WALLDORF — According to the recent study by Technical University of Munich and SAP SE (NYSE: SAP) “Skills for Digital Transformation,” companies recognize the increasing importance of digital technologies for their businesses.

However, the impact of digitization on overall business strategy together with a lack of employees with adequate digital skills continues to pose a threat to established business models. The study reveals that only 27 percent of the respondents claim to have a clearly defined plan for implementing their digital strategies, and only 17 percent claim that their company has the personnel with the requisite skills to assist in digital transformation.

At the core of digital transformation is a cultural shift in how companies think and operate. Success is less about the technologies and more about a new philosophy of collaboration between digitally engaged employees at every level. The study shows that a cross-departmental, deep understanding of both business objectives and the skillful use of technology is instrumental in enabling an organization to successfully navigate the digital transformation. What’s more, the appropriate technology and strategy must be used in synergy to drive innovation and growth.

Survey participants also believe that extensive skills, in particular in the domains of digital security, business change management and business networks, will be crucial for a successful digital transformation. More than 80 percent of CIOs surveyed regard change management as the second most important skill for successful digital transformation after digital security.

“Digital transformation impacts both an organization’s business and IT departments,” said Prof. Dr. Krcmar, chair for Information Systems, Department of Informatics, Technical University of Munich. “This study stresses the need to cross-functionally train current executives and employees, as well as recruit new qualified talent. Our hope is to create awareness about the digital skills gap that organizations face, and to serve as an impetus for proper learning and enablement.”

“With the digital transformation upon us, organizations are now faced with the task of implementing strategies to effectively navigate this change,” said Dr. Bernd Welz; executive vice president and global head; Scale, Enablement, and Transformation; SAP. “Instrumental to that success is an organization’s talent. As this study shows, there is a significant digital skills gap, and the organizations that bridge that gap quickly and effectively will thrive.”

In its commitment to provide customizable learning initiatives and enablement platforms, SAP offers organizations tools necessary to close the digital skills gap. These tools allow users worldwide to learn when it is convenient for them to learn, share insights and lessons learned with peers and keep pace with their digital customers. Products from SAP provide digital learning, for example, through the openSAP platform, an educational offering that delivers open online courses (MOOC) for the enterprise. SAP Learning Hub is a central, cloud-based learning offering for those wanting to learn about SAP software and technology. These offerings complement traditional classroom-based learning and provide a whole new learning experience, including options that allow participants to practice on live training systems. A third exciting e-learning opportunity is Academy Cube, a cloud-based Internet platform that companies and institutions can use to provide e-learning courses and post job offerings.

To read the complete IDT study and learn more about its findings, visit the website of Technical University of Munich.