The Digital Mindset: What It Really Takes to Thrive in the Age of Data, Algorithms, and AI

by Paul Leonardi, Tsedal Neeley

Overview

The pressure to "be digital" has never been greater, but you can meet the challenge.

The digital revolution is here, changing how work gets done, how industries are structured, and how people from all walks of life work, behave, and relate to each other. To thrive in a world driven by data and powered by algorithms, we must learn to see, think, and act in new ways. We need to develop a digital mindset.

But what does that mean? Some fear it means that we all need to become technologists who master the intricacies of coding, algorithms, AI, machine learning, robotics, and who-knows-what's-next.

That's not the case. You can develop a digital mindset, and this book shows you how. It introduces three approaches—Collaboration, Computation, and Change—and the perspectives and actions within each approach that will enable you to develop the digital skills you need. With a digital mindset, you'll ask the right questions, make smart decisions, and appreciate new possibilities for a digital future. Leaders who adopt these approaches will be able to develop their organization's talent and prepare their company for successful and continued digital transformation.

Award-winning researchers and professors Paul Leonardi and Tsedal Neeley will show you how to do it and let you in on the surprising and welcome secret: developing a digital mindset isn't as hard as you think. Most people can become digitally savvy if they follow the "30 percent rule"—the minimum threshold that gives us enough digital literacy to understand and take advantage of the digital threads woven into the fabric of our world.

A digital mindset will future-proof you, your career, and your organization. Learn how to develop one here.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781647820107
Publisher:	Harvard Business Review Press
Publication date:	05/10/2022
Pages:	272
Sales rank:	247,366
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.30(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

Paul Leonardi is the Duca Family Professor of Technology Management at the University of California, Santa Barbara. He is an expert on digital transformation and organizational change. He advises senior leaders on how to organize their workforces to compete with data, analytics, and new technologies and consults with companies such as Google, Microsoft, General Motors, and Discover about using digital tools to enhance internal knowledge sharing, how to structure global product-development operations, and how to manage the human aspects of new-technology implementation. He is also a regular keynote speaker for corporate trainings and user conferences on digital transformation, innovation, and change. His work has been featured in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Wired, and other major news outlets.

You can find Paul Leonardi at paulleonardi.com and twitter.com/pleonardi1

Tsedal Neeley is the Naylor Fitzhugh Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School and an award-winning scholar, teacher, and expert on virtual and global work. Recognized by Business Insider as one of the 100 people transforming business by innovating, sparking trends, and tackling global challenges, she regularly advises top leaders embarking on virtual work and large-scale change that involves global expansion, digital transformation, and becoming more agile. Neeley is the author of Remote Work Revolution and the award-winning The Language of Global Success. She serves on the boards of Brightcove, Brown Capital Management, Harvard Business Publishing, and the Partnership, Inc. She is also on the advisory board of the People & Culture Lab at Rakuten. Neeley's work has been featured on the BBC, CNN, NPR, on MarketWatch, and in Forbes, the Financial Times, the New York Times, the Nikkei, the Wall Street Journal, the Economist, and many other outlets.

You can find Tsedal Neeley at Tsedal.com and twitter.com/tesdal

Table of Contents

Introduction 1

The 30 Percent Rule

Part 1 Collaboration

1 Working with Machines 25

When Human Intelligence Meets Artificial Intelligence

2 Cultivating Your Digital Presence 51

Being There When You're Not

Part 2 Computation

3 Data and Analytics 73

What Is Counted Ends Up Counting

4 Drunks and Lampposts 97

It's Time to Become Conversant in Statistics

Part 3 Change

5 Cybersecurity and Privacy 119

Why You Can't Just Build a Castle

6 The Experimentation Imperative 145

You Won't Know Until You Try

7 The Only Constant 167

Leading as Transitioning

Conclusion 197

It's Time!

Appendix: Continuous Learning Case Examples 203

Glossary 211

Notes 219

Index 235

Acknowledgments 245

About the Authors 247

Editorial Reviews

01/24/2022

Leaders flummoxed by technological disruption should focus on developing a digital mindset rather than a technical skillset, according to this savvy primer. Harvard Business School professor Neeley (Remote Work Revolution) and technology management professor Leonardi (Technology Choices) write that while some leaders may feel as though the many digital hurdles are too great, all they really need is “the courage to be humble, admit... what you don’t know, and set out on the path to learning it.” The competencies they call for are based on research on hundreds of “technology-enabled organizations,” and readers will leave with a solid understanding of what artificial intelligence is, the difference between machine learning and deep learning, and how to cultivate a digital presence, communicate effectively even remotely, and get a grip on cybersecurity. The authors argue that developing a digital mindset means knowing where data came from and what questions to ask of it, and their practical focus on getting leaders comfortable with learning should pay dividends. This comprehensive, plainspoken guide will be a godsend to leaders trying to tell a blockchain from a bitmap. (Apr.)

Publishers Weekly

An Axiom Business Book Award Winner in Emerging Trends/AI

"With great examples and case studies, this book is an excellent read for everyone—tech savvy or not—interested in challenging themselves to become better leaders, managers, and data-driven decision-makers." — CHOICE, the publication of the American Library Association

Named one of "Eight Business Books to Challenge Your Thinking" by MIT Sloan Management Review

Named one of the "12 Hot Nonfiction Books to Read This Summer" by Adam Grant, Wharton Professor and bestselling author

"This comprehensive, plainspoken guide will be a godsend to leaders…" — Publishers Weekly

Advance Praise for The Digital Mindset:

"The Digital Mindset is an invaluable resource for anyone looking to become a better leader, future-proof their career, or simply gain a better understanding of the present and future of business." — Mickey (Hiroshi) Mikitani, founder, Chairman, and CEO, Rakuten Group

"If you're worried that algorithms will replace our judgment, big data will make our little knowledge obsolete, or robots will steal our jobs, this book is for you. Paul Leonardi and Tsedal Neeley offer the practical insights you need to understand the next wave of digital change—and ride it smoothly." — Adam Grant, New York Times bestselling author, Think Again; host, TED podcast WorkLife

"We've all heard it a million times: You need to be more digital. Finally, here's a book that ascribes real meaning to the buzzword. With clarity and a surprising level of detail, Leonardi and Neeley prepare you for the digital future." — Shellye Archambeau, former CEO, MetricStream; author, Unapologetically Ambitious

"The Digital Mindset provides critical and actionable insights that make it possible for everyone—from the executive team to individual contributors—to help their company succeed in the digital era. Today's CEOs must make sure their entire workforce has a digital mindset. This book is the place to start." — Jeff Henley, Executive Vice Chairman, Oracle

"If we continue to consider the digital age as a purely technological revolution, we will miss the most significant economic, political, and behavioral disruption of our societies since the Industrial Revolution. The Digital Mindset offers the 360-degree understanding necessary to seize this moment." — Elie Girard, former CEO, Atos

"Down-to-earth and practical, this book makes digital transformation achievable to anyone." — Bill George, Senior Fellow, Harvard Business School; bestselling author, Discover Your True North

"Leonardi and Neeley have produced the indispensable, foundational playbook for leaders looking to thrive in the digital age." — Hubert Joly, former Chairman and CEO, Best Buy; Senior Lecturer, Harvard Business School; and author, The Heart of Business

From the Publisher