Retrieved from the introduction:
At many companies, the debate about whether to pursue a digital
transformation has ended in favor of profound change. Now a new C-suite
discussion is under way: how to make the digital transformation happen
before it’s too late. Time is running out. Our research and experience show
that businesses that are slow to digitize struggle to remain competitive.
Throwing money at the problem isn’t likely to help; some digital initiatives
generate attractive returns, others don’t. So, companies must target their
efforts and investments carefully. That calls for CEOs to make tough
decisions about how to transform their companies. It also calls for them
to lead the transformation while other C-suite executives manage day-today
efforts.
In practice, this means overhauling how the business works to
create a new operating model that runs on digital technologies and
capabilities. Modernizing IT is one particularly critical, and oftentimes
misunderstood, part of digital transformation because it enables
enterprises to accelerate innovation and performance improvement.
Other essential transformation tasks include building a digital culture
and developing capabilities that allow for deeper integration with both
internal and external systems.
The articles in this volume present a selection of our latest thinking on
how companies can carry out successful digital reinventions. We hope you
find them useful, and we look forward to hearing about your achievements
during the year to come.