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Articles by Olaf Acker
Redefining customer experience: Connecting in the time of COVID-19
This column is the first in a series about redefining experiences in this time of great change and isolation, and reimagining them to emphasize the importance of human connection. The second can be found here, the third here, the fourth here, and the fifth here. For more insights on experiences, click here. All relationships have an emotional component — and that holds true for the connection between people and brands.
Chief Digital Officer Study
Back in 2016, we predicted that the era of the Chief Digital Officer would be short-lived. After all, the role of a good CDO is to put themselves out of a job. The data from this year’s PwC Strategy& Global Chief Digital Officer Study points to a trend that, after a relatively quick rise to prominence, the corporate world has hit — and past — peak CDO.
Have we reached “peak” chief digital officer?
Acquiring digital competence has been a key objective for most of the world’s largest companies for some years. And a key way to go about doing so has been to appoint a chief digital officer (CDO) to lead the digital agenda. Going digital is, of course, still important.
Famed Restaurateur Danny Meyer's Recipe for a Successful Culture, How to Manage Procrastinators, and More
Seven Tips for Managing Procrastinators / The New Class of Digital Leaders / Danny Meyer’s Recipe for Success / Hospitality in Action: Danny Meyer Sets the Table at Union Square Cafe It’s not your job to cure procrastinators. Your job is to get them to do their jobs. by Theodore Kinni Sept. 23–28, 2018 Dec. 9–14, 2018 Is your perception your reality? When it comes to your leadership style, this can be risky business.
The New Class of Digital Leaders
A version of this article appeared in the Autumn 2017 issue of strategy+business. A growing number of companies have embraced the need for strong digital leaders. Our 2016 study of chief digital officers (CDOs), which analyzed the presence of such leaders among the world’s 2,500 largest public companies, revealed that 19 percent of these companies have now designated an executive to lead their digital agenda. This number is up from just 6 percent of companies in our 2015 study.
2017 Technology Trends
At the center of this continuing wave of innovation is the technology industry, and in particular a set of U.S.-based supercompetitors we call the “Big Five”: Alphabet (Google), Amazon, Apple, Facebook, and Microsoft. Already dominant in their own fields — high-end devices, digital content distribution and app stores, online search and advertising, social media, e-commerce, cloud services, and productivity software — they are actively branching out into new businesses.
Will You Be Mine in the Digital World?
A version of this article appeared in the Summer 2016 issue of strategy+business. In the space of about 17 days in the spring of 2015, Boeing bought a company that develops aerial imaging software, Spanish bank BBVA bought a design studio that specializes in the online user experience, and MasterCard purchased an analytics company that helps convenience store owners figure out what they should sell at the checkout counter. The three deals barely registered on Wall Street.
The New Game of Global Tech
What’s going on in the information and communications technology (ICT) industry? Companies that used to thrive with clearly defined product portfolios are entering one another’s businesses. Erstwhile hardware companies such as Hewlett-Packard (HP) and Xerox have moved into software services. Software companies such as Microsoft, Amazon, and HCL Technologies make smartphones. Companies that used to offshore computer services, such as WiPro, are moving back onshore and competing through the cloud.
Will You Be Mine in the Digital World?
In the space of about 17 days in the spring of 2015, Boeing bought a company that develops aerial imaging software, Spanish bank BBVA bought a design studio that specializes in the online user experience, and MasterCard purchased an analytics company that helps convenience store owners figure out what they should sell at the checkout counter. The three deals barely registered on Wall Street. 2d3, the imaging company that Boeing bought for US$25 million, was a tiny 40-employee outfit.
Kings of the Cloud
The leading companies in the tech industry are reworking their business models to deliver everything-as-a-service. The transition to a digitized business environment is happening with remarkable speed. Companies are gathering and analyzing huge amounts of data, transforming their manufacturing processes with digital fabrication and other technologies, and incorporating the Internet of Things in their products and processes (see “A Strategist’s Guide to the Internet of Things,” by Frank Burkitt).
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