MIT CISR investigates contemporary concerns to help executives meet the challenge of leading dynamic, global, information-intensive organizations. MIT CISR research scientists and collaborators from around the world produce rigorous academic research using a variety of methods. The relevance of the research is ensured by the active participation of corporate sponsors and patrons from a range of industries. Insights are disseminated through research publications and events.
Since 2019, MIT CISR’s data research team has investigated how organizations scale AI in the pursuit of becoming AI-fueled. This year we will explore model management to better understand its role in scaling AI—and the implications for how organizations need to think about and manage organizational knowledge.
This project is a continuation of MIT CISR’s 2022 research project on Managing AI Scale: Identifying Approaches that Work.
In earlier research, we found that to realize more value faster from digital innovations, established organizations are redesigning themselves around three learning imperatives: innovation teams, top-level management, and functional experts. This year we will identify practices that distinguish top-performing companies as they test and learn at both the digital innovation initiative and portfolio levels and when developing shared resources.
This project is a continuation of MIT CISR’s 2022 research project on Learning to Create More Strategic Value Faster with Digital Innovations.
Large established organizations often work with application-specific technology startups, which we call xTechs, to innovate in digital customer experience and operations. This project will explore how leading organizations succeed when innovating with xTechs.
Companies increasingly use digital technologies and data to develop products, services, and business practices that contribute to sustainability objectives. Based on past MIT CISR research, we hypothesize that companies with ambitious sustainability objectives must leverage the power of digital ecosystems, and in doing so will create ongoing value for all participants.
One of the perennial challenges to organizations globally has been how to develop and sustain a skilled workforce. Turning the talent challenge into a competitive advantage requires a strategy that meets the needs of both employees and employers.
This project is a continuation of MIT CISR’s 2022 research project on Developing a Digital-First Workforce.
In the digital economy, organizations must generate financial returns from their data assets while sensing and responding to emergent opportunities and threats. This requires that they selectively liquify data assets, purposefully invest in data monetization capabilities, and deeply develop data-driven cultures.
One of the four big “explosions” that company leaders have to deal with in a digital business transformation is changing decision rights—specifically, getting the right people to lead key decisions. If companies don’t change decision rights on a few key decisions, then they won’t see different results from their decisions.
In previous MIT CISR research on Designed for Digital, we identified five building blocks of digital transformation that "big, old" companies are working on if they want to deliver digital customer offerings successfully. One of these building blocks is the external developer platform that a company provides to third-party developers to develop their own digital offerings for customers.
MIT CISR research is funded by the more than seventy-five firms that sponsor our work and participate in our consortium.