Market research firm IDC reveals 2021 worldwide digital transformation predictions  

International Data Corporation (IDC) this week revealed IDC FutureScape: Worldwide Digital Transformation 2021 Predictions  According to the new report, despite a global pandemic, direct digital transformation (DX) investment is still growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 15.5% from 2020 to 2023 and is expected to approach $6.8 trillion as companies build on existing strategies and investments, becoming digital-at-scale future enterprises.

The predictions from the IDC FutureScape for Worldwide Digital Transformation are:

• Prediction 1:Accelerated DX Investments Create Economic Gravity. The economy remains on course to its digital destiny with 65% of global GDP digitalised by 2022 and will drive over $6.8 trillion of direct DX investments from 2020 to 2023.
• Prediction 2:Digital Organisation Structures and Roadmaps Mature. By 2023, 75% of organisations will have comprehensive digital transformation (DX) implementation roadmaps, up from 27% today, resulting in true transformation across all facets of business and society.
• Prediction 3:Digital Management Systems Mature. By 2023, 60% of leaders in G2000 organisations will have shifted their management orientation from processes to outcomes, establishing more agile, innovative, and empathetic operating models.
• Prediction 4:The Rise of the Digital Platform and Extended Ecosystems. By 2025, driven by volatile global conditions, 75% of business leaders will leverage digital platforms and ecosystem capabilities to adapt their value chains to new markets, industries, and ecosystems.
• Prediction 5:A Digital First Approach. While “digital-first” prevails in every experience, 60% of enterprises will invest heavily in digitalising employee experience in 2021, transforming the relationship between employers and employees.
• Prediction 6:Business Model Reinvention. By 2021, at least 30% of organisations will accelerate innovation to support business and operating model reinvention, fast-tracking transformation programs to future-proof their businesses.
• Prediction 7: Sustainability and DX. By 2022, most companies will realise greater value by combining digital and sustainability, giving rise to digitally-driven and sustainably enabled projects as the de-facto standard.
• Prediction 8:Digitally Native Cultures. To thrive in digital supremacy economy, 50% of enterprises will implement the organisational culture optimized for DX in 2025, based on customer-centric and data-driven.
• Prediction 9:Accelerating Digital Experiences. By 2022, 70% of all organisations will have accelerated use of digital technologies, transforming existing business processes to drive customer engagement, employee productivity, and business resiliency.
• Prediction 10: Business Innovation Platforms. By 2023, 60% of G2000 companies will build their own business innovation platform to support innovation and growth in the new normal.

Shawn Fitzgerald, research director, Worldwide Digital Transformation Strategies said: “Organisations with new digital business models at their core that are successfully executing their enterprise-wide strategies on digital platforms are well-positioned for continued success in the digital platform economy. Our 2021 digital transformation predictions represent areas of notable opportunity to differentiate your own digital transformation strategic efforts.”