Dr. Stephen Treacy and his team have been honoured with the Kauffman Best Student Paper Award at the International Conference on Information Systems (ICIS) in Bangkok. Their groundbreaking research, developed in collaboration with an outstanding group of MSc Information Systems for Business Performance (ISBP) students, introduces the Digital Transformation Risk Matrix, a strategic model designed to help practitioners identify, evaluate, and mitigate digital transformation risks.
This prestigious award is a testament to the collaborative efforts and innovative thinking of Andrew Brosnan, Eimear Manning, Abi Whelan, Milan Singh, Sumeet Padwalkar, and Jack O’Brien. Their dedication and expertise played a pivotal role in bringing this research to life.
Beyond winning the Best Student Paper Award, this research was also nominated for Best Conference Paper, further validating its impact and relevance in the field of digital transformation.
The Digital Transformation Risk Matrix: An Overview
Digital transformation (DT) has permeated the zeitgeist of information systems research and practice as an integral component of organizational survival with several benefits outlined in the literature such as enhanced cultures, transformed stakeholder capabilities and optimized processes among many others. However, in spite of the benefits, a failure rate of up to 90% has limited DT’s capacity to deliver meaningful digital change, implying that there are risks accompanying DT which impede organizations’ abilities to leverage technology as an enabler of change. Through a series of twenty-five semi-structured interviews, the relationship between a DT risk’s impact and the degree of controllability available to organizations and their stakeholders has been determined through the ‘Digital Transformation Risk Matrix’, a framework to enable organizations to classify risks. The findings also present a comprehensive list of DT risks in addition to proposing potential mechanisms to control these risks, expanding the DT risk body of knowledge.
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Dr. Stephen Treacy expressed his pride in the achievement, stating:
“I’m especially proud of this achievement as it highlights the caliber of our MSc ISBP program, which serves as the Cork University Business School sample program for the EQUIS accreditation review-a true mark of excellence.
Congratulations to the team-I couldn’t be prouder to share this moment with you all! A special shout out is due to Andrew Brosnan whose vision, commitment, and professionalism to the project has been nothing short of exemplary.”
Industry Impact: Deloitte’s Adoption of the Risk Matrix
This research was developed as part of the thesis component of the MSc Information Systems for Business Performance program in collaboration with Deloitte. Presented by Dr. Stephen Treacy at ICIS Bangkok in December 2024, the study has already made a tangible impact in the corporate world.
Andrew Brosnan (Senior Consultant, Deloitte) highlighted the significance of the research, stating:
“By leveraging these insights, Deloitte now uses a new model of managing outsourcing relationships during digital transformations. The development of the Digital Transformation Risk Matrix is now one of our ‘global assets,’ meaning that it is actively used in digital transformation initiatives we consult on to anticipate, assess, and control risk.”