Gartner Reveals Three Digital Forces and Three Leadership Levels to Take Digital to the Core of Every Business

Leaders must understand the critical forces driving digital to the core of products and services and learn how to remap their industries, remodel their enterprises and remake themselves to take digital to the core of their leadership, according to Gartner, Inc.

In the book "Digital To The Core: Remastering Leadership For Your Industry, Your Enterprise, and Yourself" launched this month, Mark Raskino, vice president and Gartner Fellow, and Graham Waller, research vice president at Gartner, explain how leaders can remap their industry, remodel their enterprise and remake themselves. To delve into the secrets of today's successful digital leaders, the authors supplement Gartner's vast research base and annual executive survey data with more than 30 interviews of CIOs, CEOs, chief digital and data officers, and other C-level executives.

Mr. Raskino and Mr. Waller are discussing some of the key findings from the book at the sold-out Gartner Symposium/ITxpo, which is being held here through October 8.

"We see three critical forces at work that are coming from outside the organization and penetrating right to the core of it," said Mr. Raskino. "We call the first, 'Resolution Revolution,' where the sensors in objects from cars to tennis rackets will see what's going on in the world around them in ever greater detail, revealing things we could never see or manage before. The second, 'Compound Uncertainty,' compels leaders to probe the edges of the digital frontier to nudge regulatory, cultural and technology tipping points. Finally, the third disruptive force, 'Boundary Blurring,' forces industries to merge and morph into one another."

1. Resolution Revolution: The effect of being able to see and sense what is happening in both the physical and digital worlds in ever greater fidelity and detail, then understanding and more precisely controlling things, events and outcomes.

2. Compound Uncertainty: The combined and complex effects of digital change that undermine and shift the mindsets, structures and practices on which leaders have previously relied. The key uncertainties are in three areas: technology, culture and regulation.

3. Boundary Blurring: The merging of digital and physical worlds, leading to alterations in the core products, propositions and possibilities for industries as we know them and softening the dividing lines between industries. The effect then cascades across ecosystems, enterprises, people and things.

"There is no simple strategic method for dealing with the multidimensional nature of digital change. Even the sharpest leaders can become disoriented as change builds on change, leaving almost nothing certain," said Mr. Waller. "Within the context of these three disruptive forces, the task is to commit to leading at three different levels: industry, enterprise and self."

Failure to lead at these three levels will cause leadership to be weak and temporary:

• Remap your industry: How must your worldview change and what fundamental industry paradigms must you rethink?
• Remodel your enterprise: What does your enterprise need to become and how will you redefine your company?
• Remake yourself: Who do you need to be and how must you remake yourself to thrive as a leader in the digital era?

"Digital is no longer a backing vocal; it has moved center stage to become part of the main act," said Mr. Raskino. "To get yourself out of the chorus line you will have to remap your industry, or quickly adjust to a remapped industry, possibly several times, as different actors test and transgress the blurring boundaries. You will need to remodel your enterprise so that it can create and serve the new kinds of value demanded by customers in a digital world. And you will have to remake yourself as a leader, taking on new skills and new personas, and be prepared to engage new kinds of professionals and apply new thinking tools. Together, the three digital forces and three leadership levels create the framework for taking digital to the core of your business and leadership style."

"Digital To The Core: Remastering Leadership for Your Industry, Your Enterprise, and Yourself" will be available October 20, 2015 on Amazon and wherever books are sold. For other books by Gartner analysts, please visit www.gartner.com/books.

About Gartner Symposium/ITxpo

Gartner Symposium/ITxpo is the world's most important gathering of CIOs and senior IT executives. This event delivers independent and objective content with the authority and weight of the world's leading IT research and advisory organization, and provides access to the latest solutions from key technology providers. Gartner's annual Symposium/ITxpo events are key components of attendees' annual planning efforts. IT executives rely on Gartner Symposium/ITxpo to gain insight into how their organizations can use IT to address business challenges and improve operational efficiency.

Video replays of keynotes and sessions are available on Gartner Events on Demand. Follow news, photos and video coming from Gartner Symposium/ITxpo on Smarter With Gartner, on Twitter using #GartnerSYM, Facebook and LinkedIn.

Upcoming dates and locations for Gartner Symposium/ITxpo 2015 include:

October 19-22, Sao Paulo, Brazil

October 26-29, Gold Coast, Australia

October 28-30, Tokyo, Japan

November 2-5, Goa, India

November 8-12, Barcelona, Spain

About Gartner

Gartner, Inc. (NYSE:IT) is the world's leading information technology research and advisory company. The company delivers the technology-related insight necessary for its clients to make the right decisions, every day. From CIOs and senior IT leaders in corporations and government agencies, to business leaders in high-tech and telecom enterprises and professional services firms, to technology investors, Gartner is the valuable partner to clients in approximately 10,000 distinct enterprises worldwide. Through the resources of Gartner Research, Gartner Executive Programs, Gartner Consulting and Gartner Events, Gartner works with every client to research, analyze and interpret the business of IT within the context of their individual role. Founded in 1979, Gartner is headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut, USA, and has 7,100 associates, including more than 1,500 research analysts and consultants, and clients in 90 countries. For more information, visit www.gartner.com.

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