2025哈佛大学数字时代的领导力

HBS工作知识HBS工作知识+HBS数字时代的领导6AllarticlesbyLindaA.Hill,AnnLeCam,SunandMenon,andEmilyTedardsHBSWORKINGKNOWLEDGE+HBSEXECUTIVEACuratedCollectionofResearchArticles WHERECANDIGITALTRANSFORMATIONTAKEYOU?INSIGHTSFROM1,700LEADERS DIGITALTRANSFORMATION:ANEWROADMAPFORSUCCESS12CURIOSITY,NOTCODING:6SKILLSLEADERSNEEDINTHEDIGITALAGEAllarticlesbyLindaA.Hill,AnnLeCam,SunandMenon,andEmilyTedardsHARVARDBUSINESSHARVARDBUSINESSTheLeadingTheLeadingintheDigitalEraseries,originallypublishedinHBSWorkingKnowledge,featuresinsightsbyProfessorLindaHillandcolleaguesaboutmanagingcompaniesthroughatimeofcomplexchange.ExecutiveEducationprogramsaredevelopedandtaughtbyHBSfacultymembers,whoarewidelyrecognizedasskillededucators,groundbreakingresearchers,andaward-winningauthors.《数字时代领导力》系列，最初在HBS工·高管教育项目由HBS的教员开发和教授，这LindaA. LindaA.HBSWORKINGKNOWLEDGERESEARCH INPARTNERSHIPWITHHBSEXECUTIVE

HBS工作知识研究收 与哈佛商学院高管教育合引领数字时代数字转型能带你去往何方？1700LEADINGINTHE引领数字时代数字转型能带你去往何方？1700LEADINGINTHEDIGITALERA|WHERECANDIGITALTRANSFORMATIONTAKEYOU?INSIGHTSFROM1,700TakeYou?Insightsfrom1,7005WeHaven’tLessthan115WeHaven’tLessthan1161–56–10Morethan100%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%Source:LeadershipintheDigitalErasurvey,HBS

数字转型能带你去哪里？1700数字化转型似乎是一场没有终点的旅程，但许多公司正在奋勇前进。琳达·希尔和同事们揭示companies’digitaltransformations.Thosewhohadbeenyearsreportedthemostheadway.DurationofDigitalTransformationLessthan1Year61–5 6–10 Morethan10 0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%Source:LeadershipintheDigitalErasurvey,HBSWORKINGKNOWLEDGERESEARCHThiswashowoneexecutiveofaLatinAmericane-commercecompanydescribedthechallengeofdigitaltransformation:Manyofthetenetsofeffectiveleadershiparefamiliar,buteverythingishappeningmuch,muchfaster.Andthetaskisnottocrossthefinishlineandturnofftheengine,buttogetcomfortable—asaleaderandasacompany—withthisnewpaceandtheattendantcomplexities.Navigatingthroughthedigitaleraisnotforthefainthearted.Mostofusknowhowtodrive—wehavethebasics—butwerecognizeweareill-preparedtoraceagainstworld-classcompetitors.Whiledataanddigitaltechnologieswereonceenablersofefficiencyandcost-cutting,today,they’retheenginesofinnovationandrevenuegrowth,offeringorganizationsunprecedentedopportunitiestodevelopnewproductsandservices,andevenreimaginetheirbusinesses.WeHaven’t 1Inmid-2020,wesetouttounderstandthechallengesofSchoolGlobalResearchCentersandSalesforce’sIgniteteam,weheld21roundtablediscussionswithmorethan175executivesfromcompaniesaroundtheworld,rangingfromWeHaven’t 190Theirconvictionwasresounding:97percentofrespondents“agreed”or“stronglyagreed”thatorganizationswillnotremaincompetitiveunlesstheyradicallyadapttothetheirorganizationswereundergoingdigitaltransformation.Howtodothissuccessfullybecomesthepressingquestion—onewewilltrytoanswerinthisthree-partseries:first,todescribewhatitmeanstobeadigitallymaturecompany;second,tooutlinewhatittakestocreateone;andfinally,probinghowleadersmustchangenotjusttheirorganizations,butalsothemselves.

