Developing a clear, pragmatic, and well-articulated investment case for a planned digital transformation program is oftnen a key prerequisite to allow busy senior executives to quickly move from consideration to action. Here we start discussing a reference case for a B2B middle market company that can be a useful template for companies preparing for their digital journey.

Following the rise of the Covid-19 pandemic and the resulting enormous economic dislocations, the last three weeks have been a horrible and shocking time both here in the USA and in many other countries around the world. Searching for some comfort, hope, and inspiration I found myself turning again and again to South Korea and what its people have been able to achieve during the recent weeks and the past fifty years. This post is my way to share a little message of hope and to say thank you for your inspiration to a group of people and friends I respect and admire foundly.

According to leaders in the executive recruiting industry demand for chief digital officers is currently far greater than supply. Also, there are many different ways in which the role is defined at different companies often generating confusion and in some cases suboptimal results. To foster success CEOs and Board members embarking in a new digital transformation journey should carefully consider how to define the right profile, setup the role, and structure compensation for their new digital transformation officer.

To successfully execute a digital transformation program at greater speed and with less organizational pain, CEOs and top management teams should partner with an interim digital transformation officer that will lead the design and implementation of a time-boxed program ensuring alignment with the company strategy and accountability for the resulting value creation.

Digital transformation is a hot topic nowadays and executives in all industries are moving forward with digital projects to change customer relationships, internal processes and value propositions. However, more than 70 percent of digital transformation efforts fails. Organizing digital projects in a cohesive digital transformation program designed according to four proven change management practices will help companies be more successful.

Despite great advancements made in digital technologies and best practices over the last twenty years, leveraging digital transformation to improve performance and gain a competitive advantage continue to be a challenge for too many companies outside of the technology industry. Realising that digital transformation is primarily a management challenge is an important step to achieve a successful outcome.