AI Development
February 3, 2026
10 min read
One of the goals of the Innovantage podcast is to help businesses better understand what is happening in the digital world and how they can leverage tech advancements to improve their processes and get benefits in the long run. This episode fully aligns with his goal as it is dedicated to digital transformation at enterprises and the most efficient approaches to it.
To cover this topic, Max Golikov, the podcast host and the CBDO at Sigli, invited Stijn Viaene to join the discussion.
Currently, Stijn is a professor and partner at Vlerick Business School & KU Leuven. One of the core subjects that he is working on is exploring the best ways to create business value with investments in technology. His career started 25 years ago with research on insurance fraud. But some years later, when the concept of digital transformation entered the game, Stijn focused on it. Now, for more than a decade already, he has been working in this domain, which allowed him to get great experience and an impressively deep understanding of the peculiarities of this process.
Digital transformation has become a hot topic these days. However, in many companies, there is still a lot of confusion and disagreement on what it actually means. For some of them, this process presupposes the implementation of tech solutions into their operations. Nevertheless, just using technology, even the latest one, doesn’t make this usage transformational.
According to Stijn, digital transformation is a strategic way to respond to the threats of not surviving and the opportunity to thrive in a digital economy. The main idea behind the implementation of any tech solutions should be changing an organization for the better.
What is the key difference between digital transformation projects and just tech projects?
Stijn explained that digital transformation projects are not only new solutions that you invest in. They are not just shiny things that may look exciting or trendy. They should always be based on a strategy and a clear vision of how you will reshape your enterprise in the process of their realization.
Of course, today, when there are so many new products and tools, businesses may be confused with all this variety. However, implementing all of them at once won’t bring any value. It’s much more important not just to follow all the trends but to create a well-thought-out plan for a long-term sustainable transformation.
It’s quite obvious thing that the digital world is very dynamic. Given this, people who are preparing for digital transformation in their organizations have to start looking at things in the right way to find the best approach to such changes. Highlighting this, Stijn shared three tips.
Acceptance of the reality. We are living in the VUCA (volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity) world. We can’t deny that there is a lot of turbulence these days and it is impossible to hide or run away from it. There is no sense in waiting for someone to come up with a magical recipe and solve all the issues. If you get to navigate that turbulence better than your competitors, then you will win the game. That’s why the first thing to do is to accept that the world is turbulent. But at the same time, this situation provides a lot of opportunities to win the competition.
Systemic view on changes. You also need to understand correctly the nature of the change you will get yourself into. This nature of the change is systemic. It means that digital transformation is not just a task for your technology department or marketing team. Digital transformation should cover all elements and levels of your organization.
The right mindset. One of the worst things that people can do at the beginning of such a transformation journey is to look for an easy way out. There is no single tool kit for conducting transformation. People should understand that there is a lot of work to be done and be ready for it.
Digital transformation is not something that you can do in a year or two. This process won’t stop. It’s not just a project with clear timeframes. There will be a continuous stream of digital opportunities and threats that will come in the future and, as Stijn explained, there won’t be any end to it.
Transformation journeys for large enterprises and small and medium-sized businesses are quite different. This is explained by the peculiarities of such organizations, as well as the opportunities that are available for them.
The main difference is related to the fact that smaller businesses are more restricted in resources. Given this, the need to focus on some projects and initiatives is bigger for them. They can’t allocate much attention to many things at once. This can become a difficulty for such companies.
But at the same time, they have more opportunities to work in partnerships with other organizations. Smaller businesses are usually more open to joining forces with others than big corporations that usually perceive the necessity to collaborate with other market players as a weakness or as a chance to dominate.
In reality, for many businesses, the strength lies exactly in alliances and partnerships in the ecosystem of equals.
Partnerships can (and should) be win-win, which means that both parties need to be not just looking for the benefits but also willing to invest their efforts and resources in such common projects.
One of the major challenges in digital transformation for everyone is overcoming the mindset that prioritizes short-term gains. Many organizations strive for immediate results, often at the expense of long-term value. This mindset is antithetical to successful digital transformation because true success requires consistent investment in infrastructure, processes, and cultural change.
However, completely ignoring short-term wins is not the solution either. Human psychology demands instant gratification. Therefore, offering periodic quick wins can help maintain motivation and engagement. The key is to frame these short-term achievements as steps toward the larger goal, ensuring they align with the long-term strategy.
Stijn highlighted that changing an organization’s mindset is one of the hardest challenges leaders face during digital transformation. The key is not to fight the existing culture but to work with it. Leaders must identify the gap between the current mindset and the ideal mindset, and then carefully plan strategies to bridge that gap. This involves choosing battles wisely because some areas may not be worth changing just at the very beginning, while others will require significant focus.
