Perhaps the problem is not always with the people using the technology. Sometimes, it is worth examining the system we have built around it.

I was having a discussion with a CEO recently.

CEO: People are not using the tool we have designed. It has all the features we need. We have tested everything, and it works beautifully, end to end.

Me: Have you understood how people are currently working? Did you involve them before deciding what to build?

CEO: Is that relevant? Haven’t you heard the famous Henry Ford quote? If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses.

Me: I like this argument. 🙂

And I do agree with him, to an extent.

People may not always know what is possible. Asking them what they want could simply lead to improvements to the way they already work.

But understanding people is not the same as asking them to design the solution.

There is something else we need to understand.

Before the new tool arrived, people were already working in a certain way. They had their routines, familiar processes and ways of communicating. The organisation had gradually developed its own rhythm.

Now, we introduce a new tool and expect everyone to adapt.

But has anything else changed?

The manager still asks for updates on WhatsApp. The team continues maintaining its spreadsheets. The existing process remains largely the same. The new application becomes one more thing people are expected to use.

We have introduced new technology, but the organisation continues to reinforce its old ways of working.

Perhaps this is where we need to look more closely.

A digital tool does not operate independently. It becomes part of an existing ecosystem of people, processes, decisions and relationships.

If we change one part without understanding how it interacts with the others, the outcome may not be what we intended.

So, perhaps the question should not simply be:

“Why are people not using the tool we built?”

Perhaps we should also ask:

“Have we built an ecosystem that helps people work better, or have we simply introduced another tool into the way they already work?”

This does not mean people should decide everything, or that every existing practice should be preserved. Leaders must still imagine better possibilities and make difficult choices.

But perhaps transformation works better when people are part of the journey.

Understand how they work. Imagine what could work better. Introduce changes, observe what happens and keep improving.

As people learn, the organisation learns too.

The technology evolves, working practices evolve and new possibilities emerge.

Perhaps digital transformation is not about getting people to adapt to the technology we introduce. It is about helping people and the organisation evolve with the possibilities that technology creates.

And maybe that is a better measure of adoption.

Not simply how many people use the tool, but how much better the organisation becomes through it.