MIT Sloan Management Review Article on How to Succeed Without Being the Smartest Person in the Room

As part of a set of research interviews, my colleague at MIT’s Center for Information Systems Research (CISR), Martin Mocker, and I once asked technology staffers at 40 big companies what impact they thought they were having on their companies. Sadly, many said that they didn’t think they were having any impact. They were doing what they were supposed to do, but they could not see how their companies would apply their efforts to become more successful. What a waste of resources — and a missed opportunity! I suspect that similar scenarios are playing out in many, many companies. Our research on digital transformations suggests that recruiting, directing, and developing talent is more important than ever but is also more challenging.

About the Author

Jeanne Ross is principal research scientist for MIT’s Center for Information Systems Research (@mit_cisr). She’s coauthor of Designed for Digital: How to Architect Your Business for Sustained Success (MIT Press, 2019).

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