Good leaders also should realize that they cannot change everyone. It’s essential to identify individuals who are resistant to change and find ways to either confine their influence or part ways if necessary. It is much better to spend energy on those who are open to change as well as on new hires who will bring fresh perspectives and align with the desired mindset. Such people can act as agents of transformation.
Talent remains one of the most valuable resources for organizations undergoing digital transformation. The global competition for skilled workers, particularly in tech, is high. Organizations need a clear talent strategy to attract, retain, and develop the skills required for success in the digital age.
Short-term layoffs for cost-cutting might seem appealing but they always come with risks. Firing thousands today with the hope of rehiring tomorrow is neither fair nor sustainable. It can negatively affect the company’s reputation and lead to a loss of critical talent to competitors.
According to Stijn, currently, we are at a moment when a lot of people realize that certain assumptions about AI that they might have made in the past are no longer necessarily true.
One of such assumptions is related to how AI can be applied. Many of us used to think that people will always be responsible for everything that involves creativity and curiosity, while technology will perform some routine and boring work.
However, since 2012–2013, when the world just started talking about digital transformation, this illusion has gradually disappeared. Now, with such models like ChatGPT, significantly more things than we expected are possible.
Today we can hear the brightest writers say the best poems that they read in the last couple of years were written by an AI. This proves that AI actually can do things that are based on creativity.
It’s interesting that in the context of discussing the potential of this technology, there are also a lot of talks about the nature of our humanity, our role, and our real differences from AI. There are also questions related to the ethical principles underlying the use of this technology and the risks that are onboarded by companies and societies when introducing AI.
Stijn believes that before starting to use artificial intelligence, we need to find answers to a row of important questions.
How will we use AI? Will we just put it in the function of automating work or will we try to prioritize the augmentation of humans in the work environment?
Actually, the second option doesn’t exclude automation. However, it puts automation at the level of support for augmentation. Here, Stijn stressed that the business cases for the augmentation of AI will be totally different from the business cases for AI automation.
People like Elon Musk have a quite transformative vision of the future. They have already tried to build entire factories that were expected to run with zero workers. Such factories didn’t work. But that’s not because the people behind such projects didn’t believe in such projects. That’s just because the technology was not yet ready.
In the future, it will be vital for the leadership and companies to show their real stance on the relationship between human workers and technology. That’s an important point that will demonstrate their vision of the future not only for their businesses but also for society in general.
If a lot of companies follow Musk’s principles, the distribution of wealth in the world will be incredibly uneven. Based on their vision, companies define in what technologies they will invest. The link between these choices and the survival of companies becomes very tight.
Stijn explained that if he had to make a decision regarding such investments today, he would put money into transforming a company into a learning organization. In such an organization, everyone strongly believes that learning is part of their job.
Today, a lot of companies that are planning digital transformation, invite third-party consultants or companies to guide them through this journey. As Stijn quite often acts as such a coach and consultant, Max asked him to provide practical recommendations to those people who are employed for such tasks.
Tip 1. The main thing that any company providing such services should do is to prepare a really good answer to one question: “What makes you the best digital transformation partner for your customers?”. And what is even more important is that the answer shouldn’t differ when the same question is asked to any employee at this company.
Tip 2. As a consultant, you need to have, demonstrate, and help to develop certain mindsets. Given this, consultants shouldn’t say “yes” to everything a customer asks them for. Consultants should be ready to be sparing partners. They need to be critically constructive. They should walk away when they really think that something is not going to work, while customers still insist on their own vision. It can be very tough because some good money might be involved. Nevertheless, namely, this can help to create the right reputation.
Tip 3. There’s also competition between consultants. That’s why it is very important to stand out from the row of companies with similar services. To do this, it is required to establish close contact with customers and make them part of your tribe.
Stijn understands the needs and challenges of all parties that can be involved in the process of digital transformation. In the discussion with Maxim, he also shared his ideas that can be helpful for executives who are planning to start digital transformation at their organizations.
At first glance, it may seem that digital transformation is mainly about technology. However, as Stijn Viaene explained, successful digital transformation is not only about that. It’s also about people, their mindsets, and their approach to change. By focusing on vision, talent, and strategic balance, organizations can navigate the complexities of digital transformation and position themselves for sustainable success in the digital age.
If you want to find out more details of this conversation, we recommend you listen to the full version of this podcast. And to learn more about business and technology in the modern world, do not miss the next episodes of the Innovantage podcast hosted by Max Golikov.
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