Organisational culture driven by strong leadership is critical for success in the digital age. Technology is a great enabler for business, but all organisations face challenges in how best to harness its power. Gone are the days when IT was a housekeeping function, now the majority of executives, even outside high tech sectors, recognise the strategic importance of technology. However this does not mean that everyone is getting it right – in one survey while 78 % of executives and managers thought that digital transformation would be critical for their company in the next 2 years, 63% thought that the pace of change was too slow in their company. Large organisations weren’t created to be the agile, responsive environment that today’s digital age requires. This means that large corporates more than start-ups may struggle to shed legacy systems and pioneer new approaches. They may also face threats by disruptors who are using technology to create new business models that entirely that threaten their existence.
Larger organisations often have vast financial resources at their disposal to fund technological investment, but what is often missing is an understanding of the organisational change needed to get the most out of their investment. Executed right, digital transformation is an incredible business opportunity. The critical factor in this environment is leaders to drive this agenda forward. We are focusing mainly on executive leadership and strategy, but ‘digital leaders’, those with creative and ‘big picture’ ideas about how to make use of new technology for business, can come from anywhere in the organisation. Here we will delve into a few ways in which organisations can achieve results from digital transformation driven by strong leadership.
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