Leading Through Digital Disruption: Unilever's Transformation Report

This report delves into Unilever's digital transformation journey, examining how the company navigates the challenges and opportunities presented by digital disruption. The report outlines key strategies employed by Unilever, including capturing customer insights through various methods like feedback and social media analysis, and making fast decisions using the RADID model. It also explores how Unilever acquires and engages talent, develops a digital-ready culture, and fosters collaboration among its employees. The report highlights the importance of these strategies in enhancing Unilever's performance and achieving its business objectives in a rapidly evolving digital landscape. The company's focus on data analytics, automation, and direct customer connections are also discussed. Furthermore, the report emphasizes the significance of leadership in driving and implementing digital transformation initiatives. The overall goal is to understand the importance of digital transformation and how it contributes to an organization's success.

Leading through
Digital Disruption

Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
MAIN BODY...................................................................................................................................3
Task 1 - The Case for Change..........................................................................................................3
Task 2 - Capture Insights.................................................................................................................4
Task 3 - Make fast Decisions...........................................................................................................4
Task 4 - Acquire and Engage Talents..............................................................................................5
Task 5 - Create a Digital Ready Culture..........................................................................................6
Task 6 - Steer Collaboration............................................................................................................6
Task 7 - Select your Leaders............................................................................................................7
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................8
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................9
Books and Journals.................................................................................................................9

INTRODUCTION
It is important to note that the whole world is switching towards the digital technology. It is
important for all the business firms to understand the importance of digitalisation and switch
towards the digital mode (Andrews and Ramji, 2020). It is vital for an organisation to use the
latest technology. The reason for success lies in the way an organisation is using digital
technology. This report is based on digital transformation used by Unilever. All the important
information that needs to be considered in mentioned in the report.
MAIN BODY
Task 1 - The Case for Change
Digital Transformation is the use of new and latest technology to earn more profits. It is
important to note that the business firms that are unable to use digital and latest technology are
unable to gain advantage over the competitors. As Unilever is one of the multinational consumer
goods company that deals in various goods and services. It is seen that the company has a strong
image in the marker. But due to raising competition in the market the company has understood
the importance of digital transformation.
It is seen that Unilever is planning to raise the data analytics infrastructure and building
the technology so as to connect directly with their customers. As a direct connection with the
customers will help to attract them towards the organisation and retain them (Heslin, Keating and
Ashford, 2020). The company is also planning to automate is operations that will be
advantageous for them as that contributes to reducing the cost as well as saving the time of the
company. It is seen that these digital initiatives will be helpful for the organisation. It is now
become popular to use the technology and new ideas to serve the customers effectively. To
compete in this market is vital for a business to remain up to date and offer new and updated
products and service as to all the customers. Unilever has understood the importance and
changed the idea of using old technology. The company has used digital transformation to serve
the customers and attract them towards the organisation. This will help them enhance the relation
with the customers and serve them effectively. The information related to the customers is
captured in a better way and that is helpful for the company. It will help the company to gain
advantage over the competitors and serve them customers of the firm effectively. Hence, it is
important to use digital transformation and gain profits and success.

Task 2 - Capture Insights
As the company is doing various efforts and changing the way of business operations. It is
also important to know about the point of customers. The customers are happy and satisfied with
the services and changes of digitalisation that are adopted by the company. As it will help them
to know that the decision is good and effective. The various ways those help the company to
capture insights are mentioned below:
Gather customer feedback: It is one of the most appropriate methods to capture the
insights. The point of view of customers and the problems that they are facing are important for a
company to know about the changes (Chen and Hong, 2020). In is seen that Unilever takes the
feedback of customers to know that what the problems that are faced are by the customers. Then
finding out the solution are they satisfied with the change or transformation. It is also important
to note that Net promoter score is one of the method that is used by Unilever to take the feedback
of the customers.
Social Mention: It is important to know and look at the performance of company through
social media platforms. It is important to note that the performance over social media is
improving or not. It is seen that knowing about the use of keywords and hash tags are helping to
attract the customers better or not.
Map your customers’ journey: It is another way that is used by Unilever to capture the
insights of the customers. As identifying the stages that the customer goes through for
purchasing the goods and service help to empathise them. It is used by Unilever to know the
problems that the customers are facing and the benefit of the transformation can also be
identified by using the same.
Google Analytical: It is the one of the widely used programme for businesses to track
internal traffic and the output of different web sites. It displays the number of users that are using
the page as well as the amount of time they spent on the website. This provides a true and clear
representation of the business and helps to make better strategies for future.
Task 3 - Make fast Decisions
It is seen that decisions making plays a vital role in success of an organisation. It is
important that a good and effective decision is taken by the organisation. Unilever believes that
what will be the benefit of good decision if the time has gone. The company is in favour of

