Digital transformation isn’t a technology challenge. It’s a leadership challenge.
As well as radically changing what successful organisations look like, the internet era also demands radical change from those who lead them.
There are still a multitude of relevant and effective leadership styles, depending on the task at hand. But there are increasingly few places where leaders can thrive without being comfortable in adapting to change, or harbouring curiosity about technology that is fundamental to how their organisation works.
IT failures have ended executive careers, depressed share prices and lost votes. They have all been avoidable. And they have all, as a root cause, amounted to a failure of leadership.
Decisions about digital and technology can’t be written off as ‘IT’s problem’.
For any leader who wants to grasp their organisation’s strategy and purpose, to effectively manage the risks of major technology investments, to effect organisational change of any kind in response to opportunity, competition or political imperative, digital is an executive problem.
Leaders don’t need to become technical experts. But they do need to show curiosity, build understanding and sharpen their instincts.
No executive would dream of admitting to not understanding how finances work. The same is now true of digital and technology.
Your organisation faces many digital dilemmas. Can you be more agile while still retaining control? Can your teams use GitHub without sacrificing safety? Can you deliver faster while reducing operational risk? Can you evaluate your digital capability and potential against industry peers?
Being an effective leader means understanding the right questions to ask to get reassurance. It means building a healthy differentiation between what is tech hype and what is real opportunity. And it means establishing a leadership style that sets clear outcomes while empowering teams to work out how to deliver them.
The ultimate outcome for your organisation is for your leadership to be digital:ready to meet the challenges, velocity and changes of the internet era.
Improving clinical safety and cost efficiencies: the Walton Centre
View client storyWritten by
Tom Loosemore
Founding Partner