Now that the pandemic has uprooted old ways of doing business, how do we rebuild and come back stronger? Even before the crisis, digital transformation pioneer and MIT scholar George Westerman was teaching organizational leaders how to drive competitive advantage through technology and how to stay ahead of the digital curve. A rare kind of strategist whose experience...
Now that the pandemic has uprooted old ways of doing business, how do we rebuild and come back stronger?
Even before the crisis, digital transformation pioneer and MIT scholar George Westerman was teaching organizational leaders how to drive competitive advantage through technology and how to stay ahead of the digital curve. A rare kind of strategist whose experience as a researcher, academic and corporate leader uniquely positions him to speak the language of both senior executives and technology professionals, Westerman goes beyond helping decision makers understand what’s happening in the digital space to showing them what to do about it – and how to prepare for what’s ahead.
With nearly 20 years of experience in the MIT Sloan School of Management, Westerman is a practical visionary with a futurist’s eye. Equal parts shepherd, bridge builder, storyteller and translator, he continually studies the transformations that new and emerging technologies will enable in organizations. He then identifies related leadership trends and develops clear, research-backed frameworks that help leaders use these innovations to their advantage.
“Technology changes quickly, but organizations change much more slowly,” says Westerman. “Digital transformation is not a technology problem, it’s a leadership problem. It’s about changing the business. I’m a strategy guy. I help C-suite leaders figure out where they want to go and what technologies will get them there. I also help bridge conversations between business leaders and their IT teams.”
Westerman has written three award-winning books, including [the long time best seller] “Leading Digital: Turning Technology Into Business Transformation” (Harvard Business Review Press). His courses at MIT have helped CEOs, COOs, CFOs and CIOs to transform their organizations – and more recently he has been helping chief learning officers (CLOs) and talent managers reshape how they deliver skills for the times ahead.
“Going back better is doable. In fact, the old way wasn’t that great to begin with. This is an opportunity.” says Westerman. “Prior to the pandemic, we focused too much on the customer experience and not enough on the employee experience. The pandemic showed the difficulties of that approach. Giving your people the right tools, skills and culture is critical to success.”