2020商学院全球研究中心和Salesforce的Ignite团队合作，我们21175都有。我们还对来自90多个国家的1500多位高级管理人员他们的信念是坚定的：97%“”“”，除非组织彻底适应数字时代的需求，否则它们将3%们的组织正在进行数字化转型。如何成功做到这一点已成为紧迫的问题——我们将尝试在本

在数字时代引领1,700LEADINGINTHE在数字时代引领1,700LEADINGINTHEDIGITALERA|WHERECANDIGITALTRANSFORMATIONTAKEYOU?INSIGHTSFROM1,700EVERYTHINGISCHANGINGANDTECHNOLOGYISAKEYDRIVERWhenweaskedexecutivestojoinourleadership,”theywarnedusthatthetermwastoonarrow:“leadershipinthedigitalage”betterdescribesthestrategicquestionstheyface.Afterall,they’rewrestlingwiththreemajorshiftsintheglobaleconomy—changesbornoftechnologythattechnologyalonecannolongeraddress:Newcustomerexpectations.Customerswantfrictionless,end-to-endexperienceswithcompanies,saidroundtableparticipants.Digitalnativesinteractions,eveninbusiness-to-businessindustries,tobeasfastandintuitiveastappingoutatextorplayingofferhigh-qualityproductsorservices,butthewaytheydeliverthemtothecustomermattersmuchmoretodaythaninthepast.Customersdemandmorevalueandinnovationthaneverbefore,butforthatproductorservice.Infact,thankstosocialmedia,dissatisfiedcustomerscanamplifytheiropinionsaboutacompany’slongsupportwaittimesorholdorganizationsaccountablefortheirenvironmentalpractices.Moreover,theacceleratingpaceoftechnologicaldevelopmentandglobalinterconnectivitycanerodethanever.Newemployeeexpectations.bothinsideandoutsideofcompanies.Inthepast,CEOsandotherseniorleaderswereseenasthelegitimatestrategicdecision-makersbecausetheyhadmoreaccesstodataandcoulddecideifandwhentoshareit.Withmuchmoreinformationavailabletomanymorepeople,leaders’legitimacymustcomefromdifferentsources,ortheymustsharedecision-makingwithemployees—orboth.

Workersincreasinglyresistone-way,top-downcommunicationandcommands;theyexpecttobeheardplansandsolutionscollaboratively.with“co-creation”seriously,withyoungergenerationsofemployeesreadytobejudgedontheircreativityasmuchastheirexpertise.Newsocietalexpectations.RoundtableparticipantssaidthatZseekpurposeandfulfillmentfromtheirwork,andcaredeeplyabouttheirorganizations’long-termimpact.Theydemandthatleadersservestakeholders,notjustshareholders,andproactivelybuildamoreequitableandsustainableworld.Customersincreasinglywantthesameandareespeciallyconcernedaboutissuesthataffectthempersonally,suchasdataprivacyandsecurity.Socialresponsibilityinthebroadestsense,roundtableparticipantssaid,hasforattractingtalentandbuildingtrustwithcustomers.SIXQUALITIESOFDIGITALLYMATURERatherthanwastetimeresisting,andadapttothesekeyshiftsinthebusinesslandscape,participantssaid.Companiesabletonavigatethisunforgivingdynamictendedtohavethefollowingcharacteristics:companiescangettoknowtheirthanexpectingcustomerstobuysuccessfulcompaniesproactivelyanticipateanddiscovercustomers’problemsanddesiresandinnovateaccordingly.Becauseofthetransparencyaffordedby

