War and Peace and IT

Introduction

Because technology is the negation of any definitive truth—and to dominate the transformation of things it must be this negation—the destiny of the West is radical anxiety.

—Emanuele Severino, The Essence of Nihilism

Nothing is more damaging to a new truth than an old error.

—Goethe, Maxims

Today, across industries and geographies, executives of large enterprises are struggling to transform their organizations. They have a sincere desire to “become digital” but are getting stuck along the way. They know that their enterprises are special—they have a history of brilliant innovation, a market leadership position, a mission they’re passionate about. They look at companies like Amazon and Apple, innovating at high speed, getting products ...