Overview

To lead and strategize for the future now requires understanding digital technologies. Digital technologies are shaping businesses, operations, and families, changing how we organize. However, the paradox is that many people are struggling to lead in the changing times. How do organizations wade through the challenges and harness the opportunities presented by the ongoing digital age? The advent of advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence may make these challenges and opportunities even larger. This course developed by Professor Pankaj Setia at the Indian Institute of Management (IIMA) delves into the fundamental principles required to create digital strategies. The course is apt for students, professionals, and other enthusiasts intending to learn about creating digital strategies. When applied properly, digital strategy may revolutionize firm performance across industries like education, healthcare, commerce, and operations.

Syllabus

Week 1: Digital Transformation: An Introduction

In this module, you will learn about a transformative paradox. The lectures of the week discuss the potential of digital transformation, outlining how it is leading to the transformation of individual lives and societies. Students may gain insights into the fundamentals describing how digital technologies are transforming education, healthcare, commerce, and operations. Finally, the week’s lectures indicate that while digital transformation has ushered in an era of prosperity, it has raised many challenges as well.

Week 2: Scientific Approach to Digital Transformation

In this module, you will learn about the ways (lenses) to conceptualize digital transformation in any organization as well as the key concepts associated with these ways (lenses) of digital transformation. Additionally, you will also become familiar with the notion of hypotheses and how these may be used to master digital transformation. You will be introduced to the broader drive that makes digital transformations succeed–Purpose. Further, you will learn about three types of purpose–instrumental, operational, and existential–that help answer crucial questions regarding digital transformation. These three types of purposes form the topic for this and the other two courses in this digital transformation series.

Week 3: Digitally Transforming Organizations

In this module, you will learn about models of organizational performance. After comparing the economics and strategic models of organizational performance, the module will underline a capabilities-based approach to mastering the instrumental purpose of digital transformation. You will learn how to think about this instrumental purpose of digital transformation. The lectures will discuss the views on digital capabilities and how these are transforming organizations.

Week 4: Mastering the Instrumental Purpose

In this module, you will learn how leveraging digital technologies has impacted the overall performance of organizations. For instance, you will understand how the different capabilities enhance an organization’s performance. The week will also explain the capability performance hypotheses that managers should think about when creating the instrumental purpose for digital transformation. The lectures will discuss various related notions, such as the hierarchy of capabilities and the role of context. These represent the key aspects of the capability performance hypotheses. The lectures will also formalize the notions of the Digital Capability Conversion Factor and Organizational Capability Performance Factor. These will help an individual learn about the key elements necessary for successful digital transformation in any organization.