Volker Pfirsching
Volker is a pioneer in digital shift and has deep expertise in comprehensive and successful digital transformation.
Areas of Focus
Education
University of Regensburg
Diplom-Wirtschaftsinformatiker (Business Information Systems)
University of Regensburg
Graduate of Intercultural Negotiations
Volker A. Pfirsching is a Partner at Arthur D. Little based in Munich. He is a member of the Central European Management Board and heads the global Digital Competence Center.
As a thought leader in Digital Disruption, Volker is engaged in many large-scale transformation projects, touching business and technology alike. He is founder of the Arthur D. Little Digital Center of Excellence and organizer and facilitator of Arthur D. Little digital roundtables, bringing together top executives to exchange in digital challenges.
After his studies, Volker joined the company in 2002 and has been a Partner since 2012. He has led a large number of client projects in Europe and abroad, focusing on successful and holistic digital transformations covering all aspects from strategy, business, technology and the essential “human factor”.
Beyond systems
Digitalization has become embedded within large businesses, with recent advances in AI accelerating the process even further. While we still need more progress, the fusion of business and IT functions is ever present, as “softwarization” of companies proceeds apace. IT functions need to recognize this pace of change and evolve toward being true strategic advisers to the business, driving innovation. In this Viewpoint, we examine some practical approaches for CIOs to bring about change.
The AI-amplified telco
AI represents a game changer for the telco industry. Although first movers have already embraced AI, separating hype from opportunity remains challenging. Becoming an AI-amplified telco calls for more than being fascinated by the technology’s potential and piloting use cases. This Viewpoint focuses on the necessary building blocks to exploit AI’s 5%-7% EBITDA potential and outlines how to achieve lasting success by analyzing the full picture, including technology, AI governance, and culture.
11 technology trends for post-crisis success
Achieving excellence in insurance claims management
CLAIMS MANAGEMENT EXPERIENCE
In today’s mature and hypercompetitive insurance market, insurance companies’ growth within their core business is often limited to winning customers from other insurers. Therefore, as this growth strategy results in high customer acquisition costs, it is critical for insurance companies to boost loyalty to ensure profitability.
Unleashing innovation in IT
IT is still often seen as inflexible and costly
Digitalization has been at the top of the strategic agenda for over a decade (see Figure 1). IT assets, and the function that manages them, are usually seen as the backbone of the digitalization effort.
Smart data management unlocks growth
This is commonly due to a mismatch between technology and business needs, along with a failure to focus on culture and governance in data management projects. Closed company cultures, in particular, make interaction between departments difficult, which often prevents the collection, sharing, and effective use of comprehensive data. This Viewpoint outlines how smart data management and a business-focused approach deliver proven, immediate benefits while unlocking future opportunities for growth.
RPA: Robotic Process Automation
Executive Briefing Series
An 8-part series to be updated weekly from July to September 2019
RPA is changing the way processes are automated. In the following guide we will give insights what RPA is, what can be expected by RPA – now and in future - and how to enable a fast operationalization and scaling of process automation by RPA.
The flywheel concept – A powerful foundation for a successful digital shift
Today’s corporate world requires companies to look for a clear purpose for their business ventures, other than solely maximizing profits. This purpose, or in other words, the “why”, is essential for future success in an ever-changing and more and more digital business environment – to convince not only customers of the company’s offerings, but also investors of opportunities and employees of the company’s strategy.
Implementing a digital shift
Today, every company wants and needs to become digital. However, what this actually entails will be different depending on the industry, size of the company, and competitive environment. Businesses essentially need to find the right degree of digitalization – their digital “equilibrium”. By exploring some of the key problems traditional businesses face on their digital journeys, and how to overcome them, this article outlines how every business can realize the digital shift and create equilibrium.
Managing IT Value
Die IT ist Dreh- und Angelpunkt der Digitalisierung. Dies zu erkennen und die IT darauf auszurichten, stellt für die meisten Unternehmen eine Herausforderung dar. Es stellt sich die Frage, wie man gezielt den Wert der IT verstehen und steuern kann. Die Briefing-Serie „Managing IT Value“ zeigt über mehrere Wochen hinweg praktische Konzepte und Projektbeispiele, um die volle Digitalisierungskraft der IT zu erreichen:
Executive Roundtable: Digitalization
Arthur D. Little’s sixth executive roundtable on “Digitalization” focused on implementation examples of technology-hype topics in different industry contexts, with emphasis on artificial intelligence (AI), robotics process automation (RPA) and blockchain. The cross-industry discussions revealed that certain AI and RPA applications have reached “ready-to-use” maturity and are almost standard in some industries, while they are hardly dealt with in others.
