Helping HR Navigate Digital Change and Transformation
Only 30% of digital transformations succeed in achieving their target value and sustainable change. Those that do succeed tend to have digitally proficient teams that are better at aligning strategy, people, process and technology.
Why Digital Transformations Are So Difficult
Top 12 reasons digital transformations fail
Based on a recent thematic analysis of research conducted by leading management consulting firms and IT/HR publications on why digital transformations fail. Click Here for more information on this research.
How to Ensure Digital Change & Transformation Success
The good news - every reason why digital transformations fail are within the control of every organization. These digital failure points are about the organization and not third parties like software vendors or system integrators (as much as they might prefer to think). When we cluster the failure points, four key themes emerge: strategy and governance, people and culture, process and design, and technology and data. Let’s take a look at each theme and how leading digital HR organizations are overcoming the failure points.
1. Strategy & Governance
More successful digital HR programs have:
A clear digital vision and governance model
A transformation program plan and multi-year roadmap
A value realization plan (how success will be measured)
Dedicated digital project management office (PMO)
More agile delivery models and teams with cross-functional representation
Program teams play a critical role in improving the success of digital transformation initiatives through strategy and governance. They help translate enterprise priorities into clear transformation roadmaps, define measurable business outcomes, and align investments to the capabilities that create the most value. At the same time, they establish governance structures and operating models that clarify decision rights, manage dependencies, monitor risks, and enable timely course correction as priorities evolve. By combining strategic alignment with disciplined oversight, successful program teams create greater transparency, accountability, and focus across business and technology stakeholders—helping digital transformation efforts deliver value faster, reduce execution risk, and sustain outcomes over time.
2. People & Culture
More capable digital HR programs have:
Proactive resource planning to ensure program teams have the capability & capacity for success
Strong, tech-savvy leaders with commitment and support from the CEO through mid-management
Change enablement capabilities that fully engage and empower stakeholders, end-users and sustainment teams for the future state
Service mindset - HR teams are service-oriented and obsessed about employee experience
Digital mindset - an open and innovative mindset guides the team's efforts, and effective risk management and risk tolerance keeps them on track and engaged
Growth mindset - employees believe in their abilities and that these can be improved upon over time with effort and learning
Program teams improve the success of digital transformation initiatives by using people management and culture levers to build capable delivery teams, leadership alignment, workforce readiness, and behavioral change needed to sustain new ways of working. They build ‘A-teams’ - A-players with the right capabilities and capacity to successfully deliver the program (e.g., day jobs are backfilled, contingents provide short term expertise). They foster strong, tech and data-savvy leadership—from the CEO through mid-management—to champion the transformation, make informed decisions, model desired behaviors, and reinforce accountability at every level. They also invest in structured change enablement, including clear communication, stakeholder engagement, targeted capability building, and adoption support for end users and sustainment teams. At the same time, leading program teams actively cultivate three key mindsets: a service mindset that keeps employee experience at the center of design and delivery, a digital mindset that encourages experimentation, innovation, and informed risk-taking, and a growth mindset that promotes continuous learning, resilience, and confidence in building new capabilities over time. Together, these levers help organizations accelerate adoption, strengthen engagement, and deliver more successful and lasting digital transformation outcomes.
3. Process & Design
More successful digital HR programs obsess about employee experience - well before technology. They:
Analyze experiences across the employee lifecycle using various methods like workshops, surveys and “listening” technologies
Use Design Thinking and Value-Centered Design tools and methods to co-create solutions with user communities
Deliver experiences and interactions that are intuitive and seamless for employees
Target Operating Models are used to define how people, process and technology components will work together in the ideal future state - a key input to change management efforts
‘Smart Touch’ (not 'High Touch') Service Models deliver scalable support options at the point-of-need. For common user challenges these organizations make use of automated, RPA and AI self-service options. Direct-service options are used strategically and selectively for more complex and impactful support needs where appropriate.
For more information on how to make your HR organization more digitally proficient see this article
4. Technology & Data
More successful digital HR programs take a business-driven approach to technology and data. The following elements drive their technology roadmap: an HR technology strategy informed by business priorities, a disciplined intake process and digital leverage points.
They have an integrated digital HR platform with the following capabilities: built-in leading practices and scalability; interoperability - optimizing information exchange across technologies, devices and channels; and seamless integration of enterprise and third-party applications.
Data excellence is also paramount for these organizations. They have a well-defined data governance model and data controls. Good data accuracy and reliability is what fuels effective HR systems and processes that employees and downstream systems rely on. Without accurate and reliable data like skills and competencies, the HR organization is unable to unlock next level functionality and capability needed to scale and mature as the business demands and challenges require.
Together, a clear technology strategy, an integrated digital platform and data excellence can ensure:
A more seamless, user-centric experience
Downstream systems are able to consume and process necessary data
People analytics teams can produce reports leaders need and trust
Data-driven decision making occurs across the enterprise
Regulatory and compliance issues no longer dominate the executive agenda
The Difference Between Automation and Transformation
Digital HRx is a technology-agnostic HR consultancy dedicated to helping HR teams navigate complex digital transformations and develop their digital capability & capacity in the process.
Wherever you are on your digital journey:
Becoming a Skills-Powered Organization (SPO)
Transitioning to the Cloud
Optimizing or Reimplementing
…we help you (and your implementation partners) realize digital transformation success
We help HR organizations build their digital capabilities and capacity so their reliance on vendors is by choice rather than necessity.
A customer-first, tailored approach that works
1
Program Planning
Program Planning is often the most consequential phase of a digital transformation. Yet many organizations compress this work and, as a result, struggle to produce a clear, credible program plan that executives can evaluate and get behind.
Vision. We begin by aligning on the program vision and high-level case for change. From there, we conduct digital and change readiness assessments to gauge delivery capabilities, gaps and concerns. Finally, we develop a preliminary program plan and roadmap.
Strategize. For digital transformations it’s important to inventory and assess the systems landscape to establish the right technology & AI strategy for the program. In parallel we establish a representative governance framework, delivery model and reporting strategy to ensure the right stake-holders, decision rights, delivery approach, and risk management is in place. This culminates in a program charter and multi-year roadmap for executive approval.
Mobilize. With approval in hand, the team now sets up the Program Management Office, onboards the core program team and kicks off the program to stakeholders.
2
Phase 0 Planning
Otherwise known as the “Discovery Phase”, this is when the core team discovers the right technical solution for the transformation and plans accordingly for its procurement and implementation.
Discover. The team leverages a number of tools and design thinking methods like journey mapping, sentiment analysis and process mapping to understand the current state pain points and opportunities. With this information, the team then focuses on target state opportunities and priorities. Finally, fit-gap analysis and solution design provide the team with a clear statement of scope.
Plan. Using outputs of the Discover stage, the team conducts impact assessments (change, functional, technical) and planning (resourcing, budgeting, value realization planning). The outcome is a practical, business-aligned roadmap, budget, and program plan designed to secure sponsor confidence and enable disciplined delivery. This is presented for executive review and approval.
3
Program Execution
Program Execution includes implementation, post implementation and sustainment/DevOps efforts.
Implementation. During implementation, many programs become overly focused on technology and lose momentum on the people and process changes required to realize business value.
We typically work alongside your system integrator as an embedded extension of the HR organization, providing targeted support to strengthen execution and reduce delivery risk. Our role can include program management, executive reporting, risk management, coaching, and knowledge transfer—all designed to keep the transformation aligned to business priorities while building internal capability for long-term success.
Run, Optimize, Innovate. After go-live, we provide both tactical and strategic support. This helps operational teams stabilize the solution, improve adoption, strengthen service delivery and reinforce the target operating model. The aim to help DevOps remain responsive to changing business needs and positioned for continuous improvement.
“Kevin helped us evolve into a new operating model to guide more consistent projects and deliver more predictable outcomes.”
- Mandy Whiting, VP HR Operations, lululemon