Some leaders roll their eyes at the phrase “digital transformation.” It’s been tossed around so much that it feels like one of those buzzwords that’s lost its punch.

And to be fair, they’re not wrong. It has been overused.

But dismissing it entirely misses the point. Behind the jargon lies a harsh reality.

Every organization must face the fact: the world has changed. Businesses that don’t evolve will fall behind.

Digital transformation isn’t a one-size-fits-all process. There’s no universal blueprint or checklist that works for everyone.

What it looks like for a 100-year-old manufacturing company will differ significantly from that of a fast-moving software-as-a-service (SaaS) startup.

It’s about rethinking how your business creates value. It also involves serving customers effectively. Staying competitive is essential, using technology as both a tool and a catalyst.

At its core, digital transformation involves integrating digital technology into every aspect of your business. It changes not just what you do, but how you think.

It forces you to challenge long-standing assumptions, streamline outdated processes, and put customers at the center of every decision.

Author and business futurist Greg Verdino cuts through the noise with a simple definition. Digital transformation is about closing the gap between what digital customers expect. It is also about what analog businesses deliver.

That gap is where opportunity — or irrelevance — lives.

Whether you like the term or not, the mission behind it still matters. Digital transformation is less about technology and more about adaptability.

It’s about building a company that can evolve as fast as the world around it. The future won’t wait for anyone who refuses to change.

10 digital transformation books to read this year

Nonetheless, you define the term; here are 10 books to help you get started. They will help you lead your company’s digital transformation.

1. See Sooner, Act Faster: How Vigilant Leaders Thrive in an Era of Digital Turbulence (Management on the Cutting Edge)

Author: George Day and Paul Schoemaker

Why should you read this book? In this book, you’ll find the tools for thriving when digital advances intensify turbulence. Business turbulence has become the new normal. A company’s survival depends on vigilant leadership. Leaders must predict threats, spot opportunities, and act quickly when the time is right.

The authors highlight real-world examples from Adobe, MasterCard, and Amazon. They describe how to distribute the scarce resource of attention. They explain how to detect weak signals and separate them from background noise. The authors also describe how to respond strategically before competitors do.

The authors show how to cultivate vigilance and agility throughout your organization. The rewards? Higher profits, more growth, and longevity for your company.

2. Digital Transformation: Survive and Thrive in an Era of Mass Extinction

Author: Tom Siebel

Why should you read this book? In this book, you’ll learn how new technologies are disrupting business and government. You’ll also discover how your company can harness this disruption to transform itself.

With the convergence of cloud computing, big data, artificial intelligence, and the internet of things, these technologies are transforming operations. They are changing how we function in the 21st century.

The author guides you through how these technologies are driving digital transformation. They also offer a roadmap to capitalize on today’s opportunities. The authors show how companies, like Enel, 3M, and the U.S. Department of Defense, are leveraging these technologies to achieve remarkable results and thrive in today’s digital era.

3. Why Digital Transformations Fail: The Surprising Disciplines of How to Take Off and Stay Ahead 

Author: Tony Saldanha

Why should you read this book? In this book, the author presents a five-stage model for executing a digital transformation. The author was formerly a vice president of IT and shared services at Procter & Gamble. They outline why digital transformation efforts often fail.

Why do they fail? It’s not due to innovation or technological problems. It’s the details. Yes, the “devil is in the details.” A lack of clear goals and a disciplined process for achieving those makes the transformation fall off track.

In the Fourth Industrial Revolution, the lines between the physical, digital, and biological worlds are becoming increasingly blurred. It is important to become the next Netflix, not the next Blockbuster. The author uses dozens of case studies and his own experience. He shows how digital transformation can be successful. It does not have to be an existential threat.

4. The Technology Fallacy: How People Are the Real Key to Digital Transformation (Management on the Cutting Edge)

Authors: Gerald Kane, Anh Nguyen Phillips, Jonathan Copulsky, and Garth Andrus

Why should you read this book? In this book, you’ll learn that digital disruption is about people. Effective digital transformation entails changes to an organization’s dynamics and the way work is conducted.

Digital transformation is not just about technology, but also about the organizational changes necessary to harness its power.

By focusing on the people and processes of an organization, you can respond quickly to digital disruption. By transforming your company culture to be more agile, risk-tolerant, and experimental, your organization can better compete with digital disruption.

The authors draw upon four years of research. They surveyed more than 16,000 people. They also conducted interviews with managers at companies, like Walmart, Google, and Salesforce. With this backdrop, the authors introduce the concept of digital maturity. Every organization needs to understand its “digital DNA” to stop “doing digital” and start “being digital.”

5. MicroMarketing: Get Big Results by Thinking and Acting Small

Author: Greg Verdino

Why should you read this book? This book examines the notion that mass marketing is a thing of the past. It also explains how “micro” marketing can be a form of “macro” marketing. 

Greg Verdino, the author, is a highly regarded authority on the “digital now.” He is also a leading thinker on digital transformation. He explores technology trends, marketing innovation, and business strategy.

The book discusses why and how to rethink your marketing strategies. It guides them in retooling and revitalizing to fully capitalize on the opportunities created by the micro-content explosion.

Discover how to attract new customers, build lasting relationships, and achieve tangible business results with targeted marketing.

6. Leading Digital: Turning Technology into Business Transformation

Authors: George Westerman, Didier Bonnet, and Andrew McAfee

Why should you read this book? In this book, you’ll take steps toward becoming a “digital master,” no matter what organization or industry you are in. The author explains that the phrase “going digital” is relevant for industries beyond tech, media, and entertainment.

With mobile, analytics, social media, sensors, and cloud computing, these technologies have fundamentally changed the business landscape. The authors highlight how enterprises in the finance, manufacturing, and pharmaceutical industries are utilizing digital technology. They use it to gain a strategic advantage. They also seek a competitive edge.

