You Can’t Code Your Way to Adoption
I recently had a chat with Val Jelinic, a senior leader in digital transformation with over 30 years of experience, on something that most technology companies get wrong: the belief that digital transformation is primarily about technology.
Val’s perspective is clear and, frankly, uncomfortable for those of us who love building solutions:
“Technology on its own doesn’t guarantee success. The real transformation happens when people understand it, people adopt it, and they make it part of how they work every day."
Let me explain why this matters and why ignoring this principle is costing your organization time, money, and trust.
The 80/20 Rule You’re Probably Inverting
Here’s the harsh reality: 80% of digital transformation is about people, and only 20% is about technology.
Yet most organizations do the exact opposite:
- 80% of the budget goes to technology, tools, and platforms
- 20% (or less) goes to change management, training, and adoption
- Result: Expensive tools that nobody uses
Val shared a perfect example from his experience. A company rolled out a powerful scheduling tool to streamline operations. The technology was solid. The implementation was technically successful.
What happened?
Half the organization kept using the old paper-based system. Instead of streamlining work, everything slowed down. Frustration increased. The digital transformation created more friction than it solved.
Why? Because nobody asked the people who would actually use the tool what they needed. Nobody prepared them for the change. Nobody earned their trust.
The Parallel Universe Problem
This is something I’ve observed countless times in IoT deployments:
Digital transformation often creates a parallel universe to what already exists. Instead of simplifying operations, it adds yet another tool that operators must learn and use daily.
The result?
- Old system still has critical data
- New system doesn’t have complete information
- People split between two worlds
- Both systems fail to deliver value
Val put it perfectly: “You can throw a lot of resources at developing and coding platforms and systems, but you can’t force people to use them."
You can’t code your way to adoption.
What Actually Works: The Three Pillars
Based on Val’s experience leading digital transformations across industries - from rolling out GSM networks globally to contributing to the LoRa Alliance - he identified three cornerstones of successful change management:
1. Empowerment
Give people the right to question the change:
- Why are we doing this?
- What purpose does it serve?
- How will this help me do my job better?
If you can’t answer these questions clearly and concisely, you don’t understand the change well enough to lead it.
2. Leadership
Real leadership means:
- Being accountable for the change
- Communicating at all levels of the organization
- Taking responsibility when things fail
As Val emphasized: “A good leader steps up when there is failure and takes the accountability and ownership of that collective failure."
3. The Right to Fail
This might surprise you, but failure is not the enemy.
Organizations that punish failure create cultures where:
- People hide problems until they’re catastrophic
- Innovation stops because risk is too dangerous
- Nobody tries anything new
Failing fast is valuable because you discover what doesn’t work quickly and can pivot toward what will succeed.
The Champion Your Organization Needs
Every successful digital transformation needs a champion - someone who:
✅ Has a vision and can communicate it clearly
✅ Understands both top-down strategy and bottom-up reality
✅ Can translate technical value into human terms
✅ Listens more than they talk
✅ Earns trust through honesty and accountability
This champion doesn’t need to be the CEO. But they need empowerment to make decisions and the trust of both leadership and frontline workers.
Val shared a powerful insight about one CEO he worked with:
“He always brought things down to a human level. ‘How do you feel about what we’re going to do? Do you believe this can help you personally?’ He was able to get down to the same level and talk peer to peer about the change."
That’s the difference between forcing change and enabling transformation.
The Worst Possible Starting Point
Want to know the fastest way to fail at digital transformation?
Start because “competitors are doing it.”
I’ve seen this pattern repeatedly:
- Company panics because competitors have deployed some technology
- Leadership demands immediate implementation
- Nobody understands why competitors chose that path
- Nobody asks if it fits their organization
- Result: Expensive failure
Val compared this to waking up Friday evening and deciding to run a triathlon on Saturday because everyone else is doing it. You’ll fail catastrophically.
Instead, successful organizations:
✅ Understand their business needs first
✅ Evaluate technologies against specific requirements
✅ Prepare their people for change gradually
✅ Build a roadmap that makes change natural, not traumatic
The Digital Twin Dilemma
We discussed an interesting challenge: How do you convince a skilled mechanic to share all their knowledge to create a digital twin of their expertise - without them fearing they’ll be replaced?
Val’s answer was right to the point:
“People want to be valued. People want to be respected. People want to be useful. Find a way of engaging with this person where their usefulness and input is so valued for the success of the output that it could not be replaced by anybody else."
It’s about:
- Recognition of their unique contribution
- Pride in being part of something bigger
- Trust that their value increases, not decreases
- Honesty about what you’re building and why
When people feel seen and valued, they become your strongest advocates for change.
Honesty: The Underrated Superpower
One theme that emerged repeatedly in our conversation: honesty.
Val emphasized: “Honesty takes a lot of courage."
In digital transformation, this means:
- Admitting when something isn’t working
- Communicating bad news quickly
- Being transparent about challenges and risks
- Acknowledging when you don’t have all the answers
Organizations that punish honesty create cultures where problems hide until they explode. Organizations that reward honesty build trust and solve problems faster.
The Military Lesson on Leadership
Val shared a powerful story from his 10 years in the Royal Australian Air Force.
His commanding officer didn’t order him to take on a difficult mission in unpleasant conditions. Instead, the officer asked:
“Would you mind if you went and did this particular thing? It would help me very much and would help our unit very much. Could you do that for me?"
When Val returned from the mission, there was no fanfare. Just a handshake and a sincere thank you.
That moment set Val’s benchmark for leadership. Not because of the rank or authority, but because of the respect shown through the simple act of asking rather than commanding.
That’s the kind of leadership digital transformation needs.
What This Means for Your Organization
If you’re leading or participating in a digital transformation initiative, ask yourself:
🔹 Are we spending 80% of our effort on people and adoption?
🔹 Do we have a champion who can bridge technology and human needs?
🔹 Are we listening to the people who will actually use these tools?
🔹 Have we created a culture where honesty and failure are safe?
🔹 Are we starting with business needs or just copying competitors?
If you answered “no” to most of these questions, you’re not alone. Most organizations get this wrong.
But now you know better.
The Hard Truth
Val and I are both “crazy people” who thrive in change. We’ve chosen careers in IoT and digital transformation where change is inevitable.
But we’re not representative of 80% of people in organizations. Most people want stability, predictability, and security. Change is scary.
Our job - whether as consultants, architects, or leaders - is to make that change less scary. To build trust. To show that we have their backs. To prove that the transformation will make their work better, not just different.
As Val put it: “Digital transformation is never really about the technology. It’s really about the success when people adopt it and embrace the change and gain a benefit from it."
Final Thoughts
Technology is the easy part. You can buy software, deploy infrastructure, and integrate systems.
People are the hard part.
But if you get the people part right - if you invest that 80% of effort in change management, communication, training, and trust-building - the technology will follow.
And your digital transformation will actually transform something.
👉 What’s your experience? Have you seen digital transformations fail because of the people side? Or succeed because someone got it right? I’d love to hear your stories.
Video Interview
Special thanks to Val Jelinic for sharing his insights and experiences. You can connect with Val on LinkedIn to learn more about his work in digital transformation and IoT.