The Exponential Digital Future

We are accustomed to IT catch phrases that come and go (client/server) or evolve to the point of ubiquity and lose specific meaning (cloud). Digital Transformation is the current hot phrase, and it is important to step back and think about what it really means and more importantly, what that means for your business or organization.

Transformation is by no means a new concept. Business transformation has been a fact of life since an ancient Sumerian discovered that you could keep permanent records by using a pointed stick to make marks in a soft clay tablet. While there are no specific records to quantify the breakthrough brought about by that innovation, I can guarantee that someone improved their business as a result, and in the end isn’t that the purpose of a transformation exercise?

So what is different about Digital Transformation? The short answer is its potential impact on growth. Pre-digital transformation events typically resulted in a linear improvement to a business environment. For example, if a tractor is 10 times better than a horse then to get to 20 times better you need two tractors. On the other hand, and to calculate the accelerated speed at which digital technology evolves I will refer you to Moore’s law. In 1970 Gordon Moore, the co-founder of Intel, predicted that processing power for computers would double every two years. In a period spanning 10 years, this results in a 1024x improvement, an enormous advantage over linear growth which would only result in a 20x improvement.

When BusinessTransformation Meets Technological Breakthrough

When I talk about an exponential digital future, I am referring to more than technology driving business transformation by speeding up individual business processes. I am talking about the exponential impact from achieving dramatic and ongoing scalable outcomes in multiple interrelated areas such as the transformation of the customer experience, improved team collaboration, increased agility, and innovation, as well as more timely access to data intelligence. When executed in a coordinated manner these areas of impact will transform the way we do business with the potential for exponential growth.

Against this backdrop of the promise of digital transformation, it is critical to be aware that strong, effective leadership sets the stage for organizational success. There must be a clearly defined strategy and a focus on specific objectives and how they will be measured.

At ActivateDigital 2018 we talked about what the plan for Digital Transformation could look like for your organization and how you might go about mapping that out. At ActivateDigital 2019 we are going to enhance that learning with a discussion of how leadership is helping organizations execute on their Digital Transformation vision now and what that means for them.

In the end, Activate Digital 2019 is about helping you and your organization take the next step to realize your digital potential, and in the process drive tangible (and measurable) outcomes.

Use the following link to reserve your spot in what will be one of the most important conferences you will attend this year.