Managing Digital Transformation (Spring 2024)

Abstract

The increasing pace of digitalization has an impact on organisations and business ecosystems. This calls for a specific approach to management. The rapid shifts are often hard to foresee, and transformations emerge as other players in the business eco system adapt their business models. This is called Digital Transformation. This course provides a toolbox of theories and practical perspectives on how to manage Digital Transformation in an organization.

Description

Digitalization is a catalyst for transformation of business ecosystems both within and among companies. As digital technology opens up new possibilities, technology trends push the power balances and new products, services and business models emerge. In most cases neither the end goal nor the road to a successful transformation is known - or can even be defined beforehand. Traditional project management and change management methods may help, but are insufficient. 

This course looks at different perspectives on leadership and human behaviour in relation to Digital Transformation - from a company, process, team and individual perspective. The concept of psychological safety is introduced to support both the need to learn as you go and the tight knit, cross-functional, and multi disciplinary cooperation that Digital Transformation requires. The goal is to provide the student with a toolbox of theories and practical perspectives which can be used to facilitate sustainable digital transformation. Sustainable here is meant both from a business and a people perspective. 

Synergy with other electives: In the semester, you will be able to integrate the learnings by also taking the "Industrial Scrum Master Training" course, which consists of a practical project in which you will be able to apply the toolbox of theories and perspectives that you learn in the “Managing Digital Transformation" course. 

Formal prerequisites

Intended learning outcomes

After the course, the student should be able to:

• Describe different types of change and the characteristics of Transformational Change.
• Assess and discuss digital capabilities, leadership capabilities and cultural conditions for digital transformation in a company
• Describe steps individuals go through during change and the preferred organizational levels for different kinds of Digital transformation support . Apply it to plan and design digital transformation communication and activities needed at different organizational levels in an organisation.

• Describe and discuss theory on human behavior and how individuals make decisions. Apply it to plan and design digital transformation communication, behavioural design and activities for the different levels in an organisation.

• Describe and discuss psychological safety, and apply it to plan and design digital transformation activities
• Analyze, discuss and relate current research to practical digital transformation problems at hand

Learning activities

The different theoretical perspectives will be discussed, and students will get the opportunity to relate them to practical use in real life cases, some of which are presented by guest speakers from industry currently facing digital transformation.  The course will be highly interactive, and students are expected to relate theory to practice and form their own judgement based on facts.

Course literature

The course literature is published in the course page in LearnIT.

Student Activity Budget

Estimated distribution of learning activities for the typical student

• Preparation for lectures and exercises: 45%
• Lectures: 15%
• Exercises: 15%
• Assignments: 15%
• Exam with preparation: 10%

Ordinary exam

Exam type:
D: Submission of written work with following oral, External (7-point scale)
Exam variation:
D22: Submission with following oral exam supplemented by the submission.

reexam

Exam type:
A: Written exam on premises, External (7-point scale)
Exam variation:
A22: Written exam on premises with restrictions.

Time and date

Ordinary Exam - submission Wed, 29 May 2024, 08:00 - 14:00
Ordinary Exam Mon, 17 June 2024, 09:00 - 21:00
Ordinary Exam Tue, 18 June 2024, 09:00 - 21:00
Reexam - on premises Wed, 14 Aug 2024, 09:00 - 12:00