The Digital Helix: Transforming Your Organization's DNA to Thrive in the Digital Age

by Michael Gale, Chris Aarons (Contributor)

Thrive in the Digital Age
Digital transformations are everywhere: business to business, business to consumer, and even government to citizens. Digital transformation promises a bridge to a digital future, where organizations can thrive with more fluid business models and processes. Less than 20% of organizations are getting digital transformations right, but these digitally transformed organizations can deliver twice as fast as other organizations, cut OPEX by over 30%, and have seen a near-immediate doubling in brand value. The power to act faster and do it better than before sits at the heart of truly digitally transformed organizations.

In The Digital Helix, authors Michael Gale and Chris Aarons explain the specifics of digitally transforming your organization— from the role of the digital-explorer leader in using information to empower the organization to move better and faster to shifts in sales, marketing, communications and leadership, product development, and service and support. The Digital Helix is a practical guide to bringing all the key functions together and includes guidance on developing a digital culture from the ground up—making it part of your company’s DNA—and the mindset tools needed to bring your organization into the digital-first age. Creating this digital-first DNA for your organization will allow you to not only embrace the digital age but thrive in it.

Genres: Business, Nonfiction, Technology, Leadership, Management

264 pages, Hardcover

Published October 3, 2017

Reviews

[Charles · Rating 5 out of 5]

While readers will understand that the phrase “Organization’s DNA” in the title is figurative, they generally will not realize that the use of the term “digital helix” is also metaphoric. It is used to mean surviving and thriving in the modern condition where business and industries are changing at a pace never before seen in human history. A business model with products that can take a company to the level of being in the Fortune 500 can vanish in a few years to the point where there is the threat of bankruptcy. Many of the old, “tried and true,” methods of doing business simply no longer work as well, if at all.
The authors cover the wide spectrum of tactics that modern managers can use to form, grow and maintain their businesses. Some of those tactics involve true digital automation, while others deal with the often more difficult strategy of acquiring and maintaining the talented people that allow for the needed agile operations.
Many companies make the mistake of thinking that acquiring new digital technologies will lead to an automatic improvement in their internal performance. That is a false belief, changes of this form have to be across the organization and are more about being flexible in all approaches, effectively imaginative and avoiding complacency. That is the message of this book and it is well delivered.

[Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

I want to thank Michael Gale, author and Goodreads First Reads Giveaway for the eBook Kindle copy I won in the Giveaway of The Digital Helix: Transforming Your Organization's DNA to Thrive in the Digital Age.

I did not want to read this book to learn how to change a company or an organization because I am retired and no longer work. I wanted to read it to learn how as an early childhood educator, my former career, I could have helped my students to learn to think and be better prepared for the constant change that industry and organizations will need now and in the future. I remember hearing a teacher training session about how in twenty years our students will be asked to do jobs that did not exist at that time and ones we could not imagine and how to help them be ready to be successful in the future of an every changing work environment. It is about ten years since that training and it seems to me that the time is now for individuals to be able to adapt to changes, think out problems and find new solutions and to do this with constantly changing demands and needs from employers.

Ideas in the The Digital Helix: Transforming Your Organization's DNA to Thrive in the Digital Age gave a good view of what is expected for the constantly changing world our young people will face and the fast pace of the changes and how to deal with them.

[Kristen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is vital to any season business looking to attract new young talent and keep up with the times. I am in my 20s and I have completed internships, worked, and completed freelance work for a number of companies looking to attract my age group and keep up with the ever changing technology. Sometimes it works out great, sometimes it seems like they are just incorporating technology for the sake of technology. This guide is what makes the difference.

Their explanation for what digital presence is and is not, really forces you to analyze the meaning behind why companies do what they do. It puts technology into perspective, by referencing how it is supposed to help your company rather than just keep you up with the times or replicating what a competitor does. I think this is probably very common with a lot of companies, especially those older ones who have trouble “learning new tricks”. It is helpful for those folks and us just entering the workforce. For those of us that grew up with technology now can learn how to combine it with business in ways never taught before. Even if you are a staff level employee, this book brings up plenty opportunity for discussion at your company on how to make it better for everyone. Totally worth a read.

[Becca · Rating 5 out of 5]

*I won this book for free in a Goodreads giveaway in exchange for an honest review.

As a business major, I was so excited to read this book. I love to read anything about business, so The Digital Helix was the perfect book for me. I also root for anything digital (I love e-books, technology, and efficiency) and that's exactly what this book is all about.

Filled with statistics and a lot of great information, The Digital Helix is an essential for those wanting to know more about how to go digital. Using quotes from highly influential individuals, this book improves its credibility and validates the aspects being discussed. I really enjoyed reading about the statistics because I'm a statistics nerd, and seeing how businesses change was intriguing. The digital age is coming without a doubt, and The Digital Helix has so many great tips and ways to bring your business up to speed. There was a lot of business terminology as well, and I was happy to see that.

I loved The Digital Helix! I will definitely use what I learned in my future career, and I'm so glad that I read this book. I would recommend it to business majors and those with careers in business as well!

[Tim Hughes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yet another book on digital transformation?

The books on digital transformation I've read, tend to fall into two camps, the book that tells you that you need to digitally transform and a definition of digital transformation

Or books, that describe different components of digital transformation, such as virtual reality artificial intelligence augmented reality digital twins etc

So why is this book different?

