Digital Business Transformation

How to influence and co-ordinate agile, distributed business transformation

AGILE TRANSFORMATION

There are many new ideas and organisational models for modern companies to choose from, but any one example is unlikely to be a perfect match for your needs. We analyse each model in terms of the capabilities it can create, and we help organisations choose the best techniques and patterns to achieve their goals.

We like to work with small multi-disciplinary teams to coordinate a distributed transformation process involving a much wider network of people throughout the organisation. This approach, working through influence and networks against a common set of capability goals, is a great way to spread new ways of working and make the most of all the different groups and functions that are needed for transformation to succeed.

DISTRIBUTED CHANGE

In every organisation, outside of the formal project structures, there are many more enthusiastic individuals who want to help the organisation work in a more modern, connected way. Mobilising these ‘change agents’ is a great way to create a passionate network to spread new ideas, practices and behaviours.

Enterprise social networks provide access to the wider ‘human sensor network’ of the organisation, and our method involves these people in making sense of change and helping to assess its results in close to real-time. This makes transformation everybody’s responsibility and can provide a great boost to employee engagement.

 

A TYPICAL PROGRAMME

An agile framework to co-ordinate work on:

  • Coalition building: developing and working with change agent networks
  • Org models: a toolkit of new structures, techniques and new ways of working
  • Tech platforms: service-oriented approach for distributed work, sharing & connecting
  • Leadership: leadership guidelines (and future leaders) for the new world of work
  • Culture & practice: a conversation with the organisation about suitable methods
  • Process improvement: identifying and fixing processes that block new ways of working

SELECTED BLOG POSTS

Embracing digital transformation with a digital factory | McKinsey

Alinma Bank’s chief digital officer discusses the role of a digital factory in the bank’s overall transformation journey.

In this interview, Alinma Bank’s chief digital officer discusses the importance of a digital factory to the bank’s overall transformation journey.
When Saudi Arabia’s Alinma Bank decided to embark on a digital transformation, it built a digital factory. This approach is one way companies can incubate innovation and model agile ways of working that can then provide a foundation for spreading these practices throughout the organization. At Alinma Bank, leadership focused on building digital capabilities that have allowed them to deliver disruptive digital solutions to a variety of customer segments. Sami Al-Rowaithey, Alinma Bank’s chief digital officer (CDO), discusses with McKinsey partner Sonia Wedrychowicz the value of adopting agile, attracting diverse talent, and putting the customer at the heart of everything. What follows are edited highlights from their conversation.

Stephen Wolfram On Our AI Future

Every time I hear Stephen Wolfram speak, it’s revelatory.

At a recent event, Wolfram broke this down in philosophical ways that made me think about the big picture. I think this is worth writing about, and thinking about, particularly at this moment that we are all in.

“There’s more and more AI,” he said by way of preamble. “There’s AI everywhere in the world. What does it feel like? It’s the continuation of a story that is gone through history … we start off as pure biological humans, and we invent devices. We also have ideas – these are things that kind of extend beyond our pure biological character.”

AI – two reports reveal a massive enterprise pause over security and ethics

Two surveys by tech vendors reveal a significant slowdown in AI adoption as business and IT leaders consider the legal and practical ramifications.

So, now that AI Spring is in full bloom, what is the reality of enterprise adoption? Two reports this week unveil some surprising new findings, many of which show that the hype cycle is ending more quickly than the industry would like.

How Generative AI Will Change The Jobs Of HR Professionals

Generative AI will transform HR by automating routine tasks, enabling a focus on human-centric functions. It will assist in recruitment and workforce development.

HR is fundamentally about managing humans – so how will the job change in a future where powerful generative AI tools are everywhere?

Empathy, emotional intelligence and an understanding of human nature are essential when it comes to managing a human workforce. Not exactly qualities that machines – even ones as human-like as ChatGPT – are renowned for!

So, are we going to see widespread replacement of human HR departments with cold, calculating chatbots that only care about measuring human efficiency and weeding out weaknesses?

Weekly inspiration & insights:

Get curated links and latest news. Sent every Thursday.

<style>#_form_1_{font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.6; font-family: "Open Sans", Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0;}#_form_1_ *{outline: 0;}._form_hide{display: none; visibility: hidden;}._form_show{display: block; visibility: visible;}#_form_1_._form-top{top: 0;}#_form_1_._form-bottom{bottom: 0;}#_form_1_._form-left{left: 0;}#_form_1_._form-right{right: 0;}#_form_1_ input[type="text"], #_form_1_ input[type="date"], #_form_1_ textarea{padding-left: 15px; height: 50px; border-radius: 3px!important; border: none!important; padding: 14px 4%; color: #666 !important; font-size: 16px; background-color: #fff; font-weight: 400; -webkit-box-sizing: border-box; -moz-box-sizing: border-box; box-sizing: border-box;}#_form_1_ textarea{resize: none;}#_form_1_ ._submit{-webkit-appearance: none; cursor: pointer; font-family: "Open Sans", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 20px; font-weight: 600; text-align: center; background: transparent !important; border: 2px solid !important; -moz-border-radius: 3px !important; -webkit-border-radius: 3px !important; border-radius: 3px !important; color: #fff !important; padding: 0.3em 1em; width: 100%; transform: all 0.2s; line-height: 1.7em!important;}#_form_1_ ._close-icon{cursor: pointer; background-image: url('https://d226aj4ao1t61q.cloudfront.net/esfkyjh1u_forms-close-dark.png'); background-repeat: no-repeat; background-size: 14.2px 14.2px; position: absolute; display: block; top: 11px; right: 9px; overflow: hidden; width: 16.2px; height: 16.2px;}#_form_1_ ._close-icon:before{position: relative;}#_form_1_ ._form-body{margin-bottom: 30px;}#_form_1_ ._form-image-left{width: 150px; float: left;}#_form_1_ ._form-content-right{margin-left: 164px;}#_form_1_ ._form-label, #_form_1_ ._form_element ._form-label{font-weight: bold; margin-bottom: 5px; display: block;}#_form_1_ ._form_element{position: relative; margin-bottom: 10px; font-size: 0; max-width: 100%;}#_form_1_ ._form_element *{font-size: 14px;}#_form_1_ ._form_element._clear{clear: both; width: 100%; float: none;}#_form_1_ ._form_element._clear:after{clear: left;}#_form_1_ ._form_element input[type="text"], #_form_1_ ._form_element input[type="date"], #_form_1_ ._form_element select, #_form_1_ ._form_element textarea:not(.g-recaptcha-response){display: block; width: 100%; -webkit-box-sizing: border-box; -moz-box-sizing: border-box; box-sizing: border-box;}#_form_1_ ._field-wrapper{position: relative;}#_form_1_ ._inline-style{float: left;}#_form_1_ ._inline-style input[type="text"]{width: 150px;}#_form_1_ ._inline-style:not(._clear)+._inline-style:not(._clear){margin-left: 20px;}#_form_1_ ._form_element img._form-image{max-width: 100%;}#_form_1_ ._clear-element{clear: left;}#_form_1_ ._full_width{width: 100%;}#_form_1_ ._form_full_field{display: block; width: 100%; margin-bottom: 10px;}#_form_1_ input[type="text"]._has_error, #_form_1_ textarea._has_error{border: #f37c7b 1px solid;}#_form_1_ input[type="checkbox"]._has_error{outline: #f37c7b 1px solid;}#_form_1_ ._error{display: block; position: absolute; font-size: 13px; z-index: 10000001;}#_form_1_ ._error._above{padding-bottom: 4px; top: -41px; right: 0;}#_form_1_ ._error._below{padding-top: 4px; top: 100%; right: 0;}#_form_1_ ._error._above ._error-arrow{bottom: 0; right: 15px; border-left: 5px solid transparent; border-right: 5px solid transparent; border-top: 5px solid #f37c7b;}#_form_1_ ._error._below ._error-arrow{top: 0; right: 15px; border-left: 5px solid transparent; border-right: 5px solid transparent; border-bottom: 5px solid #f37c7b;}#_form_1_ ._error-inner{padding: 8px 12px; background-color: #f37c7b; font-size: 13px; font-family: "Open Sans", Arial, sans-serif; color: #fff; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; -webkit-border-radius: 4px; -moz-border-radius: 4px; border-radius: 4px;}#_form_1_ ._error-inner._form_error{margin-bottom: 5px; text-align: left;}#_form_1_ ._button-wrapper ._error-inner._form_error{position: static;}#_form_1_ ._error-inner._no_arrow{margin-bottom: 10px;}#_form_1_ ._error-arrow{position: absolute; width: 0; height: 0;}#_form_1_ ._error-html{margin-bottom: 10px;}.pika-single{z-index: 10000001 !important;}@media all and (min-width:320px) and (max-width:667px){::-webkit-scrollbar{display: none;}#_form_1_{margin: 0; width: 100%; min-width: 100%; max-width: 100%; box-sizing: border-box;}#_form_1_ *{-webkit-box-sizing: border-box; -moz-box-sizing: border-box; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 1em;}#_form_1_ ._form-content{margin: 0; width: 100%;}#_form_1_ ._form-inner{display: block; min-width: 100%;}#_form_1_ ._form-title, #_form_1_ ._inline-style{margin-top: 0; margin-right: 0; margin-left: 0;}#_form_1_ ._form-title{font-size: 1.2em;}#_form_1_ ._form_element{margin: 0 0 20px; padding: 0; width: 100%;}#_form_1_ ._form-element, #_form_1_ ._inline-style, #_form_1_ input[type="text"], #_form_1_ label, #_form_1_ p, #_form_1_ textarea:not(.g-recaptcha-response){float: none; display: block; width: 100%;}#_form_1_ ._row, #_form_1_ p, #_form_1_ label{margin-bottom: 0.7em;}#_form_1_ ._form-image{max-width: 100%; height: auto !important;}#_form_1_ input[type="text"]{padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 10px; font-size: 16px !important; line-height: 1.3em; -webkit-appearance: none;}#_form_1_ input[type="radio"], #_form_1_ input[type="checkbox"]{display: inline-block; width: 1.3em; height: 1.3em; font-size: 1em; margin: 0 0.3em 0 0; vertical-align: baseline;}#_form_1_ button[type="submit"]{padding: 15px; font-size: 1.5em;}#_form_1_ ._inline-style{margin: 20px 0 0 !important;}}#_form_1_{position: relative; text-align: left; margin: 0 auto; -webkit-box-sizing: border-box; -moz-box-sizing: border-box; box-sizing: border-box; *zoom: 1; background: transparent !important; border: 0px solid #b0b0b0 !important; -moz-border-radius: 0px !important; -webkit-border-radius: 0px !important; border-radius: 0px !important; color: #fff !important;}#_form_1_ ._form-title{font-size: 22px; line-height: 22px; font-weight: 600; margin-bottom: 0;}#_form_1_:before, #_form_1_:after{content: " "; display: table;}#_form_1_:after{clear: both;}#_form_1_._inline-style{width: auto; display: inline-block;}#_form_1_._inline-style input[type="text"], #_form_1_._inline-style input[type="date"]{padding: 10px 12px;}#_form_1_._inline-style button._inline-style{position: relative; top: 27px;}#_form_1_._inline-style p{margin: 0;}#_form_1_._inline-style ._button-wrapper{position: relative; margin: 27px 12.5px 0 20px;}#_form_1_ ._form-thank-you{position: relative; left: 0; right: 0; text-align: center; font-size: 18px;}@media all and (min-width:320px) and (max-width:667px){#_form_1_._inline-form._inline-style ._inline-style._button-wrapper{margin-top: 20px !important; margin-left: 0 !important;}}</style><form method="POST" action="https://postshift.activehosted.com/proc.php" id="_form_1_" class="_form _form_1 _inline-form _dark" novalidate> <input type="hidden" name="u" value="1"/> <input type="hidden" name="f" value="1"/> <input type="hidden" name="s"/> <input type="hidden" name="c" value="0"/> <input type="hidden" name="m" value="0"/> <input type="hidden" name="act" value="sub"/> <input type="hidden" name="v" value="2"/> <div class="_form-content"> <div class="_form_element _x14316515 _full_width _clear"> <div class="_form-title"> </div></div><div class="_form_element _x56263518 _full_width "> <label class="_form-label"> </label> <div class="_field-wrapper"> <input type="text" name="email" placeholder="Email Address*" required/> </div></div><div class="_button-wrapper _full_width"> <button id="_form_1_submit" class="_submit" type="submit"> Sign Me Up </button> </div><div class="_clear-element"> </div></div><div class="_form-thank-you" style="display:none;"> </div></form><script type="text/javascript">window.cfields=[];window._show_thank_you=function(id,message,trackcmp_url){var form=document.getElementById('_form_'+id+'_'),thank_you=form.querySelector('._form-thank-you');form.querySelector('._form-content').style.display='none';thank_you.innerHTML=message;thank_you.style.display='block';if(typeof(trackcmp_url)!='undefined'&&trackcmp_url){_load_script(trackcmp_url);}<!-- [et_pb_line_break_holder] -->if(typeof window._form_callback!