Generating Momentum in Digital Business Transformations

MIT CISR research suggests that digital business transformations may be beginning to stall. In 2020, companies reported their transformations were 50 percent complete; but in 2022, transformations had progressed only to 55 percent complete. One key challenge for digital leaders struggling to generate momentum—consistent, ongoing progress—in a transformation is motivating other business leaders to commit to new goals and practices. In this research briefing, we discuss three sources of organizational inertia in digital business transformations, introduce three actions to generate momentum, and illustrate the actions using a case study from WABCO and ZF.