Digital Transformation Needs A New Talent Strategy

April Ho-Nishimura, VP Global Customer Experience, Infineon Technologies.

gettyOver the past decade, organizations have invested billions in digital transformation. They’ve modernized technology stacks, adopted agile ways of working, migrated to the cloud and, most recently, accelerated investments in AI.

Technology matters, but technology has never been the competitive advantage. People are.

The organizations that consistently outperform their peers don’t simply purchase better platforms. They develop talent capable of turning technology investments into exceptional customer experiences. Digital product management is one profession emerging at the center of that opportunity.​

While many consumer-focused organizations have spent years maturing digital product practices, many B2B organizations are still defining what digital product management means for their business. Too often, digital product managers are viewed as project coordinators or feature owners at the mercy of business teams that are interpreting what should be built. In reality, they should orchestrate end-to-end customer experiences across discovery, evaluation, purchase, service and support.

That responsibility requires a unique blend of business strategy, technology, analytics, customer experience and design thinking. Orchestration is difficult without the authority, competencies and organizational support needed to bring those disciplines together. Establishing digital product management as a recognized profession helps create that foundation.

This presents a unique opportunity for HR leaders to intentionally design career pathways for this profession. Rather than fitting digital product management into existing career paths built for product marketing or technology delivery, organizations should establish dedicated competency models and progression frameworks. Career growth should reflect increasing expertise in customer journey management, experimentation, behavioral analytics, “voice of the customer,” accessibility, AI-enabled experiences and cross-functional leadership, not simply larger product portfolios.

Many organizations already have defined career ladders for engineering, marketing, sales and project management. Digital product management is often forced into marketing while borrowing elements from multiple disciplines without having a framework of its own. As a result, high-potential talent can struggle to understand advancement opportunities, while leaders struggle to identify and develop future capability. Recruiting becomes difficult as external hires often seek new employers specifically to grow their careers and experience. Establishing clear competencies, expectations and progression paths helps create consistency across the organization and elevates digital product management from another responsibility to a profession.​

As global head of customer experience in high tech and specialty chemicals industries, I’ve found that the best digital product management teams adopt a multidisciplinary approach. Organizations should recruit talent from multiple disciplines. Engineers, UX professionals, marketers, analysts, customer experience leaders and traditional product managers each bring valuable perspectives. The strongest digital product managers understand enough of every discipline to unite teams around customer outcomes validated by customer behavior.​

Today’s digital transformation is beyond just implementing technology. Instead, it’s about building organizational capability to read customer signals and innovate around experiences that involve both process and technology. Some may even compare digital experience design to an art.

Customer delight happens when you turn an unpleasant task into a simple, memorable experience. Designing those moments requires expertise in human behavior, interaction design, content strategy and visual communication. A creative director or art director may never have been considered part of a traditional product management organization, yet these disciplines are increasingly critical to modern digital product management.

HR leaders are uniquely positioned to develop the talent strategies needed to ensure people remain a competitive advantage. Investing now in the people, competencies and career frameworks behind digital product management will help you transform customer experiences long after the next wave of technology arrives.

Forbes Technology Council is an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs and technology executives. Do I qualify?