Structure of the study
In the 2021 study ‘Digitalisation in Austrian business practice’ by Joshua Consulting, in cooperation with BeLinked, the participants of this year’s BeLinked events were asked about the status of digitalisation in their companies.
The results were analysed according to participant groups (BeLinked CEO, BeLinked Finance Leader and BeLinked IT Leader), company age and company size (measured by the number of employees).
In the period from 10 April 2021 to 30 June 2021, C-level executives from 68 companies took part in the survey. Most of them are large companies with more than 500 employees and around three quarters have been in business for more than 30 years. The industry sectors are very heterogeneous, which is why our sample provides a good overview of digitalisation in established Austrian companies.
In addition, external studies from 2018 and 2020 were used to put the results into context over time.
Some of the results are surprising, some are as expected, but they all have one thing in common: they paint a consistently positive picture of digitalisation.
Top 12 results
- No one can avoid digitalisation. Only 1% of the companies surveyed consider their sector to be little affected by the digital transformation. Jumping into the digital deep end is already common practice.
- There are very heterogeneous transformation requirements in the specialist areas. Sales is clearly seen as the most disruptive area. The greatest need to catch up exists in the departments marketing, logistics and knowledge management.
- On average, the biggest expected changes do not match the actions already taken or planned. For example, only 31% expect a major change in HR. Despite this, 65% of companies have already implemented or planned measures to the same extent. This may represent a coronavirus-related outlier.
- The need for digitalisation in some departments appears to be increasingly saturated. Based on the details collected, it can be observed that individual companies are gradually achieving the desired level of digitalisation.
- The presumed focus on process automation has been confirmed. The future top list also includes topics such as digital business models, CRM, project management, paperless office and machine learning. Large companies are already increasingly focussing on digital business models.
- In most companies, management is driving the digital transformation, although the majority of IT departments take a different view. A clear, coordinated digitalisation strategy with defined responsibilities should help here.
- Companies are clearly benefiting from the digital transformation. Around 96% are already planning additional steps.
- Large companies are benefiting more than average from digitalisation. Smaller companies will have to develop strategies to make up for this advantage.
- Predictive analytics is seen as highly relevant, but a lack of expertise, poor information about the benefits and a lack of data often slow down its use.
- Predictive analytics makes the future more predictable. The importance of technical forecasting models and tools will increase significantly, particularly in the planning and forecasting environment.
- The reasons given for using predictive analytics, e.g. ‘being a pioneer’ or ‘noticing acute needs’, are not yet entirely consistent with the relatively low level of implementation in companies (26%).
- Conclusion: Digitalisation is therefore proving to be an absolute turbo for the economy – especially in times of crisis – and a structured, strategic approach to this topic pays off.
The management summary of the study is available for download (in German).
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