Cultural resistance is often cited as the main reason why digital transformations fail. But is culture really the root of the problem? At Faseo, we believe that behind every cultural barrier lies a more fundamental issue: the lack of shared understanding. If employees don’t agree on the purpose of their work or the goals of the transformation, resistance is inevitable. Clarifying the "why" aligns people faster than any top-down change initiative.

Results of a simple experiment

We recently ran a simple experiment inside the HR department of a large public organisation. It wasn’t formal or scientific – just a series of informal conversations with team members from different levels.

We asked each of them the same question:
“In your opinion, what is the purpose of HR?”

Here are some of the answers we received:

• “To make employees happy.”

• “To ensure legal compliance and avoid litigation.”

• “To provide services that managers need.”

• “To support talent development.”

Every answer was valid in its own way – but none were consistent. No shared mission. No unified narrative. If this small team couldn’t agree on why they exist, how could they align their actions, tools, and ways of working?

And this, we believe, is a major blind spot in digital transformation projects.

Gartner says 64% of digital transformations fail due to “culture”

It’s one of the most quoted stats in the business world. But what does “culture” actually mean? In practice, it’s often used as a catch-all for misalignment, confusion, and internal resistance. But maybe culture isn’t the problem – it’s a symptom.

We believe the real issue is lack of shared understanding:

• of what the organisation is trying to achieve,

• of why transformation is needed,

• of each person’s role in that journey.

Without clarity on these fundamentals, culture becomes fragmented. People cling to old ways of working because the new ones don’t make sense yet.

People don’t resist change – they resist confusion

When goals are clear and meaningful, most people are willing to adapt. Resistance often stems from ambiguity, not bad attitude. From mixed messages. From having to "transform" without knowing why.

Once the purpose is shared and understood, the culture tends to follow. Alignment becomes easier. Collaboration improves. Energy shifts.

That’s why, at Faseo, our approach to transformation always begins with building understanding.

Learn more about how Faseo helps organisations pave the way for mindset shifts through tailored Training and awareness-raising programmes.