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Working Paper: Vignette

Mars’ Recipe for Creating Value One Hundred Times Faster

Mars enables its Associates to become one hundred times faster by empowering them with digital capabilities and decision rights guardrails to guide their application.
VIGNETTE

A description of a firm’s approach to an IT management issue, written according to a prescribed template

Abstract

In 2021, Mars was a family-owned company with more than a century of history in providing products and services in pet care, food, confectionary, and personalized nutrition. Mars embarked on a digital transformation journey in 2017, with the goal of enabling each of its Associates to become one hundred times faster. This case vignette describes Mars’ approach to achieve this goal, by forming core digital capabilities in its Digital Technologies unit, federating these capabilities company-wide, and then providing structure and decision rights guardrails to guide their application.

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About the Authors

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Cynthia M. Beath, Professor Emerita, University of Texas at Austin

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.

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