Like most countries, Belgium saw a surge in digital adoption during COVID-19. Many of those digital behaviors have persisted even as COVID restrictions have eased. In the face of this change, Belgian companies are taking stock of their digital capabilities and assessing how well prepared they are for the future.
Digital Quotient methodology
McKinsey’s Digital Quotient® (DQ) measures an organization’s performance in 32 practices across five key dimensions of digital maturity: strategy, organization and talent, agile delivery and culture, capabilities, and adoption and scaling (exhibit). The responses are captured on a scale of 1–5 and then converted to 0–100 scores using a nonlinear scale. Average scores greater than 3.3 are considered strengths, average scores between 2.8 and 3.3 are considered areas for improvement, and average scores less than 2.8 are considered lagging areas.
To date, more than 750 companies have participated in DQ. Executives use the results to compare their performance against hundreds of organizations and digital leaders, identify their digital strengths and weaknesses across business units, and prioritize the initiatives of greatest potential impact. McKinsey led a comprehensive DQ study for the Belgian market, measuring the performance of 77 companies of various sizes across six industries. McKinsey Belgium is a partner in Fastfwd Belgium, an initiative to help Belgian companies on their path to digitalization.
Analysis of the Digital Quotient® (see sidebar, “Digital Quotient methodology”) of 77 Belgian companies reveals a country that is emerging somewhat ahead of the pack in terms of digital capabilities, but its lead is not significant, and there are some vulnerabilities.
Belgian companies have a solid foundation from which to compete in the digital age. The strengths of local digital leaders in TMT, financial services, and the public and social sector provide inspiring examples, and the benefits of more local knowledge exchange and collaboration across sectors is significant. To further increase the digital competitiveness of the Belgian economy, companies should consider coordinated action to strengthen analytics capabilities and address the digital talent gap.
