As digital initiatives pop up unpredictably across departments, misalignment leads to chaos, wasted investments, and duplicated efforts. This phenomenon — the “Popcorn Effect” — demands modern governance frameworks that promote collaboration without sacrificing agility. Here’s how executive teams can bring order to the chaos and align digital efforts across the organization.
As a mother of three kids under 7, I have become comfortable with chaos. In our household a new challenge, tantrum, joy, or frustration explodes like popcorn every 30 minutes! The secret to coping is to remain calm (I’ll let you know when I fully succeed!) and to set clear boundaries. Fortunately, as the parent I hold most of the cards (namely M&Ms and ice cream) so the governance structure is clear.
Not so for many organizations embarking on a digital strategy.
Digital initiatives often erupt without warning, often uncoordinated, overlapping, and moving at wildly different speeds. One team charges ahead while another lags. Tools are purchased in siloes. Projects duplicate effort or introduce conflicting systems. This is what we call the digital “Popcorn effect”.
Originally coined to describe the decentralized nature of early digital transformation efforts, the metaphor is even more relevant today. Digital strategy now crosses more departments than ever before: marketing, IT, sales, operations, HR. These efforts require alignment and collaboration across functions.
When those efforts aren’t coordinated, chaos follows.
Of course the need to align executive teams on cross-functional initiatives is certainly not new. What’s changed is the complexity of ownership. Digital priorities today span departments with overlapping goals and competing priorities.
In most cases, no single department owns the digital vision. This is exactly why governance matters. Departments must coordinate — not compete — to collaborate, prioritize, and invest in digital strategies that deliver both business and customer value.
Everywhere you look, there's a new tool promising to make your organization more social, more collaborative, more automated, more data-driven — and more chaotic if left unchecked.
Today’s digital tools evolve faster than most organizations can adapt, leaving leadership teams constantly reacting instead of strategically planning.Digital initiatives are now deeply interdependent, consider:
Without a shared digital vision, these technologies can conflict or duplicate efforts — fast.
To be effective, governance now needs to address:
Without these components, even well-intentioned digital initiatives can derail each other.
Yes — and it must.
Many executives hesitate to introduce governance out of fear it will slow teams down. But the opposite is often true: governance enables speed by preventing missteps, rework, and confusion.
The key is creating lightweight but intentional frameworks that:
In short, the right level of centralized oversight improves efficiency while maintaining agility. Governance isn’t about adding red tape. It’s about enabling speed through structure.
This is where your calm, governance-minded leadership makes all the difference. The following questions form a simple but effective checklist:
Answering these fundamental but complex questions takes more than good intentions, it takes governance.
Governance frameworks depend on executive alignment. Without it, siloed initiatives will continue to erupt unpredictably.
Leaders must work toward a common digital roadmap, agree on trade-offs, and commit to resolving conflicts collaboratively.
Just like parenting, staying calm (and consistent) in the face of chaos is part of the job. And while M&Ms and ice cream might work at home, your organization will need a more sustainable approach.
Digital strategy is no longer about isolated tech investments. It’s about building a connected, adaptive infrastructure that supports your company’s long-term goals, and that requires governance.
Without it, the Popcorn Effect persists:
With it, teams move faster together, align on priorities, and deliver lasting value.
Book a meeting with one of our digital strategy experts to start building a digital governance model that aligns strategy, technology, and execution across your organization.
This blog post was originally published in 2015. It has been updated with new content.