The best transformation story of all times is told in Hans Christian Andersen’s famous fairy tales the Ugly Duckling. The ugly duckling ran away from the whole duck yard because he was chased, bit, and pecked by other animals who cannot stand of his ugliness.
Only one day in Spring when he saw three beautiful swans ruffled their feathers and floated gracefully on the water, that the ugly duckling filled with a strange feeling and wished with all his might to fly straight to them, and ready for whatever fate might fall upon him – peck to death because his ugliness. At least he thought to himself "better to be killed by these beautiful royal birds than to be bitten by the ducks, pecked by the hens in the duck yard".
“Just kill me,” said the poor duckling, and bowed down his head toward the surface of the water and awaited his death. But what kind of reflection he saw in the water? He saw himself no longer ugly and disgusting creature; he was transformed into a swan himself! He was beyond happy: “I never dreamed of so much happiness when I was the ugly duckling.”
Transformation is the process of changing completely the character or appearance of something to improve it (Cambridge Dictionary).
As such transformation involves changes – it’s also an identity question “Who am I?”: Andersen described transformation elegantly in the tales: a once upon a time an ugly duckling – chased, bit, and pecked by other fellow animals – has now turned into a pretty creature, a swan.
What kind of measurement used to tell if a digital transformation is a success?
The recent study by Bain & Company mentioned one of the indicators to measure the digital transformation success is using aspirations, not benchmarks, to set goals.
Only people are capable of conceiving aspirations. If management cares about process and outcomes; leadership is all about people.
Great leaders inspire others. It takes persistent and perseverance to inspire – like in Andersen’s tales, the ugly duckling endures many hardships throughout summer, autumn, winter but keeps going and stays alert until one beautiful spring he saw what his heart sets to be part of -- magnificent birds.
It’s the digital age. Companies may embrace advanced digital technologies, devise great business strategy, and attract great talents, however unless their leaders inspire these talents to desire something bigger than its sum: to collaborate as one to develop collective leadership and capability and use technologies to co-create greater beneficial value with and for all stakeholders, no digital transformation ever delivers sustainable result.
In Digital Transformation in Accounting and Auditing: Navigating Technological Advances for the Future --published by Palgrave Macmillan, London UK, Sandy Arief PhD, one of Arc Australia Consulting team members contributed one chapter Digital Transformation in Accounting: The Nexus between Technology, Leadership, and Beyond (pp. 29-59). Link to the chapter: link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-031-46209-2_2
In the chapter Sandy investigates the relationship between leadership and digital transformation and the impact of digital transformation on future employment:
"Digital possibilities need to come together with skilled organizational members and leaders in order to reveal its transformative power. Therefore, digital transformation requires both technology and people." p.29
Even if innovation drives technology but only inspired people who will successfully execute every innovation in any transformation initiatives. And again it's the role of leadership that really makes duckling -- individual contributor -- turns into magnificent swan -- high-value creating team!
Jakarta, 18 May 2024
Fourteena P. Dewi
Arc Australia Consulting PTY LTD
Founder
We invite you to have a conversation with our Team
Fourteena recent visit to UNNES secure-path-to-the-future-not-what-we-gain-but-what-we-give.html
 At the invitation of UNNES Faculty of Economics and Business (FEB), Fourteena came to Semarang to hold an exclusive conversation. She meets Sandy the author of one of the chapters in a book Digital Transformation in Accounting and Auditing. |  Digital Transformation in Accounting: The Nexus between Technology, Leadership, and Beyond (pp. 29-59) in the book entitled Digital Transformation in Accounting and Auditing: Navigating Technological Advances for the Future. Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan, London UK. |
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