From Data To Profit

CHAPTER 3Why Is Transformation So Hard?

Continuous transformation and data break traditional business culture. That's why change doesn't come easily. Continuous transformation, data, and AI have institutional barriers to overcome.

Continuous transformation and enterprise-wide alignment sound awesome until you see them play out in the real world. Both constructs face significant challenges because legacy strategy, which most businesses are built on, is foundationally broken. Technical strategists must overcome not only digital debt but also strategic and cultural debt. We don't succeed in anything else if we don't make changes at this level.

In this chapter, I will introduce you to the sources of strategic and cultural debt. There's a reason so many well-run businesses have failed to implement a data-driven business. The challenges are structural, and understanding the root causes will help you to move forward.

By the end, you'll have a better grasp of how we got here and why buy-in is so challenging to get. You'll see the barrier to adoption more clearly and be ready for the solutions in the next two chapters.

Cautionary Tales

CNN+ was the streaming version of the first 24-hour news channel. The business allocated a total budget of $1 billion to developing, launching, and growing the new streaming offering over 4 years. It was touted as the future growth engine for CNN in a changing content marketplace.

Cord cutting is an existential threat to CNN's business model, and the ...