当我们邀请高管加入我们关于“数字领导力”的圆桌讨论时，他们警告我们这个术语过于狭隘：“数字时代的领导力”更

千禧一代和Z世代从工作中寻求目的和”，对于吸引人才和建立

数字转型HBSWORKINGKNOWLEDGERESEARCH

HBS工作知识研究收 与HBS高级教育合Surveyrespondentsconsiderdigitaltransformationnecessary,butfewerthanhalfhavethetalenttheyneedtocompete.“Agree”or“stronglyagree”thatcompanieswon’tremainonadigitaltransformation.Respondentswhoseorganizationshavebeenonthedigitaltrans-formationjourneyfor1–5years.Respondentswhobelievetheirtocompeteinthedigitalera.Source:LeadershipintheDigitalErasurvey,INPARTNERSHIPWITHHBSEXECUTIVE1,700LEADINGINTHE1,700LEADINGINTHEDIGITALERA|WHERECANDIGITALTRANSFORMATIONTAKEYOU?INSIGHTSFROM1,700WhatCompaniesWhatCompaniesNeedtoSurveyrespondentsrankedthefollowingqualitiesasmostcriticaltosucceedinginthedigitalDataInformedSource:LeadershipintheDigitalErasurvey,WhatCompaniesNeedtoSurveyrespondentsrankedthefollowingqualitiesasmostcriticaltosucceedinginthedigitalDataInformedSource:LeadershipintheDigitalErasurvey,theinternet,wherecustomerscanbrowsereviewsandaunique,oftenmorecustomized,end-to-endcustomer“Understandyourcustomer”haslongbeenabusinessmantra,butevenroundtableparticipantsfromdigital-firstcompaniesadmittedthattoooftentheirorganizationsdevelopnewofferingsbasedonevolvingcustomerneedsanddesires.Interestingly,only55percentofsurveyrespondentsrankedcustomerfocusasoneofthemostcriticalcharacteristicsforsuccessinthedigitalera.Gettingtoknowthecustomerhasbecomeadynamic,ongoingprocess,andisfastbecomingtablestakes.Forexample,companiesunderstandtheyneedtogetreacquaintedwiththeircustomersaftertheCOVID-19pandemicandrecalibratetheirpainpointsanddesires.Oneparticipantremarked,giventheunpredictabilityofthepandemicandtheeconomy,companiesshould“servetheircustomers,notselltothem,”andbuildtheconnectionsneededtomovetothenextnormal.Globalstrategiesarealsobecomingmore“glocal,”withgrowingpressuretodevelopproductsandservicesfortheneedsandexpectationsofspecificnationalmarkets.Culturethat’sData-informed,NotData-Digitallymatureorganizationsembracedata—lotsofit!—anduseittomakebetter,fasterdecisions.However,datainforms,notdetermines,theirdecisions.Analyticsareimportant,butjudgmentandcriticalthinkingultimatelysetdatatodevelopnewinsightsandforesightinsteadofrelyingonpastexperience.Giventhespeedofchange,hindsightmightbeirrelevanttothetaskathand.Digitallymature

companieshavetherighttechnicalexpertise(suchasexperienceddatascientistsoranalysts),tools(dashboardsanddatavisualizationapplications),andplatforms(computinginfrastructureandoperatingsystems)tointegratedataacrosstheirorganizations.Simplymakingdataavailabledoesn’tguaranteethatteamswilluseit.Canemployeesaccessdataeasily?Isitintegratedintoemployees’workflowsandprocesses?Doemployees—regardlessofseniority,experience,orage—knowhowtointerpretthedata?While61percentofsurveyrespondentsranked“data-informeddecision-making”asoneofthemostcriticalsuccessfactorsinthedigitalera,judgment—ananalogskill—isstillrequired.Digitallymaturecompanieshaveemployeesupanddownthehierarchywhocanlookatdatacritically,knowingthatsomeanalyseswillbeincomplete,imperfect,orevenbiased.AChallengerMindsetandWillingnesstoDigitallymaturecompaniesencourageemployeestochallengethestatusquo—evenifthismeansfundamentallyrethinkingthecorebusiness.Everyoneintheorganizationisresponsibleforlisteningtosignalsfromcustomers,suppliers,andotherstakeholdersoutsidethecompany.thriveintheseconditionsareactivelycuriousabouteverythinghappeningaroundthem;they’recomfortableadmittingwhattheydon’tknow,andarewillingtounlearn,relearn,andembracethelatestandbestpractices.Curiosityandcreativityarevitalresourcesforadigitallymaturecompany.Evenwiththeautomationofmanyfunctions,participantswereadamantthathumaningenuitytolookforpeoplewhoapplytheircreativesparkstothe

