Dive Brief:

• Among director-level executives, four in 10 say they are responsible for the execution of internal digital initiatives, followed by the CTO (38%), senior managers (28%) and CIO (27%), according to a survey of 300 tech leaders published by services company Globant.
• But only 10% of rank-and-file staff is directly involved with digital transformation work. Half of senior managers say their company is evolving on the path toward digital maturity, yet managers still feel the company is "outdated" when compared to industry peers.
• Of the 87% of companies currently executing a digital transformation strategy, 28% see themselves as "innovative" and have cutting edge digital maturity.

Dive Insight:

Without a cohesive companywide strategy, the systemic changes of digital transformation are likely to create turmoil — especially for ground-level employees.

Digital transformation success stories have focused on making the overhaul a core company process. Starting with the board of directors and into to the entire company, the right change management approach can spur internal competition and innovation.

The company's workforce must be kept at the heart of that strategy. Diego Tártara, CTO at Globant's Business Hacking Studio, said companies undergoing a digital transformation process would be wise to take an inside-out approach.

"Having employees at the center of digital investments is absolutely crucial if the hope is to build a culture that embraces new technology and aims to have an augmented organization," Tártara said, in a press release announcing the results of the survey.

One example of an employee-centric transformation is Fannie Mae's information security overhaul. As it deployed a micro-segmentated infrastructure, the company's management put time and resources into workshops with staffers to ensure the transition went smoothly. 

Innovating is key to staying competitive, but it can also boost profits. Companies that prioritize innovation saw revenue spike by 20% or more in the last two years, according to a survey from Harvard Business Review Services. In contrast, digital laggards only saw revenue rise 14%.

The right strategy can impact return on investment, especially in resource-heavy projects like artificial intelligence. A companywide strategy for artificial intelligence deployment can be more likely to deliver financial gains if it's led by the CEO instead of just the IT organization.