The First Steps to Digital Transformation

Digital transformation isn’t about implementing new technology; it’s about redefining how the business creates value. In this webinar, Columbia Business School’s David Rogers explores how leaders articulate a compelling vision for the future and build alignment across the organization to turn transformation from an initiative into a strategic shift.

Overview

Too many digital transformation efforts become a collection of projects rather than a real shift in how the business creates value. David Rogers, a global authority on digital transformation and academic director in Executive Education, explains why vision comes first and how leaders can use it to move beyond disconnected initiatives and drive meaningful business change. The discussion also looks at how executives balance short-term pressures with long-term transformation.

Key Takeaways

  1. Digital Transformation is About Business, Not Technology: Technology enables transformation, but the real shift comes from rethinking how the organization creates value and operates in a digital environment.
  2. Move Beyond the "Burning Platform": Crisis can trigger change, but lasting transformation requires a positive vision that motivates employees through both financial outcomes and meaningful purpose.
  3. Avoid Generic Mandates: Goals like “becoming digital-first” are too vague to drive action. Effective transformation begins with a clear and distinctive vision of how the company will compete and win.
  4. Define the Elements of a Shared Vision: Leaders must understand how customer behavior is changing, identify their organization’s unique strengths, clarify the long-term problem they aim to solve, and define how the transformation will generate value.
  5. Transformation is an Ongoing Journey: Successful organizations treat digital transformation as a continuous process, building the agility needed to adapt as technologies, competitors, and customer expectations evolve.

Webinar Speaker

David Rogers, Academic Director in Executive Education and Author of “The Digital Transformation Roadmap”, is a globally recognized leader in digital business strategy and teaches the Leading Digital Transformation certificate program at CBS.

David Rogers

Academic Director in Executive Education

Bestselling Author, The Digital Transformation Roadmap and The Digital Transformation Playbook

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