January 2021 – Digital Transformation: A Framework

The team behind The Digital Advantage: How Digital Leaders Outperform their Peers in Every Industry and The Nine Elements of Digital Transformation reflected on their influential research after surveying 1300 executives in more than 750 global organization.

Their earlier research on digital transformation identified two dimensions through which leading companies outperform their peers: digital capability and transformative leadership capability. They found that the elements of leadership capability have endured, but new elements of digital capability have emerged.

Particularly opportune is the addition of a digital architecture as a critical platform that enables nimble innovation. In my own experience, the lack if a well-designed and implemented architecture prevents the roll-out of initiatives large and small, consuming more technical resources and frustrating business partners.

The New Elements of Digital Transformation
By Didier Bonnet and George Westerman
MIT Sloan Management Review, November 2020

In Fast Times, a team of McKinsey consultants share the recipe they apply to help their customers be first movers and win the digital race.

“[Fast Times] is for senior executives who are frustrated by the slow pace and limited return on investment (ROI) of their digital transformations, and are unsure what’s holding them back” in the word of the authors.

While not a detailed blueprint to design a Digital Transformation initiative, they cover critical imperatives to develop a Strategy, Capabilities, Adopt and Scale, and they cleverly do it answering provocative questions like “Are you clear about the which transformation model is best for your company?” or “Have you hired digital stars?”

They provide insightful tips on Speed, Scale, Talent and Culture. A must read for leaders already embarked in a digital journey or in need of a reset.

Fast Times: How Digital Winners Set Direction, Learn, and Adapt
by Arun Arora, Peter Dahlstrom, Klemens Hjartar, and Florian Wunderlich