As businesses search for ways of accelerating transformation, we wanted to pick up on one of the 2021’s key discussion points and dig a little deeper. As UK organisations transitioned towards a more agile culture, our fledgling ExecLeaders community generally accepted that the new “business as usual” was one of continuous change. One specific challenge voiced by our cross-discipline group is that of a misunderstanding of what terms such as “digital transformation” or “data-driven” mean and how technology fits into this. As a consequence, Boards often miss that it is a combination of technology and broader organisational changes that drive real, sustainable competitive advantage.

With research indicating that less than 15% of Board members have a technology background and less than 25% of C-suite have a sufficient understanding of digital, without addressing this gap, many businesses suffer from disappointing results from their investments.