Managing IT Value
Die IT ist Dreh- und Angelpunkt der Digitalisierung. Dies zu erkennen und die IT darauf auszurichten, stellt für die meisten Unternehmen eine Herausforderung dar. Es stellt sich die Frage, wie man gezielt den Wert der IT verstehen und steuern kann. Die Briefing-Serie „Managing IT Value“ zeigt über mehrere Wochen hinweg praktische Konzepte und Projektbeispiele, um die volle Digitalisierungskraft der IT zu erreichen:
CDO versus CIO –a non-zero-sum game
Digital units – savior of innovation?
In recent years digital business units and subsidiaries have been booming across industries to set up organizations for the digital future: the aims of the new units are widespread, from development of new digital business models to building up of digital expertise, application of new working models and enforcement of external collaboration. But in order to create longterm benefits, the digital units need to interact effectively with existing functions and business, which will often have conflicting interests and working principles.
How to scale your Agile right
Being capable to react to change with agility is a key requirement for all companies onboarding digital business models or digital products and processes. It is becoming even more of a necessity to compete. Yet large and grown companies, in particular, see many challenges with the necessary balance between agility and stability – implementing agile methodologies outside the technical domain fails in many cases for many reasons.
The digital (r)evolution of data models
Across industries the digitalization changes the way how real world is represented in company data structures. Product or channel orientation is being replaced by customer centricity:
Executive Roundtable: Digitalization
V. Executive Roundtable – Digitalization
Friday, the 10th of March 2017: For the fifth Executive Roundtable: Digitalization, Volker A. Pfirsching, Partner in Arthur D. Little’s Information Management Practice, welcomed the participants to Arthur D. Little’s office in Frankfurt.
As in previous roundtables, the aim of the event was an interactive session, with discussions to exchange experiences between participants, combined with selected impulse presentations.
Setting objectives and measuring digitalization in Financial Services
Financial companies are investing in digitalization to improve operational costs and meet client expectations, but few can claim success. In this viewpoint we argue that a vast majority of companies seem to have started digitalizing themselves aimlessly, with no clear objectives of how they want to move forward. It's time to re-examine the facts and adjust the course.
Digital Transformation
Turning digital has become a well-understood imperative. Although digital has commonly found its way into corporate strategies, the path to transforming adequately remains unspecified.
Volker A. Pfirsching is a Partner at Arthur D. Little based in Munich. He is a member of the Central European Management Board and heads the global Digital Competence Center.
As a thought leader in Digital Disruption, Volker is engaged in many large-scale transformation projects, touching business and technology alike. He is founder of the Arthur D. Little Digital Center of Excellence and organizer and facilitator of Arthur D. Little digital roundtables, bringing together top executives to exchange in digital challenges.
After his studies, Volker joined the company in 2002 and has been a Partner since 2012. He has led a large number of client projects in Europe and abroad, focusing on successful and holistic digital transformations covering all aspects from strategy, business, technology and the essential “human factor”.
Beyond systems
Digitalization has become embedded within large businesses, with recent advances in AI accelerating the process even further. While we still need more progress, the fusion of business and IT functions is ever present, as “softwarization” of companies proceeds apace. IT functions need to recognize this pace of change and evolve toward being true strategic advisers to the business, driving innovation. In this Viewpoint, we examine some practical approaches for CIOs to bring about change.
The AI-amplified telco
AI represents a game changer for the telco industry. Although first movers have already embraced AI, separating hype from opportunity remains challenging. Becoming an AI-amplified telco calls for more than being fascinated by the technology’s potential and piloting use cases. This Viewpoint focuses on the necessary building blocks to exploit AI’s 5%-7% EBITDA potential and outlines how to achieve lasting success by analyzing the full picture, including technology, AI governance, and culture.
11 technology trends for post-crisis success
Achieving excellence in insurance claims management
CLAIMS MANAGEMENT EXPERIENCE
In today’s mature and hypercompetitive insurance market, insurance companies’ growth within their core business is often limited to winning customers from other insurers. Therefore, as this growth strategy results in high customer acquisition costs, it is critical for insurance companies to boost loyalty to ensure profitability.
Unleashing innovation in IT
IT is still often seen as inflexible and costly
Digitalization has been at the top of the strategic agenda for over a decade (see Figure 1). IT assets, and the function that manages them, are usually seen as the backbone of the digitalization effort.
