Research & Content.

Pulse survey: Automation that is enhanced through artificial intelligence (AI) is critical to organizations’ ability to compete and survive in the years ahead, according to nearly 400 business leaders recently surveyed by Harvard Business Review Analytic Services. Respondents say that to be successful, their organizations must incorporate more AI and automation into their business processes. However, few have done so to any significant extent. It’s a perilous situation, since respondents say that the consequences of not investing would be devastating to the long-term health of their business.

Research paper: As the digital landscape rapidly evolves, companies that can respond quickly to customer needs have an advantage—and according to a recent survey, many are using DevOps to create this advantage. A vast majority (86%) of the 654 respondents to a recent survey from Harvard Business Review Analytic Services say that it is important to their company to develop and put new software into production quickly. Indeed, principles and frameworks like agile, scrum, and DevOps—long part of the software developer lexicon—are making their way into the corner office.

Pulse survey: Industrial and non-industrial companies alike are racing toward digitalization. The benefits of automation, connected devices, and artificial intelligence are simply too enticing to ignore. CEOs and their boards anticipate greater efficiencies, new competitive opportunities, and the ability to better serve and delight customers. Even companies that don’t have a clear view of the potential benefits often feel the hot breath of new digital competitors on their backs. It’s hard to find a CEO today who doesn’t believe their company’s future—if not their present—is digital.

White paper: Business leaders at industrial and infrastructure companies confront new challenges with the introduction of more automation, artificial intelligence, connected sensors, and other digital technologies in their operations. Because these new technologies come with compelling benefits, such as increased efficiency, lower costs, and reduced downtime, momentum is growing. But few executives at the top of these organizations understand the new and complex operational risks involved in the industrial internet and how to mitigate them. To be successful, they must place as much emphasis on ensuring the trustworthiness of their products and operations as they do on the new features and capabilities that digitalization makes possible. This requires making cybersecurity a priority, not an afterthought.

Research paper: Business leaders around the world feel the urgency to adopt more digital ways of doing things but fear their organizations are unable to keep up with the pace of change or take full advantage of the technology investments they’ve made, according to a new survey from Harvard Business Review Analytic Services. Faced with a variety of disruptive forces—new competition from companies that were born digital, increasing globalization, and customers with high expectations for a friction-free digital experience—they know their survival is on the line.

CIO-sourced paper: The winds of disruption have swept aside old ideas about how a business operates and the pace at which it needs to move. The future is being built on new technologies, data, and digitization. Fast-moving, cross-functional teams of people from different parts of the organization experiment and innovate together to deliver new products and capabilities at an unprecedented pace. The old leadership rules don’t apply. In this report, we explore how leading organizations are transforming in the face of disruption so they come out as the beneficiaries and not the victims of change. More than a dozen top chief information and digital officers—true transformation masters—share their secrets for breaking down walls, resetting expectations, and leading in a completely new model. In the process, they are rewriting the rules of CIO leadership.

White paper: A few years ago, the concept of two-speed (or bimodal) IT was all the rage. Chief information officers (CIOs) could develop new digital capabilities quickly using an agile approach while running core IT operations and services in a traditional way. While this may have been a good way to get started on the digital path, today IT leaders realize that digital transformation requires applying agile principles and practices much more broadly throughout the organization. Sponsored by IBM

Pulse survey: Business leaders looking to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of their workforce are extending their digital efforts beyond what we typically think of as knowledge workers to include maintenance workers, shop clerks, nurses, flight attendants, electricians, baristas, store managers, and others. Indeed, the vast majority of respondents to a recent global survey from Harvard Business Review Analytic Services believe this will be essential to their organization’s success in the future. Sponsored by Microsoft

White paper: Three very different organizations - a university, a hospital, and a sports entertainment business - are using the Internet of Things (IoT) to create a more compelling, engaged customer experience across the digital and physical worlds. Sponsored by Dimension Data

Research report: A vast majority of business leaders surveyed believe their industry will be disrupted by digital trends. And most of those said their industry has either passed the inflection point of disruption or will pass it by 2020—just three years away. However, just which businesses will be the winners and losers in this digital economy is still being determined. Companies that form their strategies now, shift resources to new digital initiatives, and redesign their organization and culture will have a distinct advantage. Sponsored by Microsoft

CIO-sourced paper: CEOs increasingly want their CIOs to help generate revenue for their organizations. However, while shifting attention to the top line, CIOs still have to watch costs and balance them against likely returns. This requires a deep understanding of their organizations’ business and customer needs, as well as staying on top of the latest technology trends. CIOs who have experience running a P&L or a startup bring much-needed experience to this new role. Sponsored by Red Hat

Research report: One of the most exciting developments of the digital economy is the ability to answer difficult questions and solve complex problems through the use of sophisticated tools. Cloud-based data and analytics platforms are a boon to organizations given the volume and variety of data, the speed with which a lot of data expires, and the variability of business people’s need to tap into particular data sources at any given time. Sponsored by IBM