The human factor in digital transformation: why technology alone doesn't work

Something IT suppliers would rather not tell you: the best technology in the world is worthless if you can't bring your people along. Digital transformationHelping your organisation work smarter with technology, not as an IT project but as a way of working. is 20% about technology and 80% about people.

An SME in Mechelen proved it quite literally: a brand-new ERP systemA single system that brings together core processes such as inventory, accounting and orders., with every feature there is. Cost: almost 200,000 euros. The result after six months? Half the team still uses Excel lists, and productivity has fallen by 15%.

The problem isn't the software

Most digital transformations don't fail because of bad technology. They fail because we forget that behind every screen sits a person, with habits, with fears, and sometimes with good reasons to resist the change. We see this pattern again and again: companies invest a fortune in new systems but forget to invest in the people who have to work with them. It's like buying a Ferrari and forgetting that someone has to learn to drive it.

The three biggest human pitfalls

1. Communication that everyone assumes someone else is handling. Management assumes IT will announce the change. IT assumes management will. Nobody does. The team hears about it through the grapevine and is already sceptical before the first demo begins.
2. Training instead of guidance. Two days of training and then leaving people to it is not guidance. People don't learn by seeing something once; they learn by making mistakes in a safe setting. Allow three to six months for people to get used to it.
3. No room for the dissenting voice. Anyone who is critical is often written off as resistant to change. But that 'negative' voice usually points to a real problem that will surface later anyway. Better early than late and expensive.

So how do you get it right?

Successful transformation starts with listening. Really listening. Not to what people say they need, but to what they actually do.

We handled a project in Ghent differently. Instead of starting with technology, we first held informal 'coffee chats' with each team, simply talking about everyday frustrations. No PowerPoints, no jargon. We discovered that the real problem wasn't the old system, but the way departments failed to communicate with each other.

We started by improving how people worked together. Only after that did we introduce new tools. More importantly, we let the teams themselves choose which features they wanted to use, and when. Six months later the whole company was using the system. Not because they had to, but because it genuinely made their work better.

Time for action

One thing to remember: technology is a tool, not a miracle cure. Real change happens when people feel heard, are involved, and are given the time to grow into their new way of working.

Do you have a digital project in mind yourself? Don't start by comparing software packages. Start by having a coffee with your team. Ask what would really help them. The answers usually surprise you. And if you're not yet sure where the first step lies, take the quickscan for a quick first picture.