Gartner Research Board, Vice President: Majority of Digital Transformations Are Optimizing, Not Transforming

(US and Canada) Mario Faria, Vice President, Gartner Research Board, discusses with Robert Lutton, Vice President, Sandhill Consultants, how a leader can determine if he or she is on the right track with digital transformation. He explains that today, almost everyone is interested in and talking about digital transformation, but the most amazing thing is that the vast majority of businesses are not transforming anything.

They are simply optimizing what they have. When we talk about business transformation, we mean a new business model, a new source of revenue from a different solution, or a completely new and different market that your company will enter. He provided some excellent and relevant examples of digital transformation, such as Google and Amazon. He went on to say that when we speak about digital transformation, it's not just about adding a website for sales orders, or using a chat bot or your call center, or simply implementing things and channel process to better serve your clients.

It is about something that will significantly assist businesses in driving revenue at scale or reducing total expenses. He shared his favorite remark: "Remove the word digital from whatever you're trying to do as a company, and if your initiative makes sense, then it's time to use transformation." Faria discussed who is in charge of these transformational efforts in businesses. He explained that we live in a world where titles are no longer important, but responsibilities are.