Debunking Digital Transformation Myths

Digital transformation is no longer optional, but many organisations still approach it with assumptions that quietly undermine success. Here are three of the most common myths and what real-world experience shows.

Myth 1: “Digital transformation is mostly about technology”

Reality: Technology is only one part of the equation - and rarely the decisive one.

Multiple large-scale studies continue to show that around 70% of digital transformation initiatives fail to meet their objectives, not because the technology doesn’t work, but because of people, culture and execution challenges. McKinsey’s long-running research shows that fewer than one-third of transformations deliver sustained performance improvement.¹

What actually matters: leadership alignment, capability building, communication, and employee engagement. Those organisations that were successful, treated transformation as a behavioural and organisational shift (rather than a systems upgrade). Successful organisations had a clear vision with ownership from senior leaders, invested in digital capability building (not just training) and clear, consistent two-way communication with end users.¹

Myth 2: “If we move fast enough, transformation will deliver quick wins”

Reality: Speed without alignment often increases failure risk.

In many digital transformation programs, pressure to “move fast” leads organisations to compress planning, simplify governance, or bypass user engagement in the hope of delivering visible wins early. The evidence suggests this approach often backfires. Unrealistic expectations around pace and scale drive rework, scope resets, and erosion of trust particularly when delivery speed is prioritised over design quality and organisational readiness.²

What actually works: phased delivery with clear outcomes, sustained sponsorship, and time invested upfront in defining success. Transformation in cumulative, well-integrated changes often deliver more value than large “big bang” releases.²

Myth 3: “Public sector digital transformation just needs the right platform”

Reality: Context, governance, and trust are as critical as technology.

A 2024 OECD review of nearly 800 government innovation case studies across 83 countries found that the most successful public sector transformations focus on co-design with users, scalable digital foundations, data-informed decision-making, and digital skills development.³

What actually works: strong governance, cross-agency collaboration, and sustained investment in people and capability alongside technology.

Key Takeaway

After years of evidence across industries and the public sector, one lesson is clear: digital transformation succeeds when we stop treating it as an IT project and start treating it as an organisational initiative.

For Spatial WA, this is the ethos the Program has instilled from the start, investing the time to understand our users’ needs to deliver real value across government. 
By focusing on how the Digital Twin will support the business drivers across our four priority use cases, we ensure early value is practical, testable, and informed directly by how people use data today. Once proven, the Program will look forward to the future to scale the Digital Twin with confidence, supporting more users and generate real impact.

Sources

1. McKinsey Global Survey on Digital Transformations
2. Tinjan, M. (2024). Waiting for change: a case study on the social construction of digital transformation in the public sector.
3. oecd.org