THE DATA IMPERATIVE
how digitalization is reshaping management, organizing, and work
About the book
Companies across all industries are engaging in digital transformation to harness the power of advanced information technologies.
Building on interviews and diverse case studies, this book provides an in-depth look at how data and algorithms are reshaping management practices, organizational structures, corporate culture, and work roles. Henri Schildt develops a broad framework for understanding digitalization not as a technological change but as a new normative mind-set, here called ‘the data imperative’. The efforts to complement and replace human expertise with data and smart algorithms are associated with shifts in strategic priorities, adoption of powerful modular architectures, new organizational structures, and the introduction of artificial intelligence into diverse work roles. Surveying the developments in management and the workplace, this book offers an integrative and balanced account of the on-going changes that will continue to affect everyone from executives and professionals to front-line workers.
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Where to buy
The book is available in hardcover and e-book.
For purchasing options, click one of the links:
The Data Imperative at Amazon UK
The Data Imperative at Amazon US
The Data Imperative at Amazon France
The Data Imperative at Adlibris
The Data Imperative at Oxford University Press
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About the author
Henri Schildt is a full professor at Aalto University. He received his PhD in 2007 from Helsinki University of Technology and has previously taught at Imperial College London.
Henri is an enthusiastic educator, with more than a decade of experience in teaching executive education in themes related to strategy, digitalization, and organizational change. His academic research has been published in the leading international journals, including Academy of Management Journal, Journal of Business Venturing, Organization Science, Organization Studies, and Strategic Management Journal.
For training, keynote speeches, workshops, or collaborations, please email me at henri.schildt@aalto.fi.
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Interactive simulation
I have created an interactive simulation game that encompasses some of the key themes of the Data Imperative. In the simulation you are in charge of the digital transformation of Velo, a fictional chain of cycling stores. The game introduces you to some of the contemporary digital technologies. Playing the game, you can explore can how interconnected investments in capabilities that afford data flow, analytics, new business processes, and digital control can unlock the business benefits of digital transformation.
Check out the simulator at https://tdigame.com.
Once you have tried out the game, please see the debriefing document here. The document briefly explains the underlying principles of the game and helps you assess how well you did!
The Data Imperative 