Our Approach
MIT CISR researchers focus on year-long projects to help executives meet the challenge of leading dynamic, global, and information-intensive organizations. The relevance of our research is ensured by the active participation of corporate sponsors and patrons from a range of industries. Research results are disseminated through working papers, research briefings, an annual conference, and sponsor forums.
MIT CISR 2020 Research Projects
Digital Enterprise
Re-Platforming Your Enterprise
Successfully transforming your enterprise typically involves moving to a digitized platform—re-platforming your enterprise—and then exploiting that platform to create value. By reviewing case studies and engaging in recent exploratory discussions with leading CIOs and COOs, we have identified four strategies for re-platforming to accelerate transformation.
Data Sharing Across Company Boundaries
In the 2019 CISR exploration research on data sharing, we identified two data sharing archetypes in the digital era: Control and Collaboration. The Collaboration archetype is becoming increasingly important as companies seek to grow with the help of partners.
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Defining Digital Operating Models
For years, MIT CISR research on enterprise architecture argued for establishing a high-level operating model that defined the integration and standardization requirements of the company’s core business processes. For purposes of supporting established business models, this operating model concept can still be extremely useful.
Ecosystems, Circa 2025
MIT CISR began studying digital ecosystems in 2012 and much has changed since. A digital ecosystem is created when companies partner to provide customers more value, working together via digital connections, and providing a single go-to destination for customers.
Scaling and Systematizing New Business Models
Recent MIT CISR research found that top performing firms spend at least ten percent of their total innovation investment on new business models, defined as efforts to generate new sources of revenue by addressing new types of customer needs (e.g., a car manufacturer trying to develop profitable mobility services for people who may not ever own a car).
Digital Work
Breaking Down Barriers to Pervasive AI Adoption and Use
AI is high on executives’ agendas. It potentially can generate big value; yet, if not appropriately designed, built, deployed, and nurtured, AI can fall short and, worst case, cause harm. This research will explore how companies can maximize value from AI, and we will focus on understanding emergent AI challenges, such as building algorithmic trust, avoiding decision risk, and developing new roles.
Digitizing Work to Work Digitally
The digital economy has highlighted the role of data and technology in improving the customer experience, but a great customer experience depends on dedicated, productive employees. Digital technologies not only enable us to eliminate work that is not value-adding (the junk), but also to re-design work to unlock value for employees (and therefore customers) in new ways.
WHAT vs. HOW: Governance for Aligned Autonomy
Companies are increasingly depending on empowered teams to deal with the accelerated pace of the digital era, yet leaders are finding that this new way of organizing is challenging in terms of coordination and end-to-end integration of company offerings.
Digital Value
Building Data Monetization Strategies that Pay Off
CISR research identified five data monetization capabilities that enable top monetization returns. This year, we will explore how companies should use these capabilities to create lucrative data monetization strategies.
How Much Does IT Really Cost?
Over the last two decades, spending on IT, and now digital, has risen significantly. There is a growing concern from investors, boards, top management teams, and IT leaders that we understand the costs of digital transformation and the benefits achieved. In short, how much is digital costing and is it paying off?
Value Creation and Value Capture in Digital Models
Companies with effective digital partnering grow significantly faster than their industry average. Our analysis from the 2019 MIT CISR survey, however, shows that the average company is only moderately successful in creating value for their customers with partners and less effective in capturing that value in terms of tangible results like revenue growth.