Over the past few years, "digital transformation" has risen to the top of many company agendas driven by either fear of disruption or ambitious plans for the future. The goal of digital transformation is to turn an organization into one that is agile, data-centric, and capable of quick changes. When it comes to executing change, many businesses face failure because they construct their transformation programs from the bottom up, leading to a whopping 70 percent of digital transformation efforts failing to accomplish their intended objectives. These programs should be run from the top down, with significant contributions from each board member.

CEO woman explains something to employees with graphs and presentation

Why Collective Effort Of C-Suite Is Needed
For Successful Digital Transformation

African American CEO explains business concepts to the team
A coordinated collective effort is essential for digital transformation, and the board members' leadership is crucial. Everyone must be involved in the digital transformation effort, from the CIO and CEO to the head of HR. For instance, when a CEO takes the initiative, establishes a course, and chooses the direction they want the company to pursue, the Chief Information Officer may examine the potential changes to all information flows and the ownership of that data.
On the other hand, choosing the technology required to allow digital transformation should be the CTO's priority. The CMO should examine the company's existing efforts to consumer involvement and suggest appropriate improvements for the future. The risks and challenges must also be considered by the whole c-suite as they would determine the course of the business's future. These issues will all change significantly as the business model changes. Last but not least, the HR team must be involved and supportive if the organization's culture is affected by the digital transformation process.
Job Interview

How C-Suite Roles Have Evolved

Teambuilding meeting
CTO

CTOs have always been the in-house authorities on the possibilities and constraints offered by emerging technologies. On top of that, CTOs are now expected to drive organizational-wide digital transformations. Other than developing new digital strategies, and discovering expanding business value through emerging technologies, they also play a crucial role in inspiring and influencing other employees to adopt these new projects and technology.

CMO

CMOs' core focus is to create and execute the overall marketing strategy for their firms. It included market research, pricing solutions, implementing an advertising plan, and managing public relations. To keep up with the changing consumer landscape from mass marketing to highly personalized and data-driven marketing, CMOs must now anticipate future developments and alter their strategies to stay ahead of the curve in the sea of sameness.

CEO looking at a tablet with an employee
CEO with a tablet
CEO
The CEO, widely recognized as the most crucial role in a business, is responsible for establishing and directing company strategy. These include making significant business decisions, guiding the organization's vision and culture, and acting as the company's public face. CEOs today must handle this extensive laundry list of duties in a fast-changing business environment. As a result, new business goals must be iterated over time to ensure alignment between functional areas and pertinent stakeholders.

C-Suite and
Employees Relationship

For organizations, digital transformation is a continuous and changing process. Key metrics must be in place to measure success or failure to prevent wasted resources and effort. Once these measures are in place, the C-Suite may give staff autonomy to make decisions while encouraging employees to fail fast and fail forward and promote a culture where failure is acceptable and the C-Suite will take full responsibility for their employees' actions.
CEO presenting something to employees
Old CEO checking graphs

Key Takeaways

There is no disputing that digital transformation is a challenging process, and as we discussed, C-Suite participation is essential to its success. The example needs to be set from the top for the entire organization to support the transformative change. Even while the c-suite is unlikely to be responsible for day-to-day execution, their ongoing support and participation are essential. Moreover, smaller businesses without a typical C-Suite shouldn't be daunted by digital transformation. Instead, these businesses should designate one person to lead a coordinated plan of attack and involve everyone to collaborate and decide on how to proceed.
Carbon Edge Logo

Learn More About How Carbon Edge Can Help Digitally Transform Your Business

Get Started Today !

Recent Posts

Ship

Ahoy, Obstacles Ahead! Navigating The Legacy System Modernization Voyage

Nixon Lee
Man reviewing documentation

Agile Documentation 101: From Pitfalls to Perfection

Nixon Lee
Man reviewing documentation

Why Does Everyone Think That Agile Means No Documentation?

Nixon Lee