了解你的客户长期以来一直是商业箴言，但即使是那55了解客户已成为一个动态的、持续的过程，并迅速成为基本COVID‑19“”，并建立通往下一个常态所需“”对特定国家市场的需求和期望开发产品和服务。

经验或年龄，员工是否知道如何解读数据？尽管61%的受访列为数字时代最关键的成功因素之3数字成熟的公司鼓励员工挑战现状——即使这意味着从根本HBSWORKINGKNOWLEDGERESEARCH INPARTNERSHIPWITHHBSEXECUTIVE

HBS工作知识研究收 与哈佛商学院高管教育合1700LEADINGINTHE1700LEADINGINTHEDIGITALERA|WHERECANDIGITALTRANSFORMATIONTAKEYOU?INSIGHTSFROM1,700insightstheygainfromdata,artificialintelligence,andfeedbackfromaretwinned,notsplitasisoftenthecaseatcompaniesthathaveyettoembraceagileanizationslookforcandidateswitha“growthmindset,”whocanadapttochangingconditions.Oneparticipantsaidtheirbusinessassesseseachemployee’s“AQ”—adaptabilityquotient—togaugetheircapacitytobeagileandgrowevenunderstress.Companieshavebeenaspiringtobustsilosforwelloveradecade,butgrowingdemandforend-to-endcustomerexperienceshasmadecross-functionalworkimperative.Roundtableparticipantsagreedthatdigitallymatureorganizationsarehighlycollaborative.Leadersofdigitallymatureorg-anizationsseebeyondfunctionaltogetherindividualswithvariedskillsetstoframeandsolveproblems.as“collaborators”than“followers,”inpartbecausedataandtechnologyenablemoreemployeestohaveinputequity,andinclusioneffortsthatbringmoreperspectivesandexperiencesinsidecompanieshavebecomecriticaltostimulatingnewthinking,someparticipantssaid.Executiveswetalkedtosayleadersmustcarefullybalancewhento“weighin”and“stepback”;theirambitionistoempoweremployeestoownandactontheirdecisions.Butthesecompaniesarealsowillingtogooutsidetheirorganizations,sectors,andregionstoharnesstalentwhocandeliverdifferentiatedcustomerexperiences.

Ofcourse,theCOVID-19pandemichasforcedleadersandorganizationstoreimaginecollaboration,theparticipantssaid.Wehaveallgrownaccustomedtothevirtualmeetingandcollaborationtoolsthatglobalfromaroundtheworldatdifferentorganizationallevels,butsuccessrequiresmorethantechnology:ExplicitdiscussionsaboutsharedencourageownershipandRegularmeetings—notjustadstandardizeprocesses.Ritualscanforgeasenseofcommunityandbelongingdespitephysicaldistanceandcross-culturalOrchestrated“social”thelimitsofvirtualcollaboration.Whenitcomestohorizontalcollaboration,thereappearstobenosubstituteforface-to-faceinteractionforbuildingtrustInaworldwherespeedmatters,digitallymatureorganizationsactevenwhentheappropriatemoveisambiguous.Inaworldwherespeedmatters,digitallymatureorganizationsactevenwhentheappropriatemoveisambiguous.Theydon’twaitforperfectinformationbeforemakingdecisions;theyseetheirdecisionsas“workinghypotheses”basedonthebestinformationavailable.“Inaworldwherespeedmatters,digitallymatureorganizationsactevenwhentheappropriatemoveisambiguous.”INPARTNERSHIPWITHHBSEXECUTIVE