taking fast decision. It is important for a company to take good and effective decision that is for
the benefit of the company but within time.
RADID decision making model
It is model that helps in making the decision effective fast as well as in an effective way.
It is seen that this model is effective at both local as well as national level. In relation to decision
making of Unilever the model is discussed below:
Recommend: The management team recommend the idea that will help to bring
transformation. The problem is disclosed and ideas are recommended.
Agree: The important task is to evaluate the ideas and fond and select the best among
them (Perkin and Abraham, 2017). It is the stage in which the decision making is agreed.
Input: All the inputs are arranged that will be required. In this step the all the resources
are arranged and the pros and cons related to the decision are identified.
Decide: This is the stage of decision making it is important that effective decision is
taken. This is the stage that needs to be taken with care. But more time is not wasted and the
decision is taken in a faster manner.
Perform: It is the final stage in which the decision taken is performed by the organisation.
Task 4 - Acquire and Engage Talents
To perform effectively an organisation needs talented staff that can work. It is seen that as
the company is adopting digital transformation there is need of employees that can work. It is
important to choose and select the employees that are talented and can help to bring
transformation in an effective way (Barann, Chasin and Becker, 2019). There is requirement of
various skills to bring innovation and use new idea. There is need of change management and
accepting it so as to work in effective and efficient manner. The employees that are the working
population plays a vital role in the success of bringing change in an organisation. The techniques
that are being used by Unilever are mentioned below:
Develop a value proposition that resonates with digital staff members
It is important to hire and recruit the employees that have high value in the organisation. It
can be illustrated that Unilever can make use of EVP as it helps to innovate, invent any new idea
(Rowe, 2018). It also helps to find out the progress that is made by the organisation and the
benefits of using digital transformation. The company should hire the talented staff. As the

technology is growing it is important for the organisation to provide proper training and
development. It will help to enhance value of the employees.
Install tech-savvy recruiters
The digital staff members are making use of online tools to find out the goods and services.
So the traditional ways of recruiting the staff is not enough and there is need to change toward
the digital platforms. In relation to Unilever the company uses HR software that helps them to
recruit and hire the talented staff. It is helpful for the company to differentiate and find the best
employees that are aware about the digitalisation.
Task 5 - Create a Digital Ready Culture
As the business organisations are understanding the need of digitalisation and adopting new
ways of doing business, it is equally important to become ready for the digital culture. As all the
individuals of the organisation are comfortable with the traditional culture (Magistretti, Dell’Era
and Petruzzelli, 2019). It is important to change the culture and become ready for the digital
culture. It is seen that it is critical for a company to take care on creating a digitally ready culture
so that workers can readily take improvements and the company do not face problems. Here the
leader plays an vital part in guiding, motivating, and instructing workers to work according to the
plan dset by the organisation. It is not easy to bring change in the culture but by conducting
proper meetings, telling the employees about the benefits of the change the company can bring
changes. It is important to note that the efforts of the organisation will help in bringing change.
The company should change the environment and it will help to be ready for digitalisation.
It is normal that the individuals in an organisation are reluctant to change so it is duty of
the managers and leaders of the organisation to change the culture (Bican and Brem, 2020). It is
important to understand these factors and cooperate in changing. In relation to Unilever the
working population so understands and advance that they become ready to switch and transform
to digitalisation. They are being imparted proper training and development that help them to
understand the concept and develop skills. As they have skills and are able to work effectively. It
will be easy to manage all the tasks and the activities. The company is using various techniques
to change the culture and switch towards the digital mode. To compete in today’s era it is vital to
understand the important and change towards the digital culture.

Task 6 - Steer Collaboration
It is a well know fact that working and cooperation of team plays a vital role in success of an
organisation. The employees are the one that work to enhance the productivity and all the work
in the organisation (Bughin, Deakin and O’Beirne, 2019). As the performance and the
profitability in in the hand of employees and the team in which they are working. In relation to
Unilever the company makes efforts to motivate the employees and make them work effectively
and achieve the goals and objectives of the organisation. The strategies that are used by Unilever
to steer the collaboration are discussed below:
Encourage creativity: It is seen that the creativity of employees plays a vital role in success of
the business. In Unilever the managers arrange brainstorming sessions and try to find out
creative ideas. It is a method that helps the company to enhance the working of employees in
teams and together. Along with that it helps to increase the level of confidence among the
employees so they are able to work effectively.
Also it all the employees will take part in activities together. They will enhance the
working relations. All this will impact the organisation to work all together and achieve the goals
and objectives collaboration.
Share organisation mission and communicate expectations: All the employees have their own
goals and it is important to make them aware about the organisational goals (Burton-Jones,
Akhlaghpour and Sullivan, 2020). As that will help to integrate all of them in one single
direction and letting them work collaboratively. It is done in Unilever to take care of all the
employees and make work in a single direction. It helps to achieve the goals and objectives of
the organisation in an effective and efficient way.
Motivate the employees and reward them: It is duty of the organisation to regularly motivate
the employees so that they work effectively. The employees that are working and performing
good should be given rewards so that they can continue to work good and contribute to the
organisation.
The same helps Unilever to make the employees work in a single direction and that helps
to contribute to success of the organisation (Llopis, Rubio and Valero, 2021). These strategies
have helped to work effectively and bring digital transformation. The efforts of managers and
leaders play a vital role in making the employees work together. It is the employees that are