Smart data management unlocks growth
This is commonly due to a mismatch between technology and business needs, along with a failure to focus on culture and governance in data management projects. Closed company cultures, in particular, make interaction between departments difficult, which often prevents the collection, sharing, and effective use of comprehensive data. This Viewpoint outlines how smart data management and a business-focused approach deliver proven, immediate benefits while unlocking future opportunities for growth.
RPA: Robotic Process Automation
Executive Briefing Series
An 8-part series to be updated weekly from July to September 2019
RPA is changing the way processes are automated. In the following guide we will give insights what RPA is, what can be expected by RPA – now and in future - and how to enable a fast operationalization and scaling of process automation by RPA.
The flywheel concept – A powerful foundation for a successful digital shift
Today’s corporate world requires companies to look for a clear purpose for their business ventures, other than solely maximizing profits. This purpose, or in other words, the “why”, is essential for future success in an ever-changing and more and more digital business environment – to convince not only customers of the company’s offerings, but also investors of opportunities and employees of the company’s strategy.
Implementing a digital shift
Today, every company wants and needs to become digital. However, what this actually entails will be different depending on the industry, size of the company, and competitive environment. Businesses essentially need to find the right degree of digitalization – their digital “equilibrium”. By exploring some of the key problems traditional businesses face on their digital journeys, and how to overcome them, this article outlines how every business can realize the digital shift and create equilibrium.
Managing IT Value
Die IT ist Dreh- und Angelpunkt der Digitalisierung. Dies zu erkennen und die IT darauf auszurichten, stellt für die meisten Unternehmen eine Herausforderung dar. Es stellt sich die Frage, wie man gezielt den Wert der IT verstehen und steuern kann. Die Briefing-Serie „Managing IT Value“ zeigt über mehrere Wochen hinweg praktische Konzepte und Projektbeispiele, um die volle Digitalisierungskraft der IT zu erreichen:
Executive Roundtable: Digitalization
Arthur D. Little’s sixth executive roundtable on “Digitalization” focused on implementation examples of technology-hype topics in different industry contexts, with emphasis on artificial intelligence (AI), robotics process automation (RPA) and blockchain. The cross-industry discussions revealed that certain AI and RPA applications have reached “ready-to-use” maturity and are almost standard in some industries, while they are hardly dealt with in others.
Managing IT Value
Die IT ist Dreh- und Angelpunkt der Digitalisierung. Dies zu erkennen und die IT darauf auszurichten, stellt für die meisten Unternehmen eine Herausforderung dar. Es stellt sich die Frage, wie man gezielt den Wert der IT verstehen und steuern kann. Die Briefing-Serie „Managing IT Value“ zeigt über mehrere Wochen hinweg praktische Konzepte und Projektbeispiele, um die volle Digitalisierungskraft der IT zu erreichen:
CDO versus CIO –a non-zero-sum game
Digital units – savior of innovation?
In recent years digital business units and subsidiaries have been booming across industries to set up organizations for the digital future: the aims of the new units are widespread, from development of new digital business models to building up of digital expertise, application of new working models and enforcement of external collaboration. But in order to create longterm benefits, the digital units need to interact effectively with existing functions and business, which will often have conflicting interests and working principles.
How to scale your Agile right
Being capable to react to change with agility is a key requirement for all companies onboarding digital business models or digital products and processes. It is becoming even more of a necessity to compete. Yet large and grown companies, in particular, see many challenges with the necessary balance between agility and stability – implementing agile methodologies outside the technical domain fails in many cases for many reasons.
The digital (r)evolution of data models
Across industries the digitalization changes the way how real world is represented in company data structures. Product or channel orientation is being replaced by customer centricity:
Executive Roundtable: Digitalization
V. Executive Roundtable – Digitalization
Friday, the 10th of March 2017: For the fifth Executive Roundtable: Digitalization, Volker A. Pfirsching, Partner in Arthur D. Little’s Information Management Practice, welcomed the participants to Arthur D. Little’s office in Frankfurt.
As in previous roundtables, the aim of the event was an interactive session, with discussions to exchange experiences between participants, combined with selected impulse presentations.
Setting objectives and measuring digitalization in Financial Services
Financial companies are investing in digitalization to improve operational costs and meet client expectations, but few can claim success. In this viewpoint we argue that a vast majority of companies seem to have started digitalizing themselves aimlessly, with no clear objectives of how they want to move forward. It's time to re-examine the facts and adjust the course.
Digital Transformation
Turning digital has become a well-understood imperative. Although digital has commonly found its way into corporate strategies, the path to transforming adequately remains unspecified.
More About Volker
- University of RegensburgDiplom-Wirtschaftsinformatiker (Business Information Systems)
- University of RegensburgGraduate of Intercultural Negotiations