Digital Transformation: Why Darwin Was Right

It's an understated reality in life -- business and personal -- that if half the people are doing something good, half the people aren't doing something good. If half of big businesses are seriously engaged in digital transformation, what the heck are the other 50% doing?

A study by Forbes Insights, How to Win at Digital Transformation, found that half of senior executives say their organizations have made digital transformation a "top strategic priority." That's great progress, but it's also a sign that plenty of organizations aren't committed to that same digital transformation.

Unlike many research reports that take a "rah, rah" approach -- I sometimes see researchers praising the heavens because some tech concept has achieved a 10% adoption rate -- I'll give this report's sponsor, Hitachi Data Systems, credit for acknowledging that the other half must get on the ball.

"At the center of transformation is data. It is both the creator and accelerator that has proven to be the currency of IT organizations. By failing to unlock the potential of data, organizations are falling short of their own transformation," said Asim Zaheer, Chief Marketing Officer for Hitachi, in a press release.

Use of data and analytics is a key element in the digital transformation process, but only 44% of the 573 respondents said they rate themselves as advanced or leaders in data and analytics. Fewer than half of respondents said that cross-functional teams are involved in developing and implementing a transformation strategy, leaving the bulk of the work to IT.

Read more of this commentary on All Analytics.