Leading Digital: Turning Technology Into Busine... May 2026

Redefining how the company creates value, such as moving from selling products to providing digital-based services or "product substitution".

In the modern economic landscape, "going digital" is no longer a luxury reserved for Silicon Valley startups; it is a survival mandate for the 90% of the economy operating in traditional industries. In their seminal work, Leading Digital , George Westerman, Didier Bonnet, and Andrew McAfee argue that true digital transformation is not about purchasing the latest gadgets, but about fundamentally reimagining how a business operates and delivers value. To achieve this, companies must strive for , a state reached by balancing two critical dimensions: Digital Capability and Leadership Capability . The Two Pillars of Digital Mastery Leading Digital: Turning Technology into Busine...

Transformation requires cultural shifts; leaders must use digital tools to foster open dialogue and "crowdsource" solutions from employees to ensure authentic buy-in. Redefining how the company creates value, such as

Leaders must define a clear, transformative ambition that goes beyond incremental improvements. To achieve this, companies must strive for ,

Westerman and his colleagues categorize organizations into four levels based on their proficiency in these two capabilities:

Digital mastery is not achieved through technology alone; it requires a synchronized act of intentional leadership and technological implementation.