Resurgent: How Established Organizations Can Fight Back and Thrive in an Age of Digital Transformation

A practical handbook examining how established businesses can use their unique advantages to fight back and win in a digital arena too often dominated by tech start-ups, disruptors and unicorns. The big tech companies (Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Meta, Microsoft) have had an enormous impact on our everyday lives. A new wave of start-ups in the tech sector has dominated the press and swallowed up huge amounts of investment. But what about those established companies in the traditional parts of the world's economies, from energy, industrial and consumer goods to travel and health? They rarely got a mention. Everyone was talking about the disrupters – the start-ups and the entrepreneurs – and not about the incumbents. This book is a call for a reality check. For at the core of our established companies are capabilities and qualities that remain highly relevant in the digital age. They are often market leaders for very good reasons – they know their customers and markets well, and they have great product, sales and marketing expertise. They are operationally savvy and financially strong, with deep insights into areas of expertise that no one else has, giving them a unique advantage. John Fallon and Julian Birkinshaw have come to a clear conclusion: incumbents are not going quietly into that dark night. Organizations will need to jettison their analogue baggage and infrastructure and embrace digital transformation. They will survive and they will prosper. And this shows how they are doing it.

About the Author :
Julian Birkinshaw is the Dean of the Ivey Business School and was previously at the London Business School. He is a recognized thought-leader on the impact of digital technology on company strategy. He is the author of 15 books. John Fallon served as CEO of Pearson PLC for eight years. He is now Professor of Practice at Northeastern University, an executive fellow at London Business School, and works with a range of public and private organizations on education technology and digital transformation.

Review :
In an era where digital transformation often feels like a race to outpace disruption, Resurgent reminds us that true resilience comes from aligning technological progress with purpose. Birkinshaw and Fallon show that established companies can thrive not by clinging to the past, but by embracing change as a force for good – creating value not just for shareholders, but for society and the planet. A must-read for leaders determined to be net positive in the digital age. Resurgent offers a masterful analysis of the challenges and opportunities presented by digital transformation, and a comprehensive guide on how established organizations can harness the power of digital disruption to emerge stronger and more competitive. For organizations facing the relentless pace of technological change, Resurgent is an invaluable resource and a roadmap to navigating its complexities with confidence and agility. In these tumultuous times, Birkinshaw and Fallon give us a roadmap for understanding how to harness the opportunities created by digital transformation. In it, they have a particular message for incumbent firms: AI doesn't have to be a death sentence, but it will require business model innovation and not just technological adaptation. Amidst all the change and disruption, Resurgent tells a story of optimism and resilience. It is possible for incumbents to respond successfully to disruption and the book provides a clear roadmap on how to do it with real examples to back up its ideas and recommendations. This wonderful book should be required reading for any senior executive whose industry or company is facing disruptive change. Resurgent is not only a cracking read but a valuable leadership guide on how to embrace change and transform even the most traditional of businesses. Building on years of practical experience, it provides pragmatic advice that will resonate with anyone who has been at the helm of an organization in a constantly changing environment. In today's turbulent times, this book offers welcome advice for senior leaders everywhere. It is an important reminder that all companies, including industry leaders like Royal Bank of Canada, despite huge benefits of scale and incumbency, cannot take our success for granted. We need to have the humility to ask, what are we missing? And we need to have the courage to respond in a bold and agile way. How do industry incumbents embrace digital transformation? How do you simplify your business and serve your customers better? Where do you place your big bets and embrace new business models? How do you tell a compelling story through often challenging times? And how do you lead when there is so much internal resistance to change? With compelling data, case studies and personal stories, Birkinshaw and Fallon show how established companies can fight back and win through an age of digital disruption. As we all embrace the new age of AI, this essential road map to survival could not be more timely. Resurgent dispels the myth that disruption inevitably dooms established firms, revealing how incumbents can leverage their strengths and adaptability to succeed. With candid stories and a roadmap for confident digital transformation, this book is a must-have for business leaders, consultants, and students.