Amarjit Manku

As a project manager, I manage the information technology portfolio for multiple projects. These involve servers, storage, networking, security, and cloud-related projects. I joined the MBA program in 2020 and the concept of digital transformation came up in various courses. Digital transformation is changing the world. The adoption of artificial intelligence and cloud technologies has accelerated the growth of organizations worldwide.

Digital transformation is no longer limited to IT. Instead, it helps all the segments of an organization transform and adopt a modern approach. Different departments and divisions in an organization are investing in various initiatives leading to digital transformation. For example, I worked on a project in my previous organization where the engineering department used AI to capture data on water usage in different households. They used this data to make decisions on future services and improvements. The executive information technology leadership now recognizes that digital transformation has become mandatory to achieve excellence. It is essential to stay competitive in today’s business world.

After completing my MBA, I received an invitation to join the Digital Transformation Leadership program (DTL). During the program, I had a breakthrough moment when I learned that I could use the course concepts to improve an existing process. This process was painful for the customers of the organization. Being in IT, my main focus was serving the internal departments in the organization. However, while reviewing the existing process, I found that it was the end customers, not the internal users, who needed help with the deficiencies of the current process. This realization motivated me to explore how we can improve the lives of end customers. The DTL program helped me identify the problems in the current process. Additionally, it gave me ideas for improving it.

What surprised me about the DTL program was that all the students were bringing their own real-world problems to the program. In contrast to my previous experience in the MBA program, where we were working on case studies and problems from other organizations to work on, the DTL program gave us the opportunity to apply all the concepts we learned to solve our own problems. Furthermore, the program encouraged participants to look for problems in or outside their area. This approach was very beneficial. It helped me explore what is happening around me and what problems I can solve using the concepts learned in the program.

Every week, we were given assignments to present our work using the course concepts. Additionally, we also had to provide feedback on other participants’ presentations. It was helpful to see real-life problems and how people planned to tackle them using the concepts learned in the program. Overall, the Digital Transformation leadership program was a valuable experience. It helped me think outside the box and provided me with tools to develop practical solutions to real-world problems.

One of the best parts of the program was the diverse range of industries represented. These ranged from healthcare and banking to education and government. This diversity allowed everyone to share insights and problems unique to their industry or organization. I particularly appreciated learning from a group from the University of Central Asia. Every participant from that organization shared challenges like using an outdated curriculum and enrolling students in different countries. This experience showed me that digital transformation could truly transform the world. It can solve unique challenges faced by different regions and geographies.

Throughout the DTL program, I learned about valuable tools such as the benefits dependency map and digital security model. These are now part of my toolkit for presenting to management and improving our organization’s strategy and information technology leadership. Using these tools, we can achieve our transformation strategy more effectively.

My advice for future students would be to be open-minded and prepared to challenge their beliefs. As I mentioned earlier, I used to believe that digital transformation was only related to information technology leadership. However, I now understand that it can have implications in any industry. I suggest that prospective students take some time to reflect on the problems they are facing in their organizations. Consider how they could potentially apply the concepts of the program to solve those problems. By bringing real-world problems to the table, they can make the most of their time in the Digital Transformation Leadership program.