We’veheardforyearsabouttheaworkforceofcalculatedrisk-takers,abletolivebya“failfast”and“learnandtogetittheyneedtocreateanenvironmentthatmakesroomforuncertainty,experimentation,andwell-intentionedfailure.Theythemselvesmustbewillingtohavethecourage,asoneparticipantputit,tolaunchnewproductsorprograms,experimentwiththem,refinethem,andevendropthem.Digitallymatureorganizationsleveragedesignthinking,leanstart-up,andagilemethodologiestopowerinnovation.Theyconductrigorous,relevantexperiments,andtest,learn,andadaptinlightofnewdevelopments—evendroppingonce-promisingprojectswhenthedatasuggesttheynolongerWithcustomerintimacyguidingtheiroperatingmodelsandcultures,theseexperimentsputcustomerneedsfirst.Infact,weheardexamplesofcompaniesco-creatingnewproductsandserviceswiththeircustomers,forinstance,ininnovationlabsdesignedforthatpurpose.

的候选人，他们能够适“AQ”——适”，部分原因在于数据和

当然，COVID‑19”

HBSWORKINGKNOWLEDGERESEARCH

HBS

INPARTNERSHIPWITHHBSEXECUTIVE1,700LEADINGINTHE1,700LEADINGINTHEDIGITALERA|WHERECANDIGITALTRANSFORMATIONTAKEYOU?INSIGHTSFROM1,700EthicalDecision-makingandProactiveAstechnologicaladvancesgiverisetopreviouslyunimaginableusecases,digitallymatureorganizations

globe—wherethereisnostandardor“levelplayingfield”forhandlingemployeeorcustomerdata,forexample.AmericancompanieswereseenasfarbehindthoseinEuropeand

公平竞争环境来处理员工或客户数据。美国公司被认为consequencesoftheiractionswithinandevenoutsidetheirorganizations.Participantsacknowledgedthatethical

moraldilemmasassociatedwithdigitaltechnology.Many

与会者承认将出现道德困境，但领导者必须超越“不做伤害”，建立作为公司指南针和护栏的过程、习惯和人才。特别是 表示他们积极与政策制定者合作，制定鼓励竞争、保护客户dilemmaswillarise,butthatleadersmustgobeyond“donoharm”andestablishtheprocesses,habits,andtalentthatserveasthecompany’scompassandguardrails.MillennialsandGenerationZinparticularwanttoworkatcompaniesthatstaytruetoespousedvalues.Leadersofdigitallymatureorganizationsaligntheiremployeesaroundasharedpurposethatputsethicaldecision-makingonbehalfofstakeholdersatthecenter.Thesecompaniesearntherighttocollectanduseemployees’andcustomers’data,forexample,bybeingtransparentabouttheirintentionsandrelevantprocesses.Whentheyusethatdata,theyactivelyensuretheyareabidingbytheexpectationstheysetwhentheygatherit.Organizationswanttogettothepointwherecustomerswanttosharetheirpersonalinformationbecausetheytrusttheywillbenefitfromitsuse.Buildingthistrustneedstobeamulti-prongedeffortembracedbyallinthecompany—notjustpolicedbythoseincomplianceroles.privateandpublicsectorsandhowthatrelationshipneededtobereimaginedgiventhechallengesandopportunitiesemergingtechnologieshaveunleashed.Participants

