New technology often comes with a promise. It can make work faster, improve access to information, and help organizations make better decisions. Whether it is an electronic medical record, a human resource system, an AI tool, automation, or another digital platform, the expectation is usually that technology will make things better. But introducing technology and improving a system are not always the same thing. If the process behind the technology does not work well, digitizing it may simply give us a digital version of the same problem.
I learned this while working on two digitization projects in hospitals in Ethiopia. One involved electronic medical records and the other involved digital human resource management. The technologies were different, but the lessons were similar. One key lessons was the importance of leadership support. It is not enough for leaders to simply approve a new system. People across the organization need to understand why it is being introduced, what problem it is trying to solve, and how it can help employees and leaders. Research on digital transformation also shows that digital transformation is not only about adopting technology. It also involves changes in the organization and how people work.
The people who use the technology also need to be part of the process. They understand the everyday workflow in ways that may not always be visible to leadership or the implementation team. Their feedback can show where the real problems are and whether the new system is making the work better. If employees feel that a new system mainly benefits leadership while making their own work harder, acceptance becomes much more difficult. Research on healthcare professionals and digital transformation points to the importance of healthcare professionals’ participation. WHO Digital Transformation Handbook also focuses on understanding the people who will use the technology and involving them in the process.
Then there is the workflow itself. Imagine that an existing process takes 46 steps. The goal should not automatically be to build a digital system with the same 46 steps. We should first understand why those steps exist. Some may be necessary, but others could be removed, combined, or redesigned. That is where digitization can become an opportunity to improve the process instead of simply copying it onto a screen. WHO Digital Transformation Handbook recommends looking at the current workflow and how it can be improved before deciding how technology should be used.
That is why I think digital transformation should start with the problem, not the technology. Technology can be a powerful tool, but it works best when leadership understands the purpose, the people doing the work have a voice, and the process itself is understood. The solution might be new technology, process change, or both. Instead of only asking “What technology can we introduce?” maybe we should first ask “What problem are we actually trying to solve?”
Have you ever used a new technology that really made your work easier? Or one that simply turned an old problem into a digital one? I would love to hear your experience in the comments.
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