According to the global survey, which was conducted amongst more than 3,000 executives, four key traits set the top 100 leading organisations and their executives apart.

These companies/leaders are focused on true transformation

They avoid episodic, piecemeal changes and instead embrace a cross-organisational approach designed to enable constant change. They consider transformation an opportunity to reinvent business models, and they prioritise that over comparing themselves to their competition.

They invest in next-generation technology using a bimodal architecture

Leaders report a high level of investment in cloud computing and enterprise mobility, double-digit growth in Big Data and analytics and the Internet of Things (IoT), and hypergrowth in machine learning and artificial intelligence. Using a bimodal architecture allows them to run their business efficiently while rapidly integrating these new technologies to remain ahead of the competition.

They transform customer-facing functions first

Leaders view the customer experience as the gateway to a successful digital transformation. They are 58 per cent more likely to cite customer empowerment as a key global trend. The leaders have also successfully connected their customer-facing efforts to business processes across the enterprise and extended them to partners and suppliers.

They are talent driven

With skills that drive digital transformation in high demand, leaders are investing heavily in recruiting and training and in tearing down frustrating process roadblocks. It’s all designed to improve employee engagement and ensure they’re prepared to meet the demand for new technologies and new ways of working.

Download the study here