2023, Dornberger, Rolf, Schwaferts, Dino, Dornberger, Rolf

2019, Grüner, Peter, Schwaferts, Dino, Studer, David, Wild, Simon, Verkuil, Arie Hans, Hinkelmann, Knut, Aeschbacher, Marc

“The internet is like a wave. You either learn to swim with it or you will sink.” (Bill Gates). With this quote, Gates already pointed to the development of a digital economy, a completely new economic model based on information technology, where we now live. On the one hand, these new opportunities in information and communication technology (ICT) are changing the way companies have to operate. On the other hand, they are also changing customer expectations in a rapid and continuous manner that transforms them into fast moving targets. Therefore, legacy as well as non-legacy businesses have to rethink their business models, predict customer expectations and have to focus on customer centricity as well as on their own uniqueness on the market. In other words, organizations have to be very agile: they have to enable flexibility in their business models and diversify their risks in a well-managed way to remain competitive in such a dynamic environment. For these reasons, business model innovation is a crucial ability to manifest one’s own inimitability. Furthermore, business model innovation enables companies to search for new business logics and groundbreaking ways to create and capture value for its stakeholders. Nevertheless, such an innovative approach is risky, primarily due to its uncertainty of commercialization. Therefore, companies should not replace existing business models, but assess them with regard to the risk of a digital disruption and start with potential new business models next. This also requires changes in the organizational structure and asks for new methods to manage such a complex system of various business model development directions in a well-controlled way. One approach to cope with this challenge could be the digital business portfolio derived at the University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland (FHNW).

2018, Schwaferts, Dino, Baldi, Shama, Dornberger, Rolf

In a study on the subject of digital transformation carried out by the University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland from April to May 2017, 82% of the companies stated that their driver for digital transformation was their wish to support their business processes. However, the majority of companies also stated that, in addition to the desired process support, they observed a greater impact on individual elements of the business model. The aim of this chapter is to explain these observations and their correlations, as well as to provide an approach regarding how digital transformation could be managed systematically against the background of its impact on the business model. Thereby, the terms “Digital Business Development” and “Business Stream Matrix” are used. Building on this approach of digital transformation management, the question is raised as to whether classical management concepts are still adequate to guide companies during and after digital transformation. Where there are management gaps, this chapter substantiates approaches to close these gaps. The term “digital leadership” is used. This chapter concludes with an approach to the “sociotechnical framework”, outlining and substantiating a possible form of organization to which digital transformation tends.

2015-09, Schwaferts, Dino

2020, Dornberger, Rolf, Schwaferts, Dino, Dornberger, Rolf

2019, Grieder, Hermann, Schwaferts, Dino, Verkuil, Arie Hans, Hinkelmann, Knut, Aeschbacher, Marc

Companies today are still highly influenced by the management theories of the indus-trial age. To be successful in the future companies need to become part of digital eco-systems where partners and customers will be co-creators. Customers and employees’ expectations are changing, and managers need to re-evaluate traditional management methods to enable companies to successfully transition into the digital era. During the transition, we will see a change from sociotechnical systems to transitional constructs that enable co-creation and collaboration. Digital Arenas will allow companies to create value outside of their industry by collaborating with other companies through APIs; this will give rise to new business models everywhere.

2017, Peter, Marc K., Kraft, Corin, Schwaferts, Dino, Peter, Marc K.

2019, Fluri, Jasmin, Schwaferts, Dino, Verkuil, Arie Hans, Hinkelmann, Knut, Aeschbacher, Marc

For companies to be sustainably successful in the digital age, there are certain preconditions they must fulfill to be able to react to customer expectations and offer appropriate products or services competitively. This ability to proactively provide proper products or services within an adequate period is called Digital Maturity. To reach Dig-ital Maturity, companies must establish four preconditions: Customer Knowledge, Strategic Management, Technical Capability, and Cultural Agility. Those preconditions are called pillars of Digital Maturity. This chapter explains, why Digital Maturity concerns the whole company and requires different prerequisites on the leadership- as well as on the technical-, organizational, and cultural side of a company. The Digital Maturity assessment of the University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland is introduced and explains how to set up and incrementally perform a Digital Maturity assessment inside a company to continuously improve the companies’ Digital Maturity.

2019, Schwaferts, Dino, Gatziu Grivas, Stella

Wir sehen, dass sich mit dem Übergang in das digitale Zeitalter die Lebensweise und damit auch die Nachfrage der Kunden ändern. Wir sehen auch, dass die Digitalisierung die Unternehmensformen, den Führungsanspruch und die unternehmerischen Risiken ändert. In der Summe der derzeitigen Veränderungen entsteht so eine Komplexität, die für Unternehmen oft schwer zu greifen ist. Dieser Beitrag bringt die Veränderungen auf den Punkt, zeigt die Zusammenhänge auf und hilft den Unternehmen so, ihre Weichen so zu stellen, dass sie in der digitalen Zukunft agil sein können, aber auch gleichzeitig sattelfest bleiben.

2016, Schwaferts, Dino

Der sich anbahnende digitale Wandel wird als grösste Veränderung seit der industriellen Revolution bewertet. Um ihn vollziehen zu können, fragen derzeit viele Unternehmen nach transparenten, schlüssigen und pragmatischen Konzepten.