theyproactivelypartnerwithpolicymakerstodevelopregulationsandpracticesthatencouragecompetition,Companiesaroundtheworldaretryingtoharnessthepotentialofdigitaltechnologiesanddatatoensuretheirverysurvival.Whenweaskedleaderswhatittakestoprepareorganizationsforthiseffort,theyshiftedquicklyfromtalkingaboutdigitaltoolstotalentandculture—asurprisetous.Manycompaniesfindthejourneytodigitalmaturitydaunting,withitsseeminglyendlessconsiderationsandnewrelationshipswithcustomersandotherstakeholderstransformationsarestillunderwayorhavestalled.Inparttwoofourseries,wewillsharewhatwelearnedaboutachievingthesehallmarksorsimplygettingintherace.Indeed,digitaltransformationcanbeanodyssey,butithasadestination:attheendofthejourney,digitallymatureorganizationscantestandlearn,changecourse,andreinventthemselveswhileremainingtruetotheircorevalues.

Z体员工的共同努力——而不仅仅是合规部门的监督。

LindaA.HillistheWallaceBrettDonhamProfessorofBusinessAdministrationandfacultychairoftheLeadershipInitiativeatHarvardBusinessSchool.AnnLeCamisanexecutivefellowatHBSandseniorvicepresidentofglobaltalentandanimationproductionatWētāFX.SunandMenonisanexecutivefellowatHBSandchiefproductofficeratRANE,ariskintelligencecompany.EmilyTedardsisaresearchassociateatHBS.

LindaA.HillistheWallaceBrettDonhamProfessorofBusinessAdministrationandfacultychairoftheLeadershipInitiativeatHarvardBusinessSchool.AnnLeCamisanexecutivefellowatHBSandseniorvicepresidentofglobaltalentandanimationproductionatWētāFX.SunandMenonisanexecutivefellowatHBSandchiefproductoiceratRANE,ariskintelligencecompany.EmilyTedardsisaresearchassociateatHBS.LeadingintheDigitalArticleauthorLindaHillisfacultychairofLeadingintheDigitalEra.ArticleauthorsAnnLeCamandSunandMenonareteachingteammembers.delivermorevalue,andbuildcompetitiveadvantage.

SunandMenonareteachingteammembers.KEYAsyouanalyzetheleadershippracticesandorganizationaldigitallymatureorganizations,youwilldevelopnewapproachesandskillsthatenableyoutodrivedigitaltransformationandovercomeobstaclestoprogress.

WHOSHOULDSeniorexecutivesandexecutiveteammemberswithsignificantmanagementresponsibilitiesExecutivesinmediumtolargeorganizationsinanycountryorindustry

HBSWORKINGKNOWLEDGERESEARCH INPARTNERSHIPWITHHBSEXECUTIVE

HBS工作知识研究收 与HBS高级管理教育合LEADINGINLEADINGINTHELEADINGINLEADINGINTHEDIGITALERA|DIGITALTRANSFORMATION:ANEWROADMAPFORDigital

Isyourcompanyreapingtherewardsofdigitaltransformation

financialinvestmentandtime.Ofthosewhoreportedmakingsignificantprogressontheirjourney,60percentcalculatingtheresources,financialandotherwise,necessaryforchange,participantsemphasizedtheneedtoplanforcontinualupgradingofandtalent.Withtheseduelingconsiderationsinintosevenguidingprinciplesfordigitaltransformationsatanystage—nascent,progressing,orstalled:RecognizetheEmotionalSideofDigitaltransformationcanbebewilderingandexhaustingforleadersandemployeesalike.Emergingdigitaltechnologiesaredisruptingeverythingfromsupplychainsandmanufacturingbattletocreatedifferentiatedend-to-endcustomerexperiencesinan

您的公司在享受数字化转型带来的收益了吗？琳达·希尔及

的人中，60askingexecutives:Whereisyourcompanyinitsdigitaljourney,andwheredoyouwanttogo?Roundtablediscussionswith175seniorexecutivesaroundtheglobeandasurveyofmorethan1,500seniorexecutivesfromover90countrieshelpedformapictureoftoday’sonethingtoknowwhereyouaspiretobe,andanothertounderstandhowtogetthere.Inthisarticle,thesecondinathree-partseries,wediveintothechallengestheseleadersconfronted

