A value-driven view of digital transformation

The concept of “digital transformation” has changed since Claude Shannon published A Mathematical Theory of Communication (Shannon was really focused on digitization), but boardrooms and executive suites have been abuzz with efforts to reimagine the ways that their firms operate in the digital world for at least a few decades.
More recently, the COVID-19 pandemic and its aftermath have served as accelerants to the pace of change. Pandemic aside, relatively recent advancements in digital platforms and data—particularly the advent of the cloud and the massive volume of data collection analysis it enables—have laid bare the cost of not changing, and the opportunities that laggards may miss to unleash new solutions, experiences, and business models.
So why are so many firms stalled in their digital journey, and why have so many failed along the way? Our work with clients over the past two decades has revealed that an over-emphasis on technology—at the expense of people and process—is the stumbling block to success.
We have developed a human-centered approach to digital transformation, melding the latest and most flexible technologies with ways of working that empower employees and reduce complexity. At the core of our methodology is Service Design: it’s our way of simplifying the complex orchestration of technology, experience, and operating model (people and processes) to improve how all stakeholders (customers, employees, vendors, investors, etc.) interact and capture value.
Here are the tenets we follow for a successful digital transformation: