Intelligent Change: The Science Behind Digital Transformations - Hardcover

by Alexander Budzier (Author), Thomas Gottschalck (Author), Kim Bjørn Thuesen (Author)

Shepherd your firm through its next digital transformation initiative

Only 1 in 200 digital transformations finish on time, within budget, and realize the planned benefits. To avoid the same fate, you must understand why so many fail, and some succeed. In Intelligent Change: The Science Behind Digital Transformations, a team of renowned project management and digital transformation experts delivers a how-to manual for expansive technology change initiatives at firms of all types and sizes. The authors rely on a systematic review of over 1800 publications, interviews with 160 top-level managers, and fieldwork studying 150 digital transformation projects to bring you research- and data-backed strategies you can implement at your own organization to ensure your own project provides business value.

Learn what strategies work and why. Understand which strategies don't work and what pitfalls to avoid. You'll find step-by-step guidance on how to execute a digital transformation using the keys to successful change initiatives, including:

• Establishing ownership amongst your front-line managers and staff that goes beyond mere support and promotion of the change
• Building trusting relationships between the different levels of your organization
• Creating effective two-way communication between the planners of the technology change and the ground-level staff implementing it

Perfect for managers, executives, entrepreneurs, founders, and other business leaders, Intelligent Change is also a must-read for project managers and IT professionals tasked with shepherding their companies through their next major technological change.

Front Jacket

In Intelligent Change: The Science Behind Digital Transformations, a team of veteran digital transformation and project management experts delivers a powerful new discussion of how to manage technological change within your organization. The authors scientifically develop the seven key levers of success, explore why some work--establishing management ownership, building trusted relationships, impactful training, and effective two-way communication--and why other levers do not work as expected. For each, they discuss the latest science and practical cases to inspire how you can implement these within your own firm during transformation initiatives.

The book relies on a systematic literature review of over 1,800 publications on managing change and technology and 160 interviews with top-level managers of digital transformation. The authors also collected data on over 150 individual digital transformations to successfully test their seven hypotheses and come to their conclusions.

Intelligent Change walks you through the steps you need to take to ensure your next technology change has the impact you've been hoping for. You'll learn about what sets frontline management "ownership" apart from mere support or promotion. You'll also discover how to generate psychological safety and trust for your frontline staff and managers engaged in the day-to-day work of implementing a digital transformation, as well as how to ensure that communication about the project is a dialogue instead of a top-down transfer of edicts and expectations.

Perfect for the "research-curious practitioner," Intelligent Change is a must-read for managers, executives, and other business leaders interested in facilitating digital transformation projects that deliver significant business value. It's also a powerful guide for entrepreneurs, founders, and project managers who want to effectively lead their organizations through digital transformation initiatives.

Back Jacket

Lead your organization through its next digital transformation project

Intelligent Change: The Science Behind Digital Transformations is a comprehensive and data-driven analysis of what makes digital transformation succeed or fail and the steps you need to take to effectively manage technological change within your organization. A team of expert project managers and digital transformation consultants walks you through seven key levers of successful technology change and how to implement them at your firm.

The authors rely on a systematic analysis of over 1,800 publications, 160 interviews with top-level managers, and fieldwork involving 150 separate digital transformation efforts to generate data-driven and actionable conclusions consistent with the latest research and best practices. You'll learn why many supposedly critical tentpoles of digital transformation planning fail to actually deliver results and what you really need to focus on to realize business value.

Perfect for entrepreneurs, founders, managers, executives, and other business leaders, Intelligent Change is also an essential book for project managers and IT professionals interested in shepherding their organization through its next technology change initiative.

Author Biography

ALEXANDER BUDZIER is a Fellow in Management Practice at the University of Oxford's Saïd Business School. He's an expert in project management, with a focus on information technology, infrastructure, energy, mega events, and change.

THOMAS GOTTSCHALCK is a Senior Partner at Implement Consulting Group. He heads the firm's digital and transformation services related to the public sector. He has over 15 years' experience in large-scale IT transformation and program management.

KIM BJØRN THUESEN is a Partner and Head of the IT Change Management Department at Implement Consulting Group. Thuesen is an expert in empowering middle managers to engage effectively with change and deploy effective communication.

ASTRID LANNG is an experienced management consultant at the Implement Consulting Group's Digital Transformation practice. She is focused on helping large-scale IT programs succeed by achieving business benefits and coming in on time and on budget.