Change

Chapter 4Digital Transformation That Is Truly Transformational

Perhaps more than any other single force, the so-called digital revolution is changing the world in ways that are creating threats and opportunities for organizations everywhere. And in response, digital transformation is to some degree going on all around us, as an organizational change initiative both to minimize threats and to maximize the chances of gaining opportunity.

What digital transformation can do to accelerate major change was on full display during the period March–May 2020. Those among us who were lucky enough, smart enough, or positioned well enough used digital to make some major changes faster and more fundamentally, in a shorter period of time, than almost anyone thought possible—working from home being the most dramatic example.

There seem to be a number of key actions, all logical in light of the emerging science of change, that create “the impossible” through digital transformation. But, as you will soon see, none are more central than the appropriate application of the principle of select few and diverse many.

Digital transformation driven by a select few is the norm today. Add diverse many to the playbook and the amount, speed, and effectiveness of change can go up dramatically.

The Digital Revolution

Digital transformation takes many increasingly familiar forms. For retail, it is the replacement of physical stores with curated, online shopping. In health care, it is partly telehealth, which ...