video":false,"post_featured_image_hide":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[356],"business_type":[3],"lilypad":[],"context":[],"industry":[],"persona":[8,13],"imagine_tag":[355,56,84],"coauthors":[446],"class_list":["post-69218","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-technology-innovation","tag-cfo-3-0","business_type-medium-business"],"sage_meta":{"region":"en-za","author_name":"Joanne Carew","featured_image":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2021\/02\/iStock-1134062212-scaled.jpg","imagine_tags":{"355":"CFO 3.0","56":"ERP","84":"Midsized business"}},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Sage Advice South Africa","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69218","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/users\/1287"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=69218"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69218\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media\/68903"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=69218"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=69218"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=69218"},{"taxonomy":"business_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/business_type?post=69218"},{"taxonomy":"lilypad","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/lilypad?post=69218"},{"taxonomy":"context","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/context?post=69218"},{"taxonomy":"industry","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/industry?post=69218"},{"taxonomy":"persona","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/persona?post=69218"},{"taxonomy":"imagine_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/imagine_tag?post=69218"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=69218"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}