© 2025 MIT Center for Information Systems Research, Weill, Woerner, Banner, and Moore. MIT CISR Research Briefings are published monthly to update the center’s member organizations on current research projects.
Audio
Digitally Savvy Boards: AI Update
In this audio edition of the March 2025 briefing, we compare the results of 2019 and 2024 studies on board digital savvy, augmented with insights from director interviews and an initial analysis of board committees.
Abstract
In 2019, MIT CISR published findings from our research on the digital savviness of company boards that showed 24 percent of boards were digitally savvy and had associated performance premiums. In 2024, we repeated the 2019 board analysis with current companies and found that having a digitally savvy board based on our original criteria was no longer differentiating. However, updating the criteria to account for newer technologies produced results similar to the original analysis. In this briefing we compare the results of these two studies, share insights from interviews of non-executive board directors, and explore how companies use board committees to help manage their work.
Related Publications
About the Researchers
Peter Weill, Chairman and Senior Research Scientist, MIT Center for Information Systems Research (CISR)
Stephanie L. Woerner, Director and Principal Research Scientist, MIT Center for Information Systems Research (CISR)
Jennifer Banner, Member, Board of Directors, Truist Financial Corporation, Uniti Group, Inc., and CDM Smith Inc.; and Industry Research Fellow, MIT CISR
James Moore, Research Assistant, MIT CISR
MIT CENTER FOR INFORMATION SYSTEMS RESEARCH (CISR)
Founded in 1974 and grounded in MIT's tradition of combining academic knowledge and practical purpose, MIT CISR helps executives meet the challenge of leading increasingly digital and data-driven organizations. We work directly with digital leaders, executives, and boards to develop our insights. Our consortium forms a global community that comprises more than seventy-five organizations.
AlixPartners
Avanade
Cognizant
Collibra
IFS
Alcon Vision
Amcor
ANZ Banking Group (Australia)
AustralianSuper
Banco Bradesco S.A. (Brazil)
Banco do Brasil S.A.
Bank of Queensland (Australia)
Barclays (UK)
BNP Paribas (France)
Bupa
CarMax
Caterpillar, Inc.
Cemex (Mexico)
Cencora
CIBC (Canada)
Cochlear Limited (Australia)
Commonwealth Superannuation Corp. (Australia)
Cuscal Limited (Australia)
CVS Health
Dawn Foods
DBS Bank Ltd. (Singapore)
Doosan Corporation (Korea)
Fidelity Investments
Fomento Economico Mexicano, S.A.B., de C.V.
Fortum (Finland)
Genentech
Gilbane Building Co.
International Motors
Jewelers Mutual
Kaiser Permanente
Keurig Dr Pepper
King & Wood Mallesons (Australia)
Mater Private Hospital (Ireland)
Nasdaq, Inc.
Nomura Holdings, Inc. (Japan)
Nomura Research Institute, Ltd. Systems Consulting Division (Japan)
Novo Nordisk A/S (Denmark)
OCP Group
Pacific Life Insurance Company
Pentagon Federal Credit Union
Posten Bring AS (Norway)
Principal Life Insurance Company
QBE
Ramsay Health Care (Australia)
Reserve Bank of Australia
RTX
Saint-Gobain
Scentre Group Limited (Australia)
Schneider Electric Industries SAS (France)
Tabcorp Holdings (Australia)
Telstra Limited (Australia)
Terumo Corporation (Japan)
Tetra Pak (Sweden)
Truist Financial Corporation
UniSuper Management Pty Ltd (Australia)
Uniting (Australia)
USAA
Vanguard
WestRock Company
Wolters Kluwer Financial & Corporate Compliance
Xenco Medical
Zoetis Services LLC
MIT CISR Associate Members
MIT CISR wishes to thank all of our associate members for their support and contributions.