Digital Strategies for Transforming Your Business

In this period of digital disruption, businesses focused narrowly on value chains are at a disadvantage. Next-generation enterprises need to think more broadly about their business ecosystems, leverage digitization strategy to understand their customers better, and establish options for future success. Drawing on cutting-edge research, this course engages participants in a framework for seizing on all the above.

To thrive in a digitized universe, merely tweaking the management practices that led to past success will not be enough. Businesses of all sizes need to evaluate the strategic implications of digital disruption and create a future-proofed digital business model. Many enterprises will need to completely reinvent their organizations and substantially change their processes.

Despite this urgency, leaders often lack a common language to assess the degree of threat that digital disruption poses to their business and—more importantly—the language to create a compelling vision for their enterprise’s success.

Drawing on cutting-edge research conducted at MIT Sloan’s Center for Information Systems Research (CISR), this course provides a powerful framework for transforming businesses on two dimensions: knowing customers better and optimizing business design.

This course will provide you with the:

• Tools to think about and communicate your digital business strategy internally
• Ability to make decisions about what to focus on next
• Critically consider developing important capabilities

At the end of the three days, you will leave with a better understanding of:

• Where your enterprise is right now and how well (or poorly) you are positioned for digital transformation
• What your business is best at
• What your customers want
• What level of threat you face from digital disruption
• How your business needs to change to mitigate threats and seize opportunities
• How to begin to create a compelling vision for your enterprise’s success

This course will also equip you with an understanding of:

• Four proven business models and three key sources of advantage for the digital era
• The difference between “industries” and “ecosystems” and the importance of the latter
• What business capabilities your organization needs to strengthen
• The role of management and the board in business strategy transformation—and what guardrails leadership requires to keep this transformation on track
• The importance of partnerships in creating integrated solutions that solve customer problems (and make your business a destination)
• How to measure the success of your business model

Upon successful completion of your course, you will earn a certificate of completion from the MIT Sloan School of Management. This course may also count toward MIT Sloan Executive Certificate requirements.

Through hands-on assessments, exercises, lectures, case studies of high-performing companies, and lively discussions, you will endeavor to answer key questions that will ultimately inform your organization’s digitization strategy including:

• Which digital business model is best for your enterprise’s future?
• What is your digital competitive advantage?
• How will you innovate to reinvigorate and renew your digital business model?
• Do you have the crucial capabilities to reinvent the enterprise?
• Do you have the metrics, governance, and leadership to make the transformation happen?