working and profits and performance of the organisation is in the hands of the working
population of the organisation.
Task 7 - Select your Leaders
The digital transformation is the process of switching towards the digital modes. This is
beneficial for the company to switch and used latest technology. It helps the company to become
the leader in the market. As it helps to build a strong image in the market (Riasanow, Böhm and
Krcmar, 2019). It is important for the organisation to gain advantage over the competitors as
become leader of the market. It is not easy to gain advantage as there is requirement of a leader
that can lead the team and the employees so that they are able to work effectively. In order to
conduct its operations effectively, Unilever’s management takes care of necessary improvements
in its operations in order to achieve digital transformation (Lanamäki, Laari and Kinnula, 2020).
The organisation will be looking for a leader who is good at communicating, calm, sympathetic,
and empathic, and who is open to new ideas. As there is requirement of a person that can find out
new ideas and respect them. It is important that the person is able to guide the employees and
make them work effectively. Leaders should delegate the work and tasks to ensure productivity
and professionalism in the workplace.
Since a leader is a person, it is not necessary for him to be flawless in any task, so it is often
necessary for a leader to delegate authority to effectively run business operations. Leader should
have quality of patience in order to handle this situation successfully or it can lead to
disagreements or dispute in an organisation. They should be courageous enough to take brave
decisions towards the better working of the firm as bringing in new changes in policies will
enable an organisation to explore various undisclosed sides of business. The person should be
active and ready to take care all the decisions that are in the favour of the organisation. These are
the qualities that are seen by Unilever in the leader for the company.
CONCLUSION
It can be concluded that digital transformation is effective for the success of the company.
The world is changing and it is required for the business to change and transform to
digitalisation. This report is based on the digital transformation adopted by Unilever. Different
ways in which company can gain customer insights. The benefits of fast decision making and

steer collaboration. A leader plays an important role in success of the company so the selection
of leader in also mentioned in the report.

REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Andrews, J. and Ramji, K.,lA 2020. Connecting work-integrated learning and career
development in virtual environments: An analysis of the UVic Leading Edge.
International Journal of Work-Integrated Learning, 21(5), p.643.
Barann, B., Hermann, A., Cordes, A.K., Chasin, F. and Becker, J., 2019, January. Supporting
digital transformation in small and medium-sized enterprises: a procedure model
involving publicly funded support units. In Proceedings of the 52nd Hawaii
International Conference on System Sciences.
Bican, P.M. and Brem, A., 2020. Digital Business Model, Digital Transformation, Digital
Entrepreneurship: Is There A Sustainable “Digital”?. Sustainability, 12(13), p.5239.
Bughin, J., Deakin, J. and O’Beirne, B., 2019. Digital transformation: Improving the odds of
success. McKinsey Quarterly.
Burton-Jones, A., Akhlaghpour, S., Ayre, S., Barde, P., Staib, A. and Sullivan, C., 2020.
Changing the conversation on evaluating digital transformation in healthcare: Insights
from an institutional analysis. Information and Organization, 30(1), p.100255.
Chen, C.P. anmid Hong, J.W.L., 2020. Applying career human agency theory to practice.
Australian Journal of Career Development, 29(2), pp.87-96.
Heslin, P.A., Keating, L.A. and Ashford, S.J., 2020. How being in learning mode may enable a
sustainable career across the lifespan. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 117, p.103324.
Lanamäki, A., Väyrynen, K., Laari-Salmela, S. and Kinnula, M., 2020. Examining relational
digital transformation through the unfolding of local practices of the Finnish taxi
industry. The Journal of Strategic Information Systems, 29(3), p.101622.
Llopis-Albert, C., Rubio, F. and Valero, F., 2021. Impact of digital transformation on the
automotive industry. Technological forecasting and social change, 162, p.120343.
Magistretti, S., Dell’Era, C. and Petruzzelli, A.M., 2019. How intelligent is Watson? Enabling
digital transformation through artificial intelligence. Business Horizons, 62(6), pp.819-
829.
Perkin, N. and Abraham, P., 2017. Building the agile business through digital transformation.
Kogan Page Publishers.

Riasanow, T., Setzke, D.S., Böhm, M. and Krcmar, H., 2019. Clarifying the notion of digital
transformation: a transdisciplinary review of literature. Journal of Competences,
Strategy and Management, 10, pp.5-31.
Rowe, F., 2018. Being critical is good, but better with philosophy! From digital transformation
and values to the future of IS research. European Journal of Information Systems, 27(3),
pp.380-393.