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Bring Your Organization into the Digital-first Age
Michael Gale is the author of The Digital Helix, which is a practical guide to bringing all the key functions together and includes guidance on developing a digital culture from the ground up. Michael and his co-author Chris Aarons explain the specifics of digitally transforming an organization.
The old rules for running business have been shredded in many ways. – Michael Gale
If one is not philosophically well-aligned, it’s really difficult to try to fit old methodologies into a new world. While we got away with it 4 years ago, we can’t get away with it moving forward.
You can’t buy your way to digital success. – Michael Gale
Organizations might have the right intents to transform digitally, but if they haven’t gotten all the right things in the right place, trouble is not far behind. It’s the incompleteness that damages most organizations. It’s dangerous because they can end up wasting a lot of money.
Here’s a scary statistic: $1.7 trillion was invested in digital transformation in 2017. And from that, Michael and his co-author estimated that about $1.4 trillion was wasted! That is an enormous amount with so many zeros!
The sum of wastage should be a real concern when it comes to intent not really meeting design, and being driven just by action.
Digital transformation is the application of technology not just as technology, but to run your business. It’s like asking, “Do we have a retail store, or do we just have a website?”
You can’t just mandate change, you have to actually live it. – Michael Gale
Executives need to actually behave like digital explorers. They need to roll up their sleeves and be part of the process at a very deep tactical level.
Organizations that are really successful are really good at moving ahead strategically just one step at a time.
What digital allows you to do is to almost become anything you want to become within reason. – Michael Gale
Michael discussed the 3 critical components of organizational success
- A really strong personal philosophy – Ask “What am I about?” and “What is this organization about?”
- Sharing – People that understand each other can solve problems a lot better when they share them.
- Clarity – Ask “What do we stand for and what do we not stand for in the organization?”
As a final message, Michael left us with this: A strong personal belief system is an essential starting point. We need to understand that humans are remarkable, but systems are better for understanding how humans work together, particularly in a digitally transforming world.
What You’ll Learn
- How the world of digital interfaces with the world of human relationships
- How much was spent on digital transformation in 2017, and how much of that was wasted
- What is “digital transformation” and why is it important?
- Michael’s open letter to Mark Zuckerberg
- 3 of the most important digital DNA markers
- Advice for start-ups and small companies who want to transform digitally
Resources
- The Digital Helix: Transforming Your Organization’s DNA to Thrive in the Digital Age by Michael Gale and Chris Aarons
- Micheal Gale on LinkedIn
- Download the free ebook HERE by entering the code: BREAK
Bio
Michael Gale founded Strategic Oxygen in 2001, which was widely seen as one of the technology industry’s primary data toolset for marketers, used by over 20 brands and used to model over $4 billion in marketing and sales investments. The company was sold to Monitor Group, where he was a group partner from 2006 to 2010. In 2011, he became a partner at Pulsepoint Group, a digital consulting company, which was acquired by ICF in 2015. Michael has also served as chief web officer and GM at Micron Technology and was the vice president of Worldwide brand research at IntelliQuest.
