In this edition of Ask the Expert, we talk to Vanessa Estorach, Digital Business Transformation Lead at Sanofi and co-founder of Women in Mobile.
Vanessa, who are you and what do you do?
I am Vanessa Estorach Cavaller and I lead the digital transformation in Global Digital IA at Sanofi. My focus is on building agile teams and introducing the organizational and product culture in this area. I have spent the last 15 years of my career working on digital and innovative products.
What does innovation mean in your own words?
For me, innovation is what I have been doing since the beginning of my professional career: learning, evolving and constantly improving. I believe that innovation is in the DNA of people who work in the technology industry because it is an industry that is constantly evolving and introducing new things. In other industries, innovation is seen as disruption and change, although I believe this meaning is changing as digitalization progresses and standards are introduced.
What is the importance of digital culture?
Digital culture encompasses all the habits, behaviors and activities we do with technology. In my opinion, this means transferring the culture from the street to companies, as we are already immersed in a digital culture at home, at school and with our friends.
In your experience, what are the biggest challenges a company faces when building a digital culture?
It is difficult to change the way we work and establish a digital culture, even though we are no strangers to it because we already have a digital culture outside the company. We don't like change. In fact, as a species, we are not programmed to change and that is what has protected us from threats for thousands of years. Apart from change, the other challenge is training: everyone needs to have the necessary knowledge. For me, that's the easy part.
How does internal communication relate to the digital transformation of companies?
Internal communication is the key to the digital transformation of companies. And there is also a cultural change taking place in this communication: Previously, communication was mostly top-down, from management to employees. Now, most companies are promoting a culture of multilateral communication at all levels. In this way, everyone in the company has a voice, no matter who they are.
How important is internal communication in companies
The benefits for companies are enormous, including:
- The ability to receive direct feedback from everyone within your organization provides you with a great deal of transparency and knowledge.
- A closer connection between the company and its employees, which strengthens the sense of belonging.
- Facilitating the promotion of (digital) culture among all employees of the organization.
