Week 1: AI for Digital Leaders

Foundations – The Digital Revolution and AI's Context

Learning Objectives:
  • Understand the fundamental nature of the digital revolution and its impact on modern organizations.
  • Recognize the strategic importance of a disciplined approach to digital transformation in the age of AI.
  • Identify and reflect on the key paradoxes presented by digital disruption for established organizations.

Chapter 1: Introduction

This section discusses the rapid advancements in AI capabilities and the polarized debate surrounding its societal impact. The introduction also touches on the "new normal" emerging post-Covid-19, supported by digital products and services, and how recent AI advances could lead to transformational changes beyond just continuity. The book aims to provide a handbook for surviving and thriving in the age of AI, structured around five main themes.

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Chapter 2: The Digital Revolution

This chapter explores why a digital revolution necessitates a radical rethinking of strategy for organizations to thrive in the new landscape. The text emphasizes that recognizing the magnitude of these changes is crucial for organizations to survive and thrive. The chapter concludes by discussing five paradoxes that summarize the challenges of digital transformation in large established organizations


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Chapter 3: A disciplined approach to digital transformation

This chapter focuses on the necessity for a disciplined approach to digital transformation. It delves into how newer companies leveraging AI advances operate with radically new management behaviors and decision-making processes, integrating AI into fundamental business aspects like procurement, hiring, and product management. It also discusses how these companies manage staff in smaller, self-organizing teams and foster creativity. The five elements discussed serve as a framework for understanding the targets of digital transformation.

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Quiz
1. According to the introduction, what are the three key questions the book focuses on regarding AI?

Quizzes are short tests or games designed to assess knowledge on a particular topic. They can be educational, entertaining, or both—helping people learn new facts, challenge themselves, and have fun along the way.

2. The reading suggests that AI advances are having a profound effect by challenging core aspects of what two entities?

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3. What is the primary goal of the reading regarding AI understanding for leaders?

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4. What are the five main themes around which the reading provides perspectives for surviving and thriving in the age of AI?

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5. Chapter 1 argues that executives and leaders often underestimate what aspect of digital transformation?

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6. The author emphasizes that recognizing the magnitude of digital changes is crucial for organizations to do what?

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7. What is the "first key lesson" for leading digital transformation if we admit we are undergoing a revolution?

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8. Explain the concept of a "two-speed" organization as described in Chapter 1.

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9. What are the four characteristics of VUCA (Volatility, Uncertainty, Ambiguity, Complexity) that define the digital economy according to Paradox 1?

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10. In Paradox 2: "keep control by owning less," what is suggested regarding physical assets and workforce capabilities?

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Activities for Consideration
  • Personal Reflection: Reflect on how your current organizational models and frames of reference might be challenged by the digital revolution and the rise of AI. Where do existing approaches break down?
  • Organizational Assessment: Consider if your organization operates as a "two-speed" entity
  • Paradox Exploration: Choose one of the five paradoxes (e.g., "be comfortable with being uncomfortable" ) and discuss with a colleague how it manifests in your daily work and how your organization is addressing it.
Further Reading
  1. "Digital Transformation: A Roadmap for Success" by MIT Sloan Management Review
  2. "The Changing Nature of Organizations in the Digital Age" by McKinsey & Company
  3. "Leading in a VUCA World" by Harvard Business Review
  4. "Why Digital Transformation Fails" by Forbes