HBR’s 10 Must Reads 2024: The Definitive Management Ideas of the Year from Harvard Business Review
Perhaps no better way to close 2023 than by digesting HBR’s 10 Must Reads 2024. These articles are a great overview to insights by authors over the last year. Digital transformation is the most impactful as organizations are jumping into AI in markets still impacted by the pandemic.
This actually leads with a challenge for leaders. In “Managers Can’t Do It All” the combination of reengineering, digitization, AI initiatives and the lingering pandemic remote work efforts, the idea of what any “manager” role today has been completely altered.
Organizations must now realize that hiring new managers into your organization require making teams more successful than in the past, prior to the pandemic. their role in coaching has also dramatically changed.
To succeed, organizations must re-define a manager’s role. Case studies with Standard Chartered, IBM, and Telstra reveal these organizations help managers develop new skills, alter long standing processes yet also redefine roles and responsibilities in order to strengthen new organizational priorities.
Transformation is required today
In fact, another article “The C-Suite Skills That Matter Most” expands to reveal how candidates who are tech savvy must also posses strong people skills. As outlined before, remote work impacts almost all organizations with diverse, tech savvy employees. The impact moves to rethinking business practices and operations. In some markets everything (and everyone) is impacted by change.
Transformation 101
Perhaps “Democratizing Transformation” by Marco Iansiti and Microsoft’s Satya Nadella is the most critical read of the book. Marco’s book Competing in the Age of AI is simply a game changer. Simply put, if your organization’s digital transformation does not include lessons from his book, you will fail. Yes, insights so critical you can bank on his book to drive your success.
organizational leaders will understand their digital transformation plans may fail if it is isolated to the IT and Data Science teams.
Move to an all-in mindset
For any organization, AI and digital transformations require an ‘all-in’ strategy. Tom Davenport’s book All-in on AI expands upon three key areas: capabilities, technology, and architecture. Perhaps capabilities is the most important as they address organizational culture. If your organization’s culture is not welcoming to the changes necessary, you will struggle and may end up not viewing your market from the sidelines, but rather from the stands. The illustrated stages of digital maturity: Traditional, Bridge, Hub, Platform, and Native are individually addressed and provide much needed value to organizational leaders to begin their digital transformation journey.
In conclusion, HBR’s 10 Must Reads 2024 is certainly mandatory reading for any organizational leader. These insights as we move into the new year will help drive your organization into a successful digital transformation, avoid digital disruptions, and hire the right managers to implement your strategic plans.