Organizationalchangeisnevereasy,butourroundtablediscussionsmadeclearthatachievingdigitalmaturityevenfordigital-firstcompanies.WhiletheCOVID-19pandemichasmadedigitaltransformationanevenmoreurgentneed,companiesmustalsomorphiterativelytokeepupwiththespeedofemergingtechnologies.It’saprocessofcontinuouslearningcompetitivelandscape.Despitetherecognitionbyparticipantsthatspeediscritical,theyreportedthat

unforgivingdynamiceconomy.Asoneexecutiveputit,inahyperconnectedworld,competitorscan“popupfromanywhereandeverywhere.”Withrisingexpectationsofcustomerstheymustconstantlyattendtobothtopandbottomlinesbylaunchingnewproducts,services,andexperiencesa-service(SaaS)businessmodels,forexample,describedhowdeliveringatthepricepointsandpacerequiredtodayhasrequiredthemtoreimaginetheirprocessesandtalentsystems.

界里，竞争对手可以“从任何地方突然（SaaS）业务模式的领导者描述了他们HBSWORKINGKNOWLEDGERESEARCH INPARTNERSHIPWITHHBSEXECUTIVE

哈佛商学院工作知识研究收 与哈佛商学院高管教育合LEADINGIN数字时代|LEADINGINLEADINGIN数字时代|LEADINGINTHEDIGITALERA|DIGITALTRANSFORMATION:ANEWROADMAPFORfailuresinherenttotheinnovationprocessisfranklynerve-takescourage,andevendigital-firstincumbentsstruggletomakethenecessarylonger-terminvestmentswhentheirinvestorsfocusonshorter-termmetrics,participantssay.Atthesametime,companiesmustdelivervalueatspeed.They’recuttingcoststhroughautomation,andmostpeoplewetalkedtoreportrunninglean—conditionsthatmakeithardforleadersandtheiremployeestotaketherisksrequiredforinnovation.Unfortunately,accordingtoourexperienceoneoftheirtoptwopriorities.Thosewhodid,though,reportedgreaterandfasterprogressintheirdigitaltransformationjourney.Visionandstrategymatter,butwithoutasenseofsharedpurpose,employeesaren’twillingtodothehardworkrequiredtobuildadigitallymatureorganization.Employeesnotonlywanttoknowwheretheyaregoing,butalsowhytheyaregoingthere.Weheardtimeandagainthattoooftenleadersneglecttoconnectthedotsbetweenwhotheyare,whomtheyserve,andhowdigitaltechnologywillhelpthemdeliver.Thesenseofcollectiveidentitykeepsemployeesalignedandcommittedtoworkinginthenewwaysdemandedoftheminthedigitalera.Withoutit,employees,especiallyMillennialsandGenZtalent,don’tfindtheirworkasmean-ingful.Theydon‘tdevelopthesenseofbelongingtheyneedAsharedsenseofpurposeanchorstheorganizationasitsleadersdistributeauthorityanddelegatedecision-making.

Toooften,leadersonlycommunicatehowdigitalstory—forhowdigitaltransformationwillimprovethelivesAsoneexecutiveputit,“Wemustexplainhowdigitalassetswillhelpusbecomeasustainableenterprise,bothprofitableandaforceforgoodinthebroadersociety.”Attentiontopurposethroughoutadigitaltransformationhelpscountershort-termism,andencouragesthepsychologicalsafetyTheObjectivesofDigitalorganizations’toptwoareasoffocusindigitaltransformation.Here’swhattheysaid:TheObjectivesofDigitalorganizations’toptwoareasoffocusindigitaltransformation.Here’swhattheysaid:Source:LeadershipintheDigitalErasurvey,understandingofthecustomerjourney.Asleaderstoaddresscustomers‘evolvingneedsanddesires,ratherthansimplysellingtheirexistingproductsandsolutions.BuildaData-informedCulturebyUpskillingFewerthanhalfofsurveyrespondentsreportedthattheirorganizationshadtherighttalenttocompeteinthedigitalera.Participantsdescribedtheproliferationof“digitalpositions”intheircompanies,fromDigitalProjectManagerorDigitalDirectortoChiefTransformationOfficerorChiefpredictedthat,overtime,moreseniorleaderswouldhavetechnicalbackgrounds.Onemediaexecutivepredictedthatinfiveyears,engineerswouldcompriseathirdofhiscompany’sworkforce.

