Published by: Kindle Direct Publishing
Title ID: XX YY ZZ
ISBN 979-8639124631
All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the copyright owner of this book.
Edition 1.0 DTxHv1.0; 5 th August 2020
Copyright Palfreyman Ventures Limited, 2020
Foreword
Author
Im fascinated by the interplay between strategy, digital technology, leadership and organisational culture. Why do some digital technology initiatives work well whilst others fail? Im increasingly convinced that the difference between success and failure is down to the organisational chemistry between these four big topics.
Learning from my adventures in self-publishing with Business Blockchain in late 2018 Ive been thinking about writing a book on the topic of digital transformation. After much discussion, consideration and inspired by my work as a teacher / supervisor and practitioner I decided to produce this work in handbook format - aimed primarily at business professionals looking to plan and deliver a series of digital technology projects to make their organisation more successful in the future. My goal in writing this book was to equip these practitioners with a clear, logical and no-nonsense approach to realise their transformational journey in an incremental fashion that can flex as things change. I was determined to make the handbook accessible, maximising pragmatism and eliminating confusing technical jargon.
In a world that relies ever less on paper, I decided to publish in digital. The eBook - which sets out the transformational approach - has complementary downloadable workbooks which can be used as learning re-enforcement exercises, or (even better) to structure planning workshops for the organisation wishing to transform.
The great lockdown curtesy of the 2020 Covid-19 global pandemic gave me time, space and motivation to get my ideas down on electronic paper and Im eternally grateful to my family, friends, colleagues and especially for my wife Sara for their support during the intensive production process.
I hope you enjoy reading this handbook and completing the associated workbooks. More than that I hope the handbook inspires you and to embrace the wonders of digital technology to drive sustained competitive advantage for your organisation!
John Palfreyman , August 2020
George Dobbins
A number of years ago, when I first met John in the boardroom of a Leeds office, I had just published a co-authored paper on digital transformation and the impact from leadership. We sat down to discuss the paper and instantly, I wished that had been able to speak with him beforehand much was his knowledge and authority on the subject.
This eBook is yet another example that reflects Johns mastery of a subject and a journey that has taken him through some of the most exciting digital transformation agendas around the world spanning corporate, governmental and societal settings. This eBook carefully distils the complexity and challenges of digital transformation into an easily consumed guide that every business leader should have on their shelf. He expertly crafts together theory with practical (and successful) steps to driving digital transformation, into a working eBook that will unlock any organisational problem.
Upon reading this, youll embark on an exciting road that takes you into the heart of some of the leading digital disrupters and will make you question your own digital strategy, culture and transformation. Fortunately, you will leave with knowledge and all the practical tools you need to drive transformation.
George Dobbins is co-founder and director of Beaumont Bailey .
User guide
The Digital Transformation Handbook comprises this eBook and a downloadable PDF workbook for each chapter. The eBooks explains how to deliver the digital transformation with supporting material. The workbooks provide learning reinforcement exercises for individual study or (better still) to structure team workshops to plan and deliver the digital transformation.
The eBook and workbook chapters are linked together through a checklist. The checklist serves as a knowledge check for the main topics in the chapter and provides a cross reference between chapter content and handbook exercises. The structure is shown in Figure i.
Figure i: Handbook structure
A standard structure is used for each main chapter. The chapter content is followed by a pictorial summary of the main take away points. A section containing complementary resources for deeper study is provided and this is followed by a checklist and link to the chapter workbook PDF for download.
Source material that inspired the chapter content is referenced using embedded links in the chapter text. This will work best when using the kindle app on a tablet device or computer but will work from a kindle eBook reader too. In the unlikely event that the link is broken email me and Ill fix it. Ive made extensive usage of tables and figures to illustrate the handbook to add clarity and variety to the content.
I have also illustrated different stages of the transformation journey using case studies to describe how real organisations drive competitive advantage by transforming. Storytelling is included to illustrate step wise progress through the transformation for a fictional organisation in the care sector.
Where appropriate I have also included short interviews with business practitioners and academics to add substance and colour to the eBook content.
Im adopting an agile publishing approach to this eBook. I will periodically up-issue the eBook based on reader feedback. The Amazon platform ensures that these updates will be available to previous purchasers of the text for no extra charge. So, if you would like me to include specific content in future releases, find any sections unclear or confusing, or simply disagree with my viewpoint, please email me to let me know!
[1] Digital what?
Like air and drinking water, being digital will be noticed only by its absence, not its presence. Nicholas Negroponte - Wired, 1998
The purpose of the first chapter is to introduce strategy and explain why this must come first in the context of digital transformation then clarify some important yet confusing terminology. The process of digital transformation is set in context against Industry 4.0 and the different aspects of agility explored within the book briefly introduced. The technique of storytelling is then explained as a way of illustrating the digital transformation in action and the chapter closes with a visual summary of the complete handbook.
[1.1] Strategy first
