Four Strategies to Evolve Culture in Digital Transformation
As more companies undertake digital transformation, cultural implications – and risk to organizational profits – are tremendous. This work involves complex waves of operational and strategic adaptation – at a time when companies are also managing four generations in the workplace (not all digital native) and rapid acceleration of change cycles.
For change management leaders, digital transformation isn’t just about new tools or systems – it’s about empowering people to navigate and embrace change.
At the heart of every successful digital initiative is culture – habits of thought and action that can be big barriers. Reshaping culture to influence how employees think, feel, and act in the face of digital transformation is essential, to identify and dismantle barriers – and ultimately ensure ROI in your digital initiative.
As champions of the people side of change, change management professionals are uniquely positioned to help teams reveal the organizational culture mindsets – outdated and new – that enable digital transformation.
Use these four simple and powerful strategies to craft tactics that will ensure cultural alignment and employee adoption of your vision.
1. Foster a Culture of Continuous Learning
Change starts with people feeling confident and capable. Organizations that prioritize learning help employees bridge the gap between today’s skills and tomorrow’s demands. DO NOT short-change the learning process – rather adapt it to modern needs and timetables. (eg, shorter, more frequent learning sessions and chat forums). Consider Microsoft’s growth mindset in their transformation, where learning became a cultural cornerstone. Their investments in platforms like LinkedIn Learning created a ripple effect of innovation and engagement.
For Change Leaders: Start with quick wins. Design bite-sized learning modules tied directly to the digital tools employees are expected to use. Build a ladder of step-by-step wins and successful knowledge, and show people how to apply it immediately. Create safe spaces— virtual and in-person—for employees to ask questions and share success stories.
2. Emphasize Collaboration Across Silos
Resistance often stems from a lack of connection between teams. Procter & Gamble’s use of digital collaboration tools (Teams, Miro Board) paired with cultural shifts to break down silos, showcases the power of uniting people. Change management leaders play a critical role here by fostering trust and a shared sense of ownership.
For Change Leaders: Introduce collaboration frameworks like RACI (Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, Informed) and encourage joint problem-solving workshops. Celebrate team wins to reinforce the value of working together.
3. Reinforce Agility and Experimentation
As stewards of change, you know that fear of failure is one of the biggest blockers to transformation. Fear is the natural response to being outside the comfort zone – so make sure you build into the process, how people can express concerns. Leaders at Amazon’s AWS built an agile culture by reframing failure as a learning opportunity. Employees were empowered to iterate, experiment, and pivot without fear or retribution. While I’m sure isn’t always easy – and likely isn’t perfect even at AWS – the habit is worth the patience to build.
For Change Leaders: Lead by example. Share stories of your own learning moments, and publicly recognize employees or teams who take risks—even if the outcomes aren’t perfect. This demonstrates that adaptability is more valuable than perfection. Find ways to create collaborative forums people WANT to attend. Provide simple tools that address in-the-moment learning challenges (over complex websites that confuse people.)
4. Lead with a Clear Vision
A clear, compelling vision ensures employees understand not just what is changing but why it matters. When LEGO aligned its digital initiatives with its mission of fostering creativity, employees rallied behind the change, seeing its relevance to the company’s DNA.
For Change Leaders: Bring the vision to life through storytelling. Host workshops where employees can reflect on how the transformation aligns with their personal values and career aspirations. Preferably some of these in person, which elevatesthe energy and engagement! Ensure frequent and consistent messaging through real-life wins and lessons learned, to anchor the transformation journey to the organization’s mission.
Case Study: Empowering People to Drive Digital Success
Challenge: A retail company’s digital transformation faltered as employees resisted adopting new CRM software, citing lack of clarity and connection to their daily work.
Solution: The change leaders took the following steps:
Partnered with IT to co-design user-friendly training tailored to specific roles.
Introduced cross-departmental champions to model best practices and support peers.
Shared customer success stories in town halls to connect the new technology to examples of real-world impact.
Created a “Vision Playbook” to guide employees in aligning their goals with the transformation strategy.
Result: Within a year, software adoption rates exceeded 85%, and employee satisfaction scores rose by 30%.
Final Thoughts for Change Leaders
As a change management professional, you have the tools and influence to bridge the gap between technology and people.
But more than anything else, you bring the empathy and understanding, that change is hard at times. Frustrating. A long-game.
Empathic change leaders are the super-heroes of all transformation efforts.
Applying the culture lens in addition (habits, beliefs, values that are weighty anchors to old strategies) during any transformation helps reshape a more modern culture that is ready to adapt and energized to tackle challenges.
While not prescriptive for all your nuances, these 4 strategies are a navigation tool. Keeping them handy – and ensuring your efforts include them – will help your organization avoid the embarrassing and expensive failures of many digital transformation initiatives. .
Which of these strategies resonates most with your work?
I would love hear your insights and experiences on how culture drives transformation!
Cheers until next time,
Lisa Jackson
