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Digital Transformation is at the Core of Every Business

All leaders must now understand the critical forces driving open digital transformation and learn how to remap their industries, remodel their enterprises and remake themselves -- to take digital to the core of their leadership methodology, according to Gartner, Inc.

In the new book launched this month, Mark Raskino, vice president and Gartner Fellow, and Graham Waller, research vice president at Gartner, offers insightful guidance on how savvy executive leaders can achieve their bold digital transformation goals and objectives.

To delve into the secrets of today's successful digital leaders, the authors supplement Gartner's research base and annual executive survey data with more than thirty interviews of CEOs, CIOs and other C-level executives from recognized multinational companies.

Mr. Raskino and Mr. Waller have outlined some of their key research findings, that they describe in greater detail within the book, at the Gartner Symposium/ITxpo series of events around the globe.

"We see three critical forces at work that are coming from outside the organization and penetrating right to the core of it," said Mr. Raskino.

  1. Resolution Revolution: The effect of being able to see and sense what is happening in both the physical and digital worlds in ever greater fidelity and detail, then understanding and more precisely controlling things, events and outcomes.
  2. Compound Uncertainty: The combined and complex effects of digital change that undermine and shift the mindsets, structures and practices on which leaders have previously relied. The key uncertainties are in three areas: technology, culture and regulation.
  3. Boundary Blurring: The merging of digital and physical worlds, leading to alterations in the core products, propositions and possibilities for industries as we know them and softening the dividing lines between industries. The effect then cascades across ecosystems, enterprises, people and things.

"There is no simple strategic method for dealing with the multi-dimensional nature of digital change. Even the sharpest leaders can become disoriented as change builds on change, leaving almost nothing certain," said Mr. Waller. "Within the context of these three disruptive forces, the task is to commit to leading at three different levels: industry, enterprise and self."

Gartner believes that digital is no longer a backing vocal; it has moved center stage to become part of the main act. According to the book's authors, to get yourself out of the chorus line you will have to remap your industry -- or quickly adjust to a remapped industry -- as different actors test and transgress the blurring boundaries.

You must remodel your enterprise and serve the new kinds of value demanded by customers in a digital world. You must remake yourself as a leader, taking on new skills and new personas, and be prepared to engage new kinds of digital professionals and apply their progressive thinking.

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