Dialogue: Change is the Only Constant

Cooley Group President and CEO, Dan Dwight – our 2024 Manufacturing Leader of the Year – explores digital transformation, cultural change and what’s next. 

Jeff Puma: Hello everybody and welcome to our third edition of the Manufacturing Leadership Journal Executive Dialogue series. We’re excited today to be joined by Dan Dwight, Cooley Group president and CEO, and this is an exciting time to have Dan with us. For those who were at the Manufacturing Leadership Awards this year you know that Cooley Group was a finalist in three categories: AI and Machine Learning, Operational Excellence, and Transformative Business Cultures. And, on top of that, they won the Small and Medium Enterprise Manufacturer of the Year, the Manufacturing in 2030 Award, and individually Dan was awarded Manufacturing Leader of the Year.

Dan, welcome and congrats on all that recognition and all the great work you’re doing at Cooley Group.

Dan Dwight: Great, thank you. I appreciate it and appreciate the recognition by my fellow manufacturing peers in the industry. So thank you.

JP: Let’s jump into some questions here. In your time leading Cooley Group, you have overseen a sweeping and large-scale digital transformation of the company’s operations. Given your experience what do you think are the essential qualities that manufacturing leaders need to have in the digital era?

DD: In my view a successful, large-scale digital transformation requires not only an operational transformation, but also cultural and leadership transformations. Successful leadership in the digital era demands, among other things, a higher level of transparency across the organization. This transparency enables a higher level of employee engagement in the transformational processes. Your team needs to see the road map in front of them because successful and sweeping transformations are extremely time consuming with a lot of jagged edges that the leadership team needs to address. Cooley is a decade into our transformation, and we have the battle scars to show for it, but in the process our digital leadership team has created a high, high level of team member transparency and engagement that is driving constant change.

JP: So you’re a decade in and you alluded to some of that change that’s happening. Beyond strategizing and deploying an update to your technologies, you’ve also made many strategic business culture changes. What are the key cultural elements that can enable a successful digital transform?