Future Ready - by Stephanie L Woerner & Peter Weill & Ina M Sebastian (Hardcover)

About the Book

"As the world continues to become more fully digitized, it seems like almost every company you can think of-including your own-has embarked on a "digital transformation" journey. The problem is, many companies start down the road without a good sense of where they are going or a clear idea of how they will create and capture digital value. Not surprisingly, this leads to problems: failure to realize the value from digital in their bottom lines, wasted resources and effort, added complexity and dysfunction. This compact, no-nonsense book provides a solution. In their years of working with senior executives around the world, MIT research scientists Stephanie Woerner, Peter Weill, and Ina Sebastian noticed that these leaders knew they had to transform their businesses, but lacked a coherent framework and a common language-a playbook-to guide and motivate their employees and keep everyone focused on a common goal. Future Ready is that playbook. Based on years of rigorous research with data from more than a thousand companies-BBVA, CEMEX, DBS, Fidelity, Maersk, and many others-the book provides a powerful, field-tested "four pathways" framework that offers insights into the important dimensions at which a firm must excel in order to be competitive, as well as the organizational disruptions that every firm must manage as part of the transformation journey. The book includes instructive examples, sharp analyses, assessments to help companies benchmark themselves against top performers, and many illuminating visuals to help crystallize the data and ideas. Woerner, Weill, and Sebastian show that the goal isn't digital transformation but rather a profound business transformation. Future Ready is your playbook for becoming a top performer in the digital economy."--

Book Synopsis

To be a top performer in the digital economy--to become truly future ready--you need a playbook. Now you have one.

It seems like almost every company you can think of--including your own--has embarked on a "digital transformation" journey. The problem is, many companies start down the road without a good sense of where they are going or a clear idea of how they will create and capture digital value. Not surprisingly, this leads to problems: failure to realize the value from digital in their bottom lines, wasted resources and effort, added complexity and dysfunction.

This compact, no-nonsense book provides a solution. In their years of working with senior executives around the world, MIT research scientists Stephanie Woerner, Peter Weill, and Ina Sebastian noticed that these leaders knew they had to transform their businesses, but lacked a coherent framework and a common language--a playbook--to guide and motivate their employees and keep everyone focused on a common goal.

Future Ready is that playbook. Based on years of rigorous research with data from more than a thousand companies--BBVA, CEMEX, DBS, Fidelity, Maersk, and many others--the book provides a powerful, field-tested "four pathways" framework that offers insights into the important dimensions at which a firm must excel in order to be competitive, as well as the organizational disruptions that every firm must manage as part of the transformation journey.

The book includes instructive examples, sharp analyses, assessments to help companies benchmark themselves against top performers, and many illuminating visuals to help crystallize the data and ideas.

Woerner, Weill, and Sebastian show that the goal isn't digital transformation but rather a profound business transformation. Future Ready is your essential guide for becoming a top performer in the digital economy.

Review Quotes

Advance Praise for Future Ready:

"This book is essential for any company on its exciting digital journey, whether just starting out or well along the path. A solid playbook that helps keep everything and everyone focused on this transformative challenge." -- Fernando Gonzalez, CEO, CEMEX

"The digital economy reaches ever more deeply into all aspects of our lives. To adapt and thrive in this new context, companies need to be future ready. This book provides practical guidance for business leaders to assess where they stand today, as well as concrete advice on how they can transition their companies for the future." -- Jean-Pascal Tricoire, Chairman and CEO, Schneider Electric

"The digital future can be full of profound risks and uncertainties, as well as opportunities. Future Ready provides remarkable insights, proven blueprints, and clear pathways for positioning companies to take full advantage of what the future brings." -- Shamim Mohammad, Executive Vice President, Chief Information and Technology Officer, CarMax; independent member of board of directors, UNFI

"Future Ready is the definitive handbook to achieving superior competitiveness in the digital age. It provides a clear road map to overcoming the inevitable difficulties faced along the transformation journey and an inventory of the attitudes, tools, and skills required." -- Sim Tshabalala, Chief Executive, Standard Bank Group

"Finally, a playbook with tools, metrics, and examples to chart and measure your digital journey! It vividly shows how building digital capabilities, co-creating new experiences, and learning how to create digital value have become strategic imperatives for growth. A must read for leaders who are driving business and technology transformations." -- Gail Evans, Executive Vice President, Chief Digital and Technology Officer, Disney Parks, Experiences and Products

About the Author

Stephanie L. Woerner is Director and a Research Scientist at MIT's Center for Information Systems Research (CISR) at the MIT Sloan School of Management. She is the coauthor, with Peter Weill, of What's Your Digital Business Model?

Peter Weill is a Senior Research Scientist and Chairman of CISR. His writing and research have appeared in Harvard Business Review, MIT Sloan Management Review, and the Wall Street Journal. His books include IT Savvy, Enterprise Architecture as Strategy, and IT Governance, all published by Harvard Business Review Press.

Ina M. Sebastian is a Research Scientist at CISR. Her writing and research have appeared in MIT Sloan Management Review and MIS Quarterly Executive.