Digital Transformation: A Strategic Structure for Implementation

With the advent of digital technologies, society is reshaping itself radically. In the last decade, digital technologies have brought fundamental changes in the industry and business environment. The holistic socioeconomic and industrial changes are a result of general-purpose technology aspects of digital transformation, which are rare and have inherent capabilities of self-transformation to bring long-term benefits across the entire global business environment. After the steam engine, electric generator and printing press, the recent development of digital transformation has created an opportunity with extensive sustainable and incremental influence for disruption and renovation. However, the most important difference between digital transformation and the previous general-purpose technologies such as steam engines and electric generators is the pace of technology’s penetration across the globe. To cope with the accelerated speed of global digitization, the digital transformation process should be accepted, adopted and adapted across society and business utilizing a multi-dimensional strategy. This book illustrates a strategic structure that covers Digital Challenges for Industries, Applicability for Digital Transformation, Digital Transformation Framework, People and Organization Structure, Capability Delivery Activities and Life Cycle Benefits.

How will businesses embrace digital transformation? How will organizations formulate a digital transformation strategy? How will they invest in digital technologies? To answer these questions, a strategic structure is created which can provide guidelines to businesses to create a framework for digital transformation that includes strategy, process, governance and funding. The exponential growth in data capacity (storage, process and communication) due to rapid digitalization has created infinite opportunities and different dimensions to businesses. Digital platforms have enabled alternative business models by deconstructing the traditional value chains. Agile concepts driven by design thinking have brought innovative perspectives with an environment of boundless disruption.

To run a company with sustainability and manage disruptions more consciously, the adoption of a digital platform with an appropriate strategy is the only viable option. Digital transformation (DX) goals and strategies should be in line with a company’s business objectives. The strategic structure explained in the book is a global framework that can be adopted by any profit or nonprofit organization. Like any other transformational process, digital transformation has created structural tension between "old" and "new". In this tension, employees play a large role and their clarity of thought regarding the transformation process is of paramount interest. To overcome this tension, companies need to orient as learning organizations, which will provide opportunities for growth in an ambidextrous environment, embraced with a digital ecosystem. The book explains how the structural tension between old and new can be mitigated by effectively involving all stakeholders in the transformation process.

Nirjhar Chakravorti currently serves as General Manager for Tata Consulting Engineers Limited. In that role, he oversees:

• Engineering Consultancy Services for Steel Plants
• Asset Management for Steel Plant Equipment & Systems
• Application of Economic Principles in the Analysis of Engineering Decisions to ensure Business Sustainability

Previous to this position, he served as the Lead for Asset Integrity Management (Air Pollution Control Systems) at Tata Consulting Engineers Limited leading asset integrity management activities for steel plant Air pollution and dust control systems.

Nirjhar earned his BE in mechanical engineering from the Jalpaiguri Government Engineering College and received the PGDBM certificate from the Institute of Management Technology Ghaziabad CDL.