VIDEO | Visteon, Global Director: Digital Transformation Is Becoming a Way of Life

(US and Canada) Nitin Sethi, Global Director – Data Analytics, Enterprise Architecture, Strategy, and Digital Transformation, Visteon, speaks with Jason Masker, Field Chief Technology Officer, Stratascale – an SHI Company, about digital transformation, balancing modernization and innovation, and critical factors which enable innovation.

Putting forth his take on the digital transformation journey of an organization, Sethi says that digital transformation is becoming a way of life. He adds that data, technology, process, and people need to be focused on continuous evolution.

He suggests that these factors should be absorbed in the organization's culture and believes that massive transformation journeys like creating ERP and PLM systems should sync with small wins like building a workforce or a dashboard.

Sethi asserts that the digital transformation of organizations varies depending on the level and maturity at the starting point. He states that establishing a cloud platform is the right transformation strategy for a mature company, but not for a company that started late.

Digital transformation is a journey, says Sethi, but the level and severity of transformation change with time. He maintains that moving from mainframes to the cloud is a weighty transformation compared to moving from private to public cloud. He points out that it is crucial to follow the typical maturity model.

He shares the concept of run, grow and transform. He explains that it is a three-legged tool, emphasizing that the three aspects must have the right proportion and budget. Focusing on a single factor will disrupt the balance.

He further emphasizes that modernization and innovation are conjoined. Innovation helps an organization to evolve and get a competitive advantage in the industry, and modernization is a prerequisite for innovation, says Sethi.

He states that setting up a modernized platform with an environment where people can think of innovation is fundamental. Sethi then mentions putting up a low-code platform that acts as a catalyst behind innovative ideas, which develop into prototypes smoothly. A low-code platform saves the investment required for developer apps, he adds.

From the leadership perspective, Sethi states that modernization needs more drive than innovation as it is related to the organizational key metrics drawn today. However, since innovation supports future metrics, it also demands solid attention.

Regarding crucial innovation enablers, he says that creating the suitable capacity and mindset for innovation comes first. Then, it is fundamental to create a culture wherein innovation successes are rewarded and are supportive of failures as lessons. Having the right platform and resources to support the innovation comes next, and innovation needs to derive business outcomes.