There are a number of variables as we take our journey to becoming a digital business. There are some edges that define the journey very well. The customer and the customer experience, purpose, end goals, partners, internal stakeholders, the last mile of standard business process and disruption are often at the edges of the digital business journey. It is tempting to just narrow things down to the customer experience as the sole driver. That leaves out some very important end goals.

It is clear that the end goals of the customer do drive our daily agenda. The inertia involved in breaking down silos and connecting the dots is real. Interconnected challenges are not to be ignored for the benefit of the customer. Internal silo’s often impede the digital business goals we have in mind.

The shift to the edges might have us focus moving faster. They could require we think about integrating data better and seeing our business as an ecosystem. Are we leveraging an ‘as-a-service’ approach? Do we spend enough time on our culture? Do we have the right digital leaders on the bus?

Another edge to look at is the decentralization of work and our inherent business models. Just think about how data analysis is moving to the edge and giving more and more tools to front line managers and employees. Just think about how digital technologies can be implemented (perhaps not effectively) without the traditional IT department.

While there are a number of challenges at the edges, strategic digital business leadership is at the core. The holistic nature of the culture is at risk if we leave at the edges. While many experiments can occur in an isolated, ad hoc and silo oriented approach, there is a real risk to the long term success of the digital business if they remain at the edges.