=='undefined')window._form_callback(id);};window._show_error=function(id,message,html){var form=document.getElementById('_form_'+id+'_'),err=document.createElement('div'),button=form.querySelector('button'),old_error=form.querySelector('._form_error');if(old_error)old_error.parentNode.removeChild(old_error);err.innerHTML=message;err.className='_error-inner _form_error _no_arrow';var wrapper=document.createElement('div');wrapper.className='_form-inner';wrapper.appendChild(err);button.parentNode.insertBefore(wrapper,button);if(html){var div=document.createElement('div');div.className='_error-html';div.innerHTML=html;err.appendChild(div);}};window._load_script=function(url,callback){var head=document.querySelector('head'),script=document.createElement('script'),r=false;script.type='text/javascript';script.charset='utf-8';script.src=url;if(callback){script.onload=script.onreadystatechange=function(){if(!r&&(!this.readyState||this.readyState=='complete')){r=true;callback();}};}<!-- [et_pb_line_break_holder] -->head.appendChild(script);};(function(){if(window.location.search.search("excludeform")!==-1)return false;var getCookie=function(name){var match=document.cookie.match(new RegExp('(^|; )'+name+'=([^;]+)'));return match?match[2]:null;}<!-- [et_pb_line_break_holder] -->var setCookie=function(name,value){var now=new Date();var time=now.getTime();var expireTime=time+1000*60*60*24*365;now.setTime(expireTime);document.cookie=name+'='+value+'; expires='+now+';path=/';}<!-- [et_pb_line_break_holder] -->var addEvent=function(element,event,func){if(element.addEventListener){element.addEventListener(event,func);}else{var oldFunc=element['on'+event];element['on'+event]=function(){oldFunc.apply(this,arguments);func.apply(this,arguments);};}}<!-- [et_pb_line_break_holder] -->var _removed=false;var form_to_submit=document.getElementById('_form_10_');var allInputs=form_to_submit.querySelectorAll('input, select, textarea'),tooltips=[],submitted=false;var getUrlParam=function(name){var regexStr='[\?&]'+name+'=([^&#]*)';var results=new RegExp(regexStr,'i').exec(window.location.href);return results!=undefined?decodeURIComponent(results[1]):false;};for(var i=0;i<allInputs.length;i++){var regexStr="field\\[(\\d+)\\]";var results=new RegExp(regexStr).exec(allInputs[i].name);if(results!=undefined){allInputs[i].dataset.name=window.cfields[results[1]];}else{allInputs[i].dataset.name=allInputs[i].name;}<!-- [et_pb_line_break_holder] -->var fieldVal=getUrlParam(allInputs[i].dataset.name);if(fieldVal){if(allInputs[i].type=="radio"||allInputs[i].type=="checkbox"){if(allInputs[i].value==fieldVal){allInputs[i].checked=true;}}else{allInputs[i].value=fieldVal;}}}<!-- [et_pb_line_break_holder] -->var remove_tooltips=function(){for(var i=0;i<tooltips.length;i++){tooltips[i].tip.parentNode.removeChild(tooltips[i].tip);}<!-- [et_pb_line_break_holder] -->tooltips=[];};var remove_tooltip=function(elem){for(var i=0;i<tooltips.length;i++){if(tooltips[i].elem===elem){tooltips[i].tip.parentNode.removeChild(tooltips[i].tip);tooltips.splice(i,1);return;}}};var create_tooltip=function(elem,text){var tooltip=document.createElement('div'),arrow=document.createElement('div'),inner=document.createElement('div'),new_tooltip={};if(elem.type!='radio'&&elem.type!='checkbox'){tooltip.className='_error';arrow.className='_error-arrow';inner.className='_error-inner';inner.innerHTML=text;tooltip.appendChild(arrow);tooltip.appendChild(inner);elem.parentNode.appendChild(tooltip);}else{tooltip.className='_error-inner _no_arrow';tooltip.innerHTML=text;elem.parentNode.insertBefore(tooltip,elem);new_tooltip.no_arrow=true;}<!-- [et_pb_line_break_holder] -->new_tooltip.tip=tooltip;new_tooltip.elem=elem;tooltips.push(new_tooltip);return new_tooltip;};var resize_tooltip=function(tooltip){var rect=tooltip.elem.getBoundingClientRect();var doc=document.documentElement,scrollPosition=rect.top-((window.pageYOffset||doc.scrollTop)-(doc.clientTop||0));if(scrollPosition<40){tooltip.tip.className=tooltip.tip.className.replace(/ ?(_above|_below) ?/g,'')+' _below';}else{tooltip.tip.className=tooltip.tip.className.replace(/ ?(_above|_below) ?