Mitigating Employee Harm in Digital Transformation

<p>Neglecting the human dimensions of change remains a critical blind spot in digital transformation, often leading to employee harm and contributing to the high failure rate of transformation initiatives. The failure of digital transformation initiatives and the harm experienced by employees are attributable to a lack of appropriate “human-centered” change approaches. Human-centered design (HCD), an approach that integrates business and technical needs to deliver what people require, is an emerging major ingredient for digital transformation success. This literature review provides a critical synthesis of current research examining how HCD and change management (CM) are combined in practice. A structured search using terms related to CM, HCD, frameworks, digital transformation, and harm identified thirty-one articles. Three forms of employee harm attributable to digital transformation are identified and discussed in the literature: technostress, digital transformation stress (DTS), and digital working stress. This review also highlights three methods of integrating CM and HCD frameworks to better navigate change and organizational challenges to mitigate these harms. These findings reinforce the need for further empirical research on the employee impact of digital transformation, challenges, and opportunities of adopting human-centered approaches, and the evolving role of designers in supporting CM as a potentially expanded professional practice.</p>