In this book by Michael Gale and Chris Aarons actually give a practical to approach to what digital transformation is all about

Better than that, they also have figured out that digital transformation is not a new cloud computing system, but digital transformation is about your people

How as a business are you going to give digital literacy to your employees and how are you going to strip out cost and gain efficiencies from the benefits that digital gives us?

The best book on digital transformation I've read for a long time

[Shanell Meek · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full of great information

I highly recommend this book to any business owner who is looking to expand their business to any level. The authors teach business men and women how to create a powerful digital presence that will allow them to touch anyone over the globe. As the book states only 20% of businesses have successfully created their digital footprint, I find that understandable since so much goes into creating that outstanding presence. This book lays it all out in aa road map style to teach people exactly what they need to do and when they need to do it to create the perfect digital presence that can make a company rise above the rest. This is by far the best book I’ve read for this type of business growth, it’s full of useful ideas, tips and tricks that are effective and east to follow.

[Jeff · Rating 2 out of 5]

More than anything, I'd consider this an academic and philosophical primer into the theories and leadership of digital transformation. It is not a 'how to' but more of a 'why'. There are many quotes peppered throughout the book and an exhaustive list of notes and references at the end of the book. I guess this book works towards the goal of building the case for complete digital submersion of companies in order to compete in a global economy. Many of the charts and statistics quoted early on are, or will be quickly outdated as the whole technical world continues to quickly evolve. To be honest, I didn't find anything earth-shattering or inspiring here. I found it mostly repetitive jargon with little applicable content for my world.

I received this digital copy in the Goodreads Giveaway in exchange for an honest review.

[Jimmy Jefferson · Rating 5 out of 5]

The digital age is here

This is a great book on how-to transform your business using the technology available today. The author is a great source of information on how to create your business digital fingerprint and move forward into the technology age. With today's technology you can expand your business clients from the city you live in to the state, country, and entire globe. This is a great information source that I would recommend to all business owners looking to expand and take a look at new opportunities that are available in the digital world.

[Tracy Booth · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had this book on my 'want to read list'. A contest came up and I ended up winning it in a Goodreads giveaway. I found the book easy to read but frustrating at the same time. It covers a lot of area with no details. I was hoping for a more technical book. This just says, stay on top of things but doesn't say how. Disappointing.

[Dee · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't necessarily think that this is a bad book I think it was a very important and useful tool back in 2004. I think because of the very nature of the book it can and did go out of relevance very fast, and many people tend to already noticed information. But if you don't it is still a tool that can be useful

[Pamela · Rating 1 out of 5]

I received this book as a Goodreads giveaway. I couldn’t make myself read past page 13. I highlighted a couple of quotes in the book, but it didn’t seem to offer much more than that. Maybe if I kept reading it I would have gotten something out of it?

[Mark Tossell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Powerful, insightful, and relevant

Powerful, insightful, and relevant, The Digital Helix informs to transform. I highly recommend this disruption manual for those with the foresight and bravery to change the way they live and work.

[Nahed · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’d have given this book a better rating if it’s free of this enormous amount of repetition despite it is talking about digital transformation 🌚 .. Nearly half of this book could be cut without affecting the context

[Tena · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won a KINDLE version in a GOODREADS giveaway sponsored by Greenleaf Book Group

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Found this book of interest and very informative

[Egbert · Rating 2 out of 5]

kind of ok, a lot of interesting quotes and case studies but no conclusion. some wrong facts (VHS in the 90's e.g.)

[Aimee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Goodreads giveaway

[Judi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Edits please

Lots of usable nuggets but could do without the multitudes of interview paragraph quotes. My favorite phrase was 'Fail well.'

Received as a goodreads giveaway.

[John Anderson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Bunch of quotes. Not much substance.

[Rhaisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great quotes and references.
A good resource to consider when diving into the digital transformation.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to Goodreads for the giveaway.

This book has great useful information on how to use the technology that is available today to grow your business. I would recommend for anyone trying to have an online presence.

[Cat · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received this book in a Goodreads giveaway and it has not affected my review.

I found this book disappointingly vague. I prefer my self-help books to have helpful tips and actionable advice, but mostly this just had really general prose -- and quotes from famous businesspeople -- about how important it is to retool for the digital era. Which...I would have thought would be the premise of the book, not the entirety of the message. And I do find it ironic that a book about going digital incorporates some graphics that are too big to play well with my Kindle tablet. I also view this book with some skepticism, since they seem to think IBM is a really awesome company, and I know lots of disaffected IBM employees/former employees that don't quite agree, but that's obviously a personal bias.

There are some really interesting statistics about consumer digital interaction that made the book feel like it was worth reading for free, so there's that. And maybe this could provide some useful ways to categorize your company's current progress. But overall, I came out of this without any action items, and so I found this unhelpful as a business book.

[Clipinchick]

I received this book for free from the author/publisher in response for an honest review of the book. I have not had the opportunity to read this book at this time. I will add my review of this book once I have read the book. Thank k you for allowing me the optometrist review your work. I look forward to reading this book.

[Lavender]

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I won this book via Goodreads Giveaways.

[Jeanne Ruczhak-Eckman]

This was a Goodreads Giveaway. Sadly, I just could not get into it. I just could not concentrate on it while reading. I did save it on my Kindle and do plan to come back to it when I am in a different frame of mind. When I do, I will come back and revise my opinion here but for now - no rating/stars.