Tech is only half the transformation—don't forget the people

Fast Company

12 hours ago

You just launched a new platform. The tech is live, the dashboards are humming, and the project milestones are moving along as planned. But three months in, something's off.
Adoption is lagging. Teams are skeptical. Progress has stalled.
If this sounds familiar, you're not alone. In my experience, too many transformation efforts focus on technology and process while overlooking the most critical factor: people.
Real, lasting transformation doesn't happen because you install new software. It happens when you empower the humans behind the change.
THE CHANGE MANAGEMENT GAP
According to McKinsey, 56% of business leaders say their organizations have achieved most or all of their transformation goals. But only 12% have sustained those goals beyond three years.
That gap is where change management lives and where most efforts fall short. It's easy to roll out a new tool. It's much harder to unlearn old habits, align cross-functional teams, or win over skeptics. Yet that's where the real opportunity lies for aspiring changemakers.
McKinsey also finds that organizations that put people at the center of change are 3.4 times more likely to achieve and sustain performance gains—not because they work harder, but because they work smarter, with intention and empathy.
HOW CHANGEMAKERS EMPOWER PEOPLE
A powerful example of people-first transformation comes from Air France-KLM, which recently worked with my company to replace multiple legacy content management systems with a single platform across all brands and channels. Throughout the process, the management team recognized that transformation isn't just about technology:
• They merged product and content teams from Air France and KLM, using intercultural workshops to build trust and collaboration.
• They prioritized user adoption, providing extra training and support for business users less familiar with content management tools.
• They communicated openly, maintained clear documentation, and ensured responsive support to manage uncertainty.
• They celebrated milestones to reinforce progress and boost morale.
• They established a two-way feedback loop with my team at Contentstack, surfacing user pain points and informing platform enhancements.
If you want transformation to stick, you need more than a go-live date. You need to empower the people driving the change. Here's how:
1. Align change with purpose.
Before introducing any tool or process, tie it to a clear, meaningful business outcome. If your goal is to reduce time-to-market for digital campaigns, show how the new system streamlines publishing across regions or channels. If you're aiming for more personalized customer experiences, connect the dots between composable content and one-to-one engagement.
As a changemaker, you need to make that alignment obvious. Draw a straight line from your platform or initiative to a tangible business win. When that connection is clear, it's easier for internal champions to advocate for change and harder for detractors to push back.
2. Activate champions.
Find internal collaborators early—people who speak their colleagues' language, model new behaviors, and provide honest feedback.
The best way to activate champions? Show how the change solves their specific challenges. Their pain points often reflect broader organizational needs; when people see their frustrations addressed, they become advocates.
And don't forget: vendors have champions, too—customer success managers, solution architects, and industry thought leaders who can amplify learning and momentum across organizations.
3. Tackle resistance with empathy.
Resistance is natural when people are asked to leave familiar ways of working behind. Instead of pushing harder, get curious about what's behind the hesitation.
At Levi's (another client of Contentstack), when the digital team proposed eliminating PDF mockups in favor of live previews, creatives initially balked; PDFs were central to their workflow. By making the change optional at first, they gave people space to adapt. Over time, creatives embraced the new process because they saw its value.
As a changemaker (or tech provider), recognize that you may be seen as a disruptor (or outsider). Listen closely, adapt, and co-create with your stakeholders. When you acknowledge concerns and show flexibility, resistance becomes a catalyst for trust.
4. Enable teams for ongoing success.
Modern transformation requires clearly defined roles, skill development, and ongoing support. Ask yourself: Are the right people in the right seats with the tools they need to succeed? Sometimes, enablement means unblocking; sometimes, it means rallying; sometimes, it means getting out of the way.
Tech partners can play a critical role here—through AI Accelerators, customer conferences, peer communities, and other shared learning opportunities that help people and teams grow into modern heroes.
VENDORS WON'T SURVIVE—PARTNERS WILL
True partners earn trust when things get messy—when resistance surfaces or priorities shift—and stay present long after go live.
If you're not guiding your customers through the human side of transformation, you're becoming replaceable. Transformation isn't just about new tools. It's about new ways of working and leading. That kind of change demands changemakers who champion people first—and partners who walk alongside them every step of the way.