Leading Digital Transformation

During your time on this four-day course you will gain a holistic understanding of digital transformation. You will explore the role of strategy, people, and technology to assess the needs of your organisation for successful digital transformation.
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Over the duration of this course, you will apply the Digital Transformation Framework, a multidimensional model used to understand the current stage of your organisation’s digital maturity, and the roadmap it can take for future development.
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Firstly, you will have an introduction to theories of digital disruption helping to set the scene for the Digital Transformation Framework.
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As a group, we will:

• Discuss shifts from physical to digital assets, vertically integrated supply chains to platform ecosystems and from customers-as-buyers to customers-as-users
• Examine the changing value orientation of digital first organisations from transaction-centric to engagement-centric where the key objective is to capture the end-to-end experience of customers
• Reflect on your organisation’s current digital maturity to identify development areas

You will then be introduced to the framework’s first dimension - Strategy - and its three layers of the business model, the data strategy, and the digital growth strategy, where you will:

• Work in groups to define strategies of case organisations to increase digital maturity
• Gain valuable insights and learnings from guest speakers

Next, we will explore the second dimension of the framework - People - and its three layers of digital mindset, digital career paths and digital innovation. Working closely within groups you will:

• Identify areas of the assigned case organisation that require improvements, people resources, skills, and capabilities
• Hear valuable industry insights from guest speakers

We will then move on to apply the third dimension of the framework - Technology - and its three layers of digital infrastructure, digital operational model, and customer and employee engagement. You will:

• Explore how the assigned case organisation can leverage emerging technologies to improve their digital maturity
• Drawing on the insights gained from working through the nine layers of the digital maturity framework, groups will share a comprehensive strategy for digital transforming their assigned case organisation

There will be a networking drinks reception on evening one where you will get to know your course colleagues. There will also be a course dinner on evening three, offering the opportunity for your class to come together with a wider cohort of short-course learners to expand your networking opportunities.

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Delivered at Alliance Manchester Business School’s Executive Education Centre, you will learn through theory-based, practical, and interactive teaching methods.

From collaborative group discussions and the exploration of real-world case studies to industry guest speaker lecturers, you will gain valuable insight and expertise about digital transformation from our world-renowned course team.

Work on a group project to develop a digital transformation strategy for a case organization.

We aim for several stand-out learning experiences, including:

Applied Learning A learning environment created by the course facilitator that draws on the experience and input of your course peers.

Knowledge Transfer A steady stream of feedback from participating peers with diverse business backgrounds on, for instance, how they have implemented digital transformation within their organisation.

Reflection A rare time-out to contemplate your own digital transformation opportunities and challenges while engaging with our world-class faculty.

Network Expansion An expanding professional network drawn from your peers.

Personal Growth An expanding self-awareness of your own leadership competencies and how they can be honed.

Behavioural Change An adoption of new rationales and mindsets that improve strategic decision making.

Facilitated Challenge A regular raising of difficult real-world scenarios by the course facilitator designed to take you away from your work environment into new work-territory.

• Develop a robust, practical understanding of the Digital Transformation Framework
• Expand your capabilities to lead a cultural shift towards digital transformation
• Increase your confidence and agility in identifying digital opportunities
• Become a member of the AMBS Executive Education Network and benefit from top-class speaker events, regular updates and networking opportunities with like-minded professionals
• Gain expert insights through real-world case studies and industry speakers

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If you are a strategic business leader looking to develop your organisation’s digital maturity and solve business wide issues, this is the right course for you.

Whether you come from a large well-established business, a small start-up or even a business that is already considered to have a digital-first stance, this course will help you transform your organisation’s capabilities and accelerate its digital maturity, regardless of sector or size.

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This session explores the key drivers of productivity and how leaders can identify practical opportunities to improve performance. You will consider the wider economic policy levers that shape productivity, the factors within an organisation's control, and the trade-offs leaders need to navigate when seeking sustainable improvement.

• Explore the drivers of productivity and how they affect firm-level performance.
• Use a practical framework and checklist to identify opportunities for improvement.

This session helps leaders build confidence in understanding and applying AI responsibly. You will explore the opportunities, risks and governance considerations linked to AI adoption, while experimenting with practical tools that can support leadership tasks and organisational decision-making.

• Understand key AI concepts and how they can support productivity and decision-making.
• Identify responsible approaches to AI adoption within your organisation.

This session explores how organisational design, operating models and processes influence performance. You will consider practical ways to improve effectiveness, manage resources and support continuous improvement in complex and changing environments.

• Explore how structures, systems and processes shape organisational performance.
• Identify practical actions to strengthen effectiveness and adaptability.

This session explores how leaders can support people and organisations through change and transition. You will use practical models and tools to understand why change can be unpredictable, communicate with clarity and build confidence during periods of uncertainty.

• Apply practical tools to communicate clearly and support teams through change.
• Use models such as Bridges’ Transition Model and the 4C framework to strengthen leadership effectiveness.

This session explores strategy as the art of making choices. You will consider how leaders can assess strategic options, make effective trade-offs and allocate resources in a fast-paced world, including the importance of stopping some activities to focus on the priorities most likely to deliver successful outcomes.

• Explore how to judge strategic choices and trade-offs in different situations.
• Apply simple strategic models to support focus, resource allocation and decision-making.

This session introduces risk appetite and enterprise risk management as practical tools for leadership decision-making. You will explore how organisations identify, assess and manage risk, while considering how risk appetite can support responsible business growth.

• Understand how risk appetite supports better leadership decisions.
• Explore practical ways to assess, prioritise and manage organisational risk.

This session explores how leaders can build, protect and manage organisational reputation in complex environments. You will consider the links between governance, strategy, trust and legitimacy, and examine how organisations can respond effectively during reputational challenge or crisis.

• Explore the drivers of reputation, trust and legitimacy.
• Consider practical approaches to managing reputational challenges and values-based relationships.