BrazilA survival guide for successfully implementing digital transformation
Marc Beijen, the founder of Dutch management consultancy Novius, has released a new book on digital transformation. Branded a “survival guide for executives and managers”, the book walks leaders through how they can make the most of their digital transformation ambitions by turning talk into action.
With the rapid rise of technology, digital transformation is taking centre stage in boardrooms at companies of all sizes, and across all sectors. But once leaders get beyond the buzz surrounding digital transformation, they need to make sure that they deliver on their digital plans. A daunting challenge for many, with one estimate finding that only 30% of digital transformations worldwide actually can be considered a success.
Covid-19 might have accelerated digital transformation by seven years but many organisations risk being left behind unless they can successfully execute their plans. ‘Successful Digital Transformation’, the new book by Marc Beijen, seeks to provide insights on the skills and tools to do just that.
Beijen is founder and partner of Novius (part of the consulting subsidiary of Royal HaskoningDHV). As architect of the Novius Business Transformation Framework, Beijen draws on his 30-years of industry experience to create an accessible survival guide for leaders active in the digital transformation space.
Aimed squarely at those charged with delivering digital transformation on a practical level (CIOs, business and IT leaders, project managers, etc), the new guide breaks down the process into a phase model and identifies the five essential digital breakthroughs that any organisation needs to accomplish to transition between phases.
Speaking of the book, Beijen said: “There is much written about digital transformation but often the case studies and examples are so polished that they feel unobtainable to anyone tasked with bringing change to their own organisation. Unless an organisation is a start-up its highly likely that legacy systems and processes will prevent a seamless digital transformation.”
“In Successful Digital Transformation, I hope to give readers the tools to assess their own organisations and a ‘how to’ guide to achieving their real-world digital transformation ambitions.”
Beijen has worked with some of the world’s leading brands and recognises the challenges that all organisations face – from large companies with layers of complexity to smaller companies trying to spread themselves too thinly.
Digital capabilities
To become a true leader in the digital space, Beijen asserts that leaders need to ensure that they build digital capabilities across five pillars: innovation (the ability to build and roll-out new digital business models), customer centricity (a brilliant digital customer experience), data-driven working (using data to enhance decision-making), digital operations (smart and automated processes) and agility (a flexible technology backbone that powers an agile organisation).
Through a mixture of text, tables, diagrams and industry examples, the book guides the reader through both the theory and the practical side of these five pillars, from the very start (setting the digital strategy and developing a roadmap) through to implementing digital within the organisation and embedding digital-driven ways of working.
Beijen said: “Digital transition should be the number one priority for any organisation, the changes in the last few years due to Covid-19 have shown us what might be possible if organisations follow up the talk of digital transition with action. It’s not just getting started though, it’s about creating a culture where digital transition is ongoing, and every member of an organisation understands why.”
Commenting on the book’s launch, Erik Oostwegel, the CEO Royal HaskoningDHV noted: “Digital transformation can no longer be ignored. But to realise this potential, a different view of your organisation is needed. This book makes this complex task tangible, with concrete methods and solutions for taking steps. This makes it a good basis for any organisation undergoing a digital transformation.”
Order? Successful Digital Transformation by Marc Beijen can be ordered on this website.
