Digital Transformation: Becoming a ‘Forgetting Organization’

Many companies today are in various stages of digital transformation. But true digital transformation requires the courage to challenge entrenched beliefs within one’s organization. For example, insurance companies have always relied on a bedrock belief that insurance policies will always need human agents to sell them — until the Internet proved that consumers will buy them online. A company that wishes to stay one step ahead of competitors must learn to identify and question these entrenched “facts,” and discover how technology can disrupt them. The key is to create a “forgetting organization,” says Eric Clemons, a Wharton professor of operations, information and decisions. Knowledge@Wharton recently spoke with Clemons about business transformation, the topic of one of the classes he teaches. What follows is an edited version of that conversation.

http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article/digital-transformation-becoming-a-forgetting-organization/