The book is based on a study of 400+ global firms, including Burberry, Caesars Entertainment, and Nike. It shows what it takes to become a “digital master.” This helps you better engage with your customers. It lets you digitally enhance operations. You can create a digital vision and govern your digital activities.

7. The Digital Transformation Playbook: Rethink Your Business for the Digital Age

Author: David Rogers

Why should you read this book? In this book, you’ll manage to rethink your business for the digital age. If your business started before the Internet, you’ll find the playbook for transforming into a digital economy.

The author argues that digital transformation is not merely about updating technology, but about upgrading one’s strategic thinking. Based on a decade of research, the author teaches at Columbia Business School.

They also consult for businesses around the world. The author demonstrates how pre-digital-era companies can revitalize their strategies. They can capture the new digital opportunities. They can rethink their underlying assumptions in five domains of strategy. These domains are customers, competition, data, innovation, and value.

The author illustrates every strategy in this playbook with real-world case studies from Google, GE, and Airbnb. The author provides practical frameworks. There are nine step-by-step planning tools. These tools show how legacy businesses can transform to thrive in the digital age. They also help drive profitable growth.

8. Driving Digital Strategy: A Guide to Reimagining Your Business

Author: Sunil Gupta

Why should you read this book? In this book, you’ll learn that digital transformation has become a necessity with the widespread threat of disruption.

The author explains how the New York Times has created a successful digital product behind a paywall. Best Buy has transformed its business in response to Amazon’s threat. John Deere formed a data-analysis arm to complement its farm-equipment business.

The Harvard Business School professor, Sunil Gupta, provides an actionable framework after studying digital transformation at Fortune 500 companies.

In other words, he knows what works and what doesn’t. You can too. The author presents illuminating case studies of companies at the forefront of digital transformation. It also includes a comprehensive guide to help you capitalize on the opportunities of today’s digital age.

9. Driving Digital: The Leader’s Guide to Business Transformation Through Technology

Author: Isaac Sacolick

Why should you read this book? In this book, the author explains that updating products, technologies, and business processes is no longer enough. The race is now on for everyone to become a digital enterprise.

If you have been charged with leading your company’s digital transformation, the pressure has become intense. The correct path ahead is unclear.

The author shares the lessons he’s learned over the years as he has successfully spearheaded multiple transformations. With thorough research, the author provides examples of how to formulate a digital strategy and drive culture change. bolster digital talent, develop innovative digital practices, and pilot emerging technologies. This book will equip you with the digital practices necessary to propel your organization to the next level of success.

10. 77 Building Blocks of Digital Transformation: The Digital Capability Model

Author: Jace An

Why should you read this book? In this book, you’ll learn the building blocks of digital transformation. You will also gain an understanding of the approach to assessing and improving digital capabilities. This knowledge will help to achieve successful digital transformation.

This book is ideal for digital professionals in IT, marketing, and sales. It is also ideal for digital consultants and planners.

This book highlights the “digital capability model,” comprising 12 mega capabilities and 77 sub-capabilities. It is organized the describe capabilities and their associated maturity levels, according to the taxonomy of the “digital capability model.”

A digital ability is an organizational capacity to produce intended and unique business outcomes by combining process, people, and technology. This book is essential for anyone involved in digital transformation. It is also beneficial for those wanting to learn how to implement and improve their digital operations. A proven, practical, and digital framework is included.

BONUS #1: Competing in the Age of AI: Strategy and Leadership When Algorithms and Networks Run the World

Authors: Marco Iansiti and Karim Lakhani

Why should you read this book? In this book, you’ll learn how to reinvent your organization around data, analytics, and artificial intelligence (AI). You will also learn how to remove traditional constraints related to scale. This will help overcome limitations in scope that have held business growth back for years.

The authors explain how leaders can better develop strategies and lead their companies when algorithms and networks run the world. From Airbnb to Microsoft to Amazon, research shows AI-driven processes are more scalable than traditional processes.

The authors explain how the “collisions” between AI-driven, digital, and traditional firms are reshaping industries. They are altering the makeup of our economy and forcing traditional companies to “re-architect their operating models.” This book helps you rethink how your company can compete. It shows how to run and drive a new generation of business capabilities in the era of AI.

BONUS #2: Leveraging Digital Transformation: Proven Leadership and Innovation Strategies to Engage and Grow Your Organization

Author: M. Nadia Vincent

Why should you read this book? In this book, you’ll learn what is missing from most digital transformation projects: excellent leadership. This book is a practical guide for business executives, C-suite leaders, and digital transformation leaders as they implement digital transformation.

This author offers insights on converting digital transformation and innovation into a lucrative investment. This investment yields increased return on investment (ROI). They explain how to create efficient environments that promote business innovation and disruption. They also give guidance on developing your business vision.

This book shows you how to become a true digital transformation guide within your organization. It provides a roadmap for achieving digital transformation success.

Bringing it all together

These 10 books aren’t just reading material; they’re tools. They equip you to think differently, lead smarter, and move faster in a world that punishes complacency. Whether you are in a legacy business trying to reinvent yourself, these pages offer valuable lessons. They cover strategy, culture, tech, and leadership. If you’re a startup aiming to skip past growth potholes, these lessons are important too.

Don’t just bookmark them, apply them. Pick one chapter, one framework, one idea, and test it in your own context.

Iterate. Fail. Learn. Repeat.

Digital transformation isn’t a destination; it’s a cycle, and your willingness to evolve is your biggest competitive advantage.

So, crack open one of these books today. Let it challenge your assumptions. Let it push you into doing something you’re not doing now. And let the momentum start. Your future self—and your organization—will thank you for it.

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