Lu Benfu, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences: Where is the starting point and end point of digital transformation?

Recently, the launch and exchange seminar on major topics in the digital transformation path of state-owned enterprises sponsored by the China Enterprise Confederation, the Zhongguancun Information Technology and the Real Economy Integration Development Alliance (CITIC Union) was successfully held in Beijing. More than 170,000 people watched the conference live online through CCTV and the Digital Transformation 100 Questions Online Community.

At the meeting, a number of experts participated in the exchange and discussion, and put forward constructive opinions and ideas on the digital transformation of state-owned enterprises. Among them, Lu Benfu, professor, doctoral supervisor and vice president of the National Innovation and Development Strategy Association of the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, pointed out that to do the path of digital transformation, we must first think clearly where the starting point of digital transformation is, what is the process, and where the end point is.

1. Where is the starting point for digital transformation?

Lü Benfu believes that digital transformation has several starting points that are necessary:

■ What is the incentive mechanism and evaluation mechanism of the enterprise? Whether it's kPIs, OKRs, or some other mechanism.

■ What is the current profit level of the enterprise? "Generally speaking, when corporate profits are particularly good, they are not willing to turn. When the profit of the enterprise is poor, it cannot be turned. When corporate profits are at a medium level, they are most suitable for turning. Therefore, the level of corporate profits is a key point that must be examined. ”

● Determine whether the transformation is strategic or tactical. If the transformation requires the reorganization of the organizational structure, it is a strategic transformation. If it's just a process efficiency improvement, it's a tactical transformation.

2. How to do the process of digital transformation?

Lu Benfu pointed out that the industry sectors where state-owned enterprises are currently located are mainly in the field of production and manufacturing. The transformation process in manufacturing is the most difficult.

At present, in China, the transformation of information dissemination has been completed, the rise of self-media, in many places has even surpassed the traditional media such as newspapers and television; the transformation of the consumption field has also been completed, between the sale and purchase, the platform has become the main contradiction, because the matching of the platform determines the circulation and layout of resources; but in the production field, it is very difficult to transform, because the production field involves the unique knowledge of the industry, which cannot be completed by digitalization alone.

"In the field of consumption, the logistics and payment problems have been solved, and the transformation has basically been completed. Similarly, in the transformation of manufacturing, I think there are two key points: industrial software and a database of expertise. He believes that after these two shortcomings are completed, when the matching of information becomes the main contradiction, the transformation process in the field of production and manufacturing is completed.

3. Where is the end point of digital transformation?

Digital transformation certainly cannot have a unified endpoint. However, Lu Benfu believes that it is possible to learn from the end of the consumer Internet and set the goal of transformation as the organic combination of industrial digitalization, digital industrialization and the core industries of the digital economy.

Taking Meituan as an example, online ordering and restaurants doing takeaway is industrial digitalization; there are about tens of thousands of employees in meituan to maintain platform transactions, which is digital industrialization; meituan writes algorithms, called the core industry of the digital economy.

"Meituan a company perfectly combines three formats together, which is called the success of transformation." However, in the current production field, we have not yet found an example of completely combining the three formats. ”

Lü Benfu believes that the three formats can live in harmony and perfectly combine within a group, which not only has the pull of the market, but also forms the development of ecology and core technology, which is the end point of the transformation.