/g,'')+' _above';}};var resize_tooltips=function(){if(_removed)return;for(var i=0;i<tooltips.length;i++){if(!tooltips[i].no_arrow)resize_tooltip(tooltips[i]);}};var validate_field=function(elem,remove){var tooltip=null,value=elem.value,no_error=true;remove?remove_tooltip(elem):false;if(elem.type!='checkbox')elem.className=elem.className.replace(/ ?_has_error ?/g,'');if(elem.getAttribute('required')!==null){if(elem.type=='radio'||(elem.type=='checkbox'&&/any/.test(elem.className))){var elems=form_to_submit.elements[elem.name];no_error=false;for(var i=0;i<elems.length;i++){if(elems[i].checked)no_error=true;}<!-- [et_pb_line_break_holder] -->if(!no_error){tooltip=create_tooltip(elem,"Please select an option.");}}else if(elem.type=='checkbox'){var elems=form_to_submit.elements[elem.name],found=false,err=[];no_error=true;for(var i=0;i<elems.length;i++){if(elems[i].getAttribute('required')===null)continue;if(!found&&elems[i]!==elem)return true;found=true;elems[i].className=elems[i].className.replace(/ ?_has_error ?/g,'');if(!elems[i].checked){no_error=false;elems[i].className=elems[i].className+' _has_error';err.push("Checking %s is required".replace("%s",elems[i].value));}}<!-- [et_pb_line_break_holder] -->if(!no_error){tooltip=create_tooltip(elem,err.join('<br></allInputs>'));}}else if(elem.tagName=='SELECT'){var selected=true;if(elem.multiple){selected=false;for(var i=0;i<elem.options.length;i++){if(elem.options[i].selected){selected=true;break;}}}else{for(var i=0;i<elem.options.length;i++){if(elem.options[i].selected&&!elem.options[i].value){selected=false;}}}<!-- [et_pb_line_break_holder] -->if(!selected){no_error=false;tooltip=create_tooltip(elem,"Please select an option.");}}else if(value===undefined||value===null||value===''){elem.className=elem.className+' _has_error';no_error=false;tooltip=create_tooltip(elem,"This field is required.");}}<!-- [et_pb_line_break_holder] -->if(no_error&&elem.name=='email'){if(!value.match(/^[\+_a-z0-9-'&=]+(\.[\+_a-z0-9-']+)*@[a-z0-9-]+(\.[a-z0-9-]+)*(\.[a-z]{2,})$/i)){elem.className=elem.className+' _has_error';no_error=false;tooltip=create_tooltip(elem,"Enter a valid email address.");}}<!-- [et_pb_line_break_holder] -->if(no_error&&/date_field/.test(elem.className)){if(!value.match(/^\d\d\d\d-\d\d-\d\d$/)){elem.className=elem.className+' _has_error';no_error=false;tooltip=create_tooltip(elem,"Enter a valid date.");}}<!-- [et_pb_line_break_holder] -->tooltip?resize_tooltip(tooltip):false;return no_error;};var needs_validate=function(el){return el.name=='email'||el.getAttribute('required')!==null;};var validate_form=function(e){var err=form_to_submit.querySelector('._form_error'),no_error=true;if(!submitted){submitted=true;for(var i=0,len=allInputs.length;i<len;i++){var input=allInputs[i];if(needs_validate(input)){if(input.type=='text'){addEvent(input,'input',function(){validate_field(this,true);});}else if(input.type=='radio'||input.type=='checkbox'){(function(el){var radios=form_to_submit.elements[el.name];for(var i=0;i<radios.length;i++){addEvent(radios[i],'click',function(){validate_field(el,true);});}})(input);}else if(input.tagName=='SELECT'){addEvent(input,'change',function(){validate_field(input,true);});}}}}<!-- [et_pb_line_break_holder] -->remove_tooltips();for(var i=0,len=allInputs.length;i<len;i++){var elem=allInputs[i];if(needs_validate(elem)){validate_field(elem)?true:no_error=false;}}<!-- [et_pb_line_break_holder] -->if(!no_error&&e){e.preventDefault();}<!-- [et_pb_line_break_holder] -->resize_tooltips();return no_error;};addEvent(window,'resize',resize_tooltips);addEvent(window,'scroll',resize_tooltips);window._old_serialize=null;if(typeof serialize!=='undefined')window._old_serialize=window.serialize;_load_script("//d3rxaij56vjege.cloudfront.net/form-serialize/0.3/serialize.min.js",function(){window._form_serialize=window.serialize;if(window._old_serialize)window.serialize=window._old_serialize;});var form_submit=function(e){e.preventDefault();if(validate_form()){var serialized=_form_serialize(document.getElementById('_form_10_'));var err=form_to_submit.querySelector('._form_error');err?err.parentNode.removeChild(err):false;_load_script('https://postshift.activehosted.com/proc.php?'+serialized+'&jsonp=true');}<!-- [et_pb_line_break_holder] -->return false;};addEvent(form_to_submit,'submit',form_submit);})();</script>