Author: Constantin Măgdălina, Emerging Trends & Technologies Expert

Earlier this month, Valoria launched the Barometer of Digitalization in Romania 2018. Against the backdrop of the heated debate on the public scene, the echo of this second edition of the study was not easy to distinguish. However, the study highlights the evolution of digital transformation of companies, where Romania is last among the digitalized european countries in a ranking made by the European Commission. So, an important topic which is worth paying attention to, as this study gives the comparative perspective in 2017 and 2018 upon the level of digitalization in the Romanian companies.

Conducted by the training and consulting company Valoria, in collaboration with Doingbusiness.ro, the Barometer of Digitalization in Romania 2018 gauges the perceptions of managers and executives about the impact of the digital transformation process on the Romanian companies. The questionnaire, which received 369 responses, was applied between 15 March and 30 April 2018. Herein, I have selected the comparative data from the 2017 and 2018 study reports relevant to the digitalization stage of 13 ndustries, with the confidence that this time they will get the due attention.

Industries strongly influenced by digitalization
If in 2017, the most heavily influenced companies by digitalization were 100% those in research & development, 80% of IT and 80% of media & advertising, followed by 75% of financial & banking services. The least or not at all affected industries by the digitalization process in Romania were those in construction & real estate, as well as those in food & agriculture, and transport.
In the year 2018, the companies most influenced by digitalization are 92% of IT, 63% of professional services, 62% of financial & banking services and 56% of media & advertising. The companies least or not at all affected by digitalization in Romania are those from food & agriculture and construction & real estate.

Confidence in the digital transformation process
If most utilities & energy companies were confident of digitalization in 2017 but did not have the knowledge to capitalize on this trend, most transport companies (50%) were confident and said they knew how to implement this transformative process.
In 2018, most companies saying they are somewhat confident that they will capitalize on the benefits of digitalization are from transport (39%), trade (38%), and media & advertising (37%). Most companies that are confident but lack the knowledge to capitalize on the digitalization process are thos from research & developmemnt (33%), tourism (29%), trade (21%) and utilities & energy (19%). 

Responsibility for digital transformation
In 2017, the industries that gave the responsibility for development of a digital business model to a leader from top management comprised: research & development (83% of companies), utilities & energy (50%), pharmaceutical & healthcare (50%), retail & wholesale trade (44%). The industries that rank last in this regard include construction & real estate (83% did not), production (72%) and services, other than financial & banking (57%).

In the survey conducted in 2018, the industries that have given the responsibility for development of a digital business model to a leader from top management are the following ones: tourism (61% of companies), IT (61%), media & advertising (56%), financial & banking services (55%). Industries that rank last in this regard include construction & real estate (81%), agriculture & food (79% did not), and transport (77%).

Top management expertise
Unfortunately, most companies do not have the expertise needed to develop a digital business model at the top management level. Thus, in 2017, 75% of financial & banking companies did not take this step, although this industry is one of the most affected by digitalization; 71% of companies providing other types of business services are in the same situation, as well 60% of media & advertising companies, and 50% of energy & utilities.

In 2018, 52% of construction & real estate companies, 50% of those in tourism, 47% of those in trade, and 46% of financial & banking services, say they do not have enough expertise at the top management level to evaluate and develop a digital business model. But all these industries say they give priority to building such an expertise.

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About Constantin Măgdălina
Constantin Măgdălina has a 8 years working experience, while he performed in multinationals both in Romania and abroad. Constantin owns a Master in Marketing and Business Communication at the Academy of Economic Studies Bucharest. He is certified Lean Six Sigma and ITIL which provide him a good understanding of processes and transformations within organizations. The Chartered Institute of Marketing certification furthered on complemented his expertise and knowledge in business. In those over 4 years working activity in a Big4 company, he initiated and conducted studies which analyzed different aspects related to the business environment in Romania such as the economic growth predictions of companies in 2013-2016, knowledge management, the buying experience in the age of digital consumers, social media 2013-2015, the utilization of mobile devices in Romania. He is the author of numerous articles on topics related to innovation, the efficiency of business processes, social media, the consumers’ buying experience in the age of digital, trends and emergent technologies. He is invited as speaker at numerous events and business conferences.