Digital transformation is all about people

The power of technology can transform organizations. Technology can create new workplaces and new ways of working—and bring new services and exciting opportunities to businesses and consumers alike.

Delivering a major technology program is always a complex journey, full of challenges and, inevitably, a mix of triumphs and setbacks. When things get difficult, it’s important to keep a sense of perspective, to remember all the things that have gone well, and to draw on your experience of how you overcame challenges in the past.

Improving lives

I marvel at what today’s technology is capable of delivering. But, at the same time, it’s vital to remember that technology is, for the most part, simply a way to make people's lives better—whether in work, in their homes, or in society as a whole. Digital transformation programs succeed when teams come together with common goals and a shared desire to get the job done.

So, ultimately, it’s all about people. I’ve been regularly reminded of this fact throughout Uniper’s partnership with ServiceNow. We’ve been deploying the Now Platform® as the bedrock of an integrated and streamlined IT environment across our energy business, which spans Europe, the Americas, and Asia.

Although ServiceNow technology has delivered digital transformation that’s resulted in business and commercial benefits for us, the benefits for our people are just as significant.

Our teams are more motivated and productive. They’re more connected and have a much clearer understanding of how their contributions support the work of colleagues elsewhere. Many low-value, manual, repetitive tasks have been automated, freeing time for our people to engage in higher-value, more challenging, and more rewarding tasks.

A people-first approach

Additionally, our digital transformation has confirmed my view that although ServiceNow is a very successful technology business, it’s ultimately a people business. The company understands success is about enabling people to work collaboratively and to share ideas and expertise.

That’s why its Knowledge® conferences are so impressive—they’re great opportunities to share experiences, learn from others, and help colleagues who face similar challenges.

ServiceNow listens. Whenever we discuss a change in our requirements or an idea that would improve things for us, ServiceNow does its utmost to help. As a result, the Now Platform is constantly evolving—and that’s cool.

Reinforcing the significance of the people dimension confirms my view of the importance of taking internal colleagues with you on the digital transformation journey, setting realistic expectations, listening to their hopes and fears, and putting the user experience at the front and center of our strategy.

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