CIOs who seized the opportunity to innovate faster during the pandemic saw their digital transformation timelines shrink by a factor of years. Now, those CIOs are grappling with big questions around how to keep up that accelerated pace without burning out and driving away talent, according to new research from Harvard Business Review Analytic Services. 

These questions require urgent answers, because rather than a short-term effort, CIOs and IT organizations “now see digital acceleration as a more permanent fixture in the business landscape,” according to the research available today: “Maintaining Momentum on Digital Transformation.” 

“Recreating what was normal before the pandemic should not be the organizational goal. If it is, the organization could fall behind competitors,” the report states. 

The report identifies key strategies that CIOs are using to continue creating sustainable business value with digital innovation while proactively fighting employee burnout. The report includes real-world examples from CIOs and IT executives who are working on:

• Reimagining roles in IT to make work more sustainable and less stressful
• Increasing digital acumen throughout the organization to create a more diverse, future-ready workforce
• Creating more agile operating models with alternate paths to operational resilience
• Building a hybrid work culture that prioritizes human connection

The report, based on advice from CIOs and IT executives at companies including Dow, Johnson & Johnson, Adobe, Vanguard, the Federal Reserve System, and Clario, offers a playbook for reimagining the nature of work, strengthening organizational resilience, and leading overall business strategy with technology at the core. Among the takeaways: 

• Find out how Dow CIO Melanie Kalmar and Adobe CIO Cynthia Stoddard are leveraging sensor technology and simulation tools to identify opportunities to improve the employee experience.
• Discover how Johnson & Johnson CIO Jim Swanson is using artificial intelligence to assess and develop digital skills within his 4,300-person technology organization.
• Learn how former Vanguard CIO John Marcante retooled recruiting efforts to bring new people from diverse backgrounds into the technology field. 
• Learn how CIOs and IT leaders at Clario, the Federal Reserve System, and others are strengthening empathy to deepen human connections between teams and make hybrid work culture intentionally inclusive.

Download the full report: “Maintaining Momentum on Digital Transformation: CIOs Share Strategies to Sustain Speed.”