Digital Business Transformation: An Experience-Based Holistic Framework

This paper describes the lived experiences of experts who have taken a holistic approach to driving transformation in various organizations. The primary goal of the paper is to outline, at a high level, key insights and observations that are critically important to implementing Digital Business Transformation (DBT). The authors have undertaken primary interviews in which interviewees were asked to share their experience and opinions regarding organizational prerequisites for embarking on DBT, misconceptions about DBT, and the challenges to implementing DBT. These insights were analyzed and clustered and this paper articulates six lessons they have learned during the transformations. These lessons relate to Chief Executive Officer (CEO) commitment and the need for change leadership, the best team to drive the implementation successfully, the perception and behavior of stakeholders before, during and after the transformation, the importance of choosing the best digital platform to suit the business and the increased importance of relationships in the business ecosystem. We present the findings in a holistic framework and organizations seriously considering DBT implementation in their own business may consider these insights to be a good starting point.