Separating Digital Leaders From Digital Laggards

Separating Digital Leaders From Digital Laggards

Separating Digital Leaders From Digital Laggards

By Karen A. Frenkel

Few Excel at Both Digital Leadership and Management

Asked to rate their company’s digital maturity, 47% of respondents gave mixed scores. 34% reported weakness in both digital leadership and management. 19% claimed strength in both.

What Makes a Digital Leader?

Digital leaders are more likely than followers or laggards to have: Revenue growth over 10%, Profit margins greater than the industry average, A CEO who understands digital opportunities and threats

More on What Makes a Digital Leader

Digital leaders are more likely to have: A CIO who is a digital master or digital coach, Clearly defined digital vision and strategy, Digitally proficient leaders at multiple levels

Best Practices Based on Survey

To help CEOs, CIOs can act as evangelists, leaders and digital coaches. Here are some best practices: Embed IT staff in lines of business so that learning happens during work, not just at meetings or training sessions. Help business colleagues understand which digital knowledge and skills they need for their job and which to leave to IT.

Build a Team of Digital Ambassadors and Coaches

CIOs cannot implement best practices alone. They need a team of digital ambassadors and coaches to educate other departments about IT skills they need and what can be left to their department.

Digital Acumen Needed

There is a “huge gap” between what is needed and the current level of understanding about the digital world. Only 23% of respondents are confident that their organizations have the knowledge and skills to succeed in digital aspects of their businesses.

Digital Leaders Follow Through

94% of digital leaders say their CEO understands digital opportunities and threats, compared to 80% of followers and 41% of laggards. 89% of digital leaders agree that leaders have built and communicated their digital vision, compared to 55% and 31% of followers and laggards, respectively.

Barriers to Digital Business Development

The primary issues holding organizations back in digital business are: Organizational silos, Legacy processes, Cultural resistance to change, Lack of innovative thinking throughout the business, Lack of digital leadership

Is IT Everyone’s Job Now?

Addressing shifts in IT spending to other areas, the survey found that 41% of respondents said IT spending occurs outside their organization and has grown during the last two years.