Leading Digital Business Transformation 50th Edition

Leading Digital Business Transformation

The main takeaways from our work at the individual level: 1

Digital leaders (i.e. , CDOs) have challenging roles and the shortest average tenure of all C-suite positions, currently standing at 31 months. This duration is on a declining trend. A majority of CDOs depart from the company immediately after concluding their tenure in the role. This can be attributed to a range of factors, such as unattainable expectations, inadequate support from senior management, ambiguity surrounding the CDO role and responsibilities, and a lack of necessary skills and experience in change management and business strategy required for success.

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The ideal candidate should balance role ambiguity with technical knowledge and internal credibility. Achieving the optimal balance between competence and credibility for digital leaders primarily relies on how the role of the Chief Digital Officer is delineated within a specific organization.

Leaders need to balance traditional and emerging leadership capabilities and combine this with situational awareness.

Seven tensions that leaders need to navigate include: balancing short-term and long-term goals, being decisive yet inclusive, fostering individual and team development, embracing change while maintaining stability, being authentic yet strategic, focusing on results and relationships, and balancing work and personal life.

Conventional assumptions are being challenged, and creative solutions that break free from traditional thinking patterns are highly encouraged through the concept of ‘ALIEN thinking’.

Digital can enhance innovation and creativity by providing scale without compromise (i.e. , via massive computational power), insight without observation (i.e. , via sensors), and trial without error (i.e. , via digital twin).

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