Digital transformation is a people, process and technology change—not a technology change by itself. 

That was the key message Shahani Perera, Senior Vice President of Digital Transformation at Innovation Federal Credit Union (Canada), told credit union professionals from across the globe who attended a November 29 World Council virtual event featuring her presentation, "Digital Transformation: It's Not Just an IT Thing". 

"You should really pause and think about - where does your organization sit," said Perera. "I think it's really important in sharing your message to your people. Because if they don't know where they're going as an organization, it's really hard to get across that successful line for digital transformation."

Perera laid out a five-stage model for success in digital transformation, ranging from simply laying a foundation by upgrading technology to making digital operations part of your organization's living DNA.

She went on to give tips on how to get started with the process, saying that there needs to be "committed ownership" on the part of all senior leaders in an organization, who then empower employees to disrupt and reorganize things to make the digital transformation complete. 

"You've got to emphasize that it's about business and it's not just about technology. And it's transforming an existing organization. So, existing organizations are a lot more challenging than creating a startup because you truly are looking at changing what people do every day when they come into work to what they do after work. And it's continuous, it's not a project," said Perera.

You can watch Shahani Perera's entire presentation by visiting the World Council YouTube Channel.