“Data,likeallinformation,ispower,andnoteveryonewillembracethistransitionreadily.”“Data,likeallinformation,ispower,andnoteveryonewillembracethistransitionreadily.”Z

“Data,likeallinformation,ispower,andnoteveryonewillembracethistransitionreadily.”相反，他们必须发展一个叙事——一个以人为本的故事——发挥积极作用。在整个数字化转型过程中关注目的有助于克ESource:LeadershipESource:LeadershipintheDigitalErasurvey,

HBS工作知识研究收 与HBS高级教育合 LEADINGINTHEDIGITALERA|DIGITALTRANSFORMATION:ANEWROADMAPFOR

LEADINGIN数字时代|

upskillingallemployeessotheycanharnessdigitaltoolsanddata.executivesmustfirstunderstandthedifferentgenerationsintheworkforce:digitaltoolslearningandchangingtoolstheyviewasunsettlingandcodeorunderstandtheunderlyingdynamicsofartificialintelligence(AI),participantssaythatalmostallemployeesneeda“basicunderstandingandcomfort”ofworkingwithdata—itspotentialandlimitations.Digitalspecialistsinanorganizationshouldimplementuser-friendlydigitaltoolstohelpleveltheplayingfieldforthosewhoarelessfamiliarwiththem.Forsomecompanies,visualizationtoolshavebeenkeytogettingeveryone(eventhosewhofearnumbersandmath)tousedatatoinformtheirdecisionsandactions.Unfortunately,theconsensusamongparticipantswasthattoooftendigitaltransformationsdon‘tdevoteenoughtimeandresourcestodevelopingthemindsetsandcapabilitiesallemployeesneed.

Roundtableexecutivessaidseniorleaderstendtobedigitalimmigrantsatbestatmostestablishedcompanies.Whiletheyagreedthatleadersurgentlyneededtoexpandtheirknowledge,theydidn’tseeeyeAfewarguedthatleadersshouldunderstanddataanalyticsandAIdeeply,andevenlearntocode.Mostcontended,however,thatwhatreallymattersisaleader‘scapacitytocollaboratewithandlearnfromdigitalspecialistsontheirteams.Toincreasedigitalliteracy,somecompaniesareusingreversementoringprograms,withMillennialsandGenZ’erseducatingthosemoresenior(becauseofageorposition)aboutthepotentialofdigitaltoolstocreatevalue.OneparticipantinChinadescribedhow“twenty-somethings”joinedC-suitemeetingstosharetheirperspectivesontheopportunitiesandchallengesofvariousdigitalprojectsunderconsideration.ManagethePowerDynamicsthatComewithDataAswearguedbefore,companiesDatashouldn’tbetoutedasareplace-mentforexpertiseorexperience.

usinginsightsfromdataratherthanhindsightorpastexperience.It’simportanttorememberthatdata,likeallinformation,ispower,andnoteveryonewillembracethistransitioncanbecomeresistorstochange,especiallyifthedatachallengesdeeplyheldassumptionsbasedonexperienceorexpertise,orrevealsemployeeexperiences.SomemightconsidertheuseofAIin“peopledecisions”dehumanizing.Again,leadersshouldpreparetomanagetheemotionsassociatedwithlearningtousedatatomakebetterandfasterdecisions.Withoutasharedsenseofpurposeandattendantpsychologicalwilllikelyrejectdatainsteadofincorporatingitintothedailypracticesi