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Who Should Lead Your Company in Digital Transformation?

IoT is here, but there’s a lot more potential for an organization ready to lead with vision and determination.Digital transformation is a necessary process for enterprises to stay competitive, but the initial step of identifying someone to champion the project in the organization often stalls out. Even if a leader is chosen, they may lack the vision or the right position for success.

According to a survey by Gartner, 47 percent of CEOs surveyed said they are being challenged by their board of directors to make improvements in digital business. The good news is that 46 percent of them reported they’re seeing profit improvements with their attempts at making a digital transformation.

Furthermore, the survey revealed that 31 percent listed IT-related priorities as one of their top three goals in 2017. The data from Gartner also found that almost half of CEOs have yet to begin the journey to digital transformation.

While enterprises are convinced that digital transformation is necessary, the plan to execute this organization-wide change may not have the right leadership in place.

Sidestepping the Digital Traps

The sweeping changes that come with digital transformation require that the process starts with determining who will lead the charge. Businesses that fail to adopt digital processes or fail to reach expected results often recognize that they didn’t have complete buy-in. All key stakeholders have to be on board with the strategy, so you need someone that can paint a picture of the need for digital transformation, as well as the path to get there.

Deciding who will lead the project might require looking outside the company for a qualified individual who has an understanding of the customer experience in addition to digital expertise. Chief marketing officers (CMOs) are often the people who hold the best position for a smooth transition into digital transformation. CMOs make the best choice for leading digital transformation for three key reasons:

  • CMOs tend to be customer-focused and will commit to perfecting the customer and end-user experience first.
  • Unlike the chief information officer (CIO), your CMO will treat digital transformation as an organization-wide change in approach, rather than simply another IT project.
  • CMOs have the most control over your company culture and can build a bridge between enterprise concerns and technology.

Be prepared to offer training on every level and be willing to invest in this area as needed. If your current CMO does not have the skills or leadership ability to take your company through a digital transformation, then it may be necessary to make some changes to your management.

At ACR Solutions, we take the difficulty out of the digital transformation process. With data center and colocation, expense management, cloud, and call center solutions, we’ve got you covered. Contact us today to learn more about how we can move you into more digital processes that will benefit your company.