The human equation of change and its impact on data transformation initiatives 

In this Q&A, Lynn Durant, Managing Director of Executive Search at Highspring, shares why a successful transformation starts with clarity, communication, and people. 

Every transformation, whether it involves data, AI, or a broad organizational shift, ultimately comes down to people. Technology can and does power intelligence, but your workforce is what brings that intelligence to life. So, as your organization works to strengthen its data foundations to drive transformation, a critical question emerges. Do your people have the clarity and shared context needed to turn readiness for change into real movement? 

To explain how organizations can answer this critical question, Lynn Durant, Managing Director of Executive Search at Highspring, shared her thoughts on the human side of transformation—where so many change efforts lose momentum. She also highlights key points leaders consistently overlook and why communication remains the most underestimated driver of success for organizations and people. 

Durant says it all boils down to this: Change doesn’t fail because leaders lack strategy. Change fails when teams are missing understanding. 

Q: Why do so many change initiatives fail, even when the plans seem straightforward? 

Durant: In most cases, it comes down to an assumption gap. Leaders have been thinking about the change for months, but their teams are hearing about it for the first time. The assumption is that everyone shares leadership’s context and viewpoint. As a result, leaders move too quickly, and people get left behind. Leaders may assume people are resisting change when, in fact, they just don’t understand it. 

This is rarely a strategy problem, and it’s most often a communication problem. That’s why organizations need upfront education and kickoff conversations that actually transfer the full context of a project to the people who will make change happen. When people understand the “why,” the “how” stops feeling overwhelming. 

Q: Before adopting AI or advanced data platforms, what foundational elements need