Motivation for Digital Transformation

Having led several Digital Transformation programs across diverse organisations, a frequent question arises: “How likely is it that my organisation will succeed in this Digital Transformation initiative?” Research shows that success largely depends on the motivation of the people involved, particularly those in leadership roles. So, the real question to ask is:

What motivates people to embrace Digital Transformation?

It took me years to formulate a conclusive answer.

I was fortunate to launch a Digital Transformation program in February 2020—yes, you remember correctly, just as the Covid-19 pandemic began. We had an initial in-person workshop session, and two weeks later, everyone was in lockdown. To cut a long story short, I remember saying, “It's actually fortuitous that we're doing this right now.” Two weeks after that, I distributed a 15-page paper, half of which was written by a psychologist friend on the psychology of shock, while I compiled the other half on reactive countermeasures to business disruption. Just to clarify, some participants had just lost all or most of their income, their employees were largely inactive, and the streets were deserted. I heard cries, complaints, and expressions of despair. Yet, five weeks after that first workshop, we had a fully online session. The participants were smiling, and a sense of hope had returned.

The program continued for over a year, and on the first anniversary of the lockdown, I reviewed the results. Internet traffic had more than doubled, while household energy consumption had risen only 15% (remember, people were at home 24 hours a day for most of this period). Meanwhile, highway traffic decreased by 15% in August, and air travel declined by 75%, yet nearly 50% of people continued remote working. Our participants achieved the best Digital Transformation outcomes we’d seen, with over 80% of them reporting at least 20% better results. Some research indicated that the economy had made progress in one year that was originally forecast to take three. For the first time, I realised that Covid-19 had been a surprisingly effective motivator for Digital Transformation.

Now it’s 2024, four and a half years since the initial lockdown. During the Web Summit in Portugal, I attended a low-key press conference with Oleg Polovynko , Digital Advisor for Kyiv City Hall, about the city’s Digital Transformation efforts. Given the long, difficult war Ukraine has endured so far, and the incredible challenge of operating under constant disruption, I was compelled to attend.

After sharing that Kyiv Digital, the city's "super app," now reaches 80% of residents through direct communication between local government and citizens, he went on to add, “There was a time when we’d say ‘Thanks to Covid…’ in reference to our technology adoption and Smart City initiatives. Now, we’re beginning to say ‘Thanks to the war…’”

That’s powerful! It’s now clearer than ever that regardless of our research or justifications for success, motivation is critical. In times of crisis, resilient people find motivation in their gut, not in their intellect—and then they drive disruption. It’s a paradox: disruption fuels disruption.

So, here’s my message to those working in Digital Transformation: don’t wait to be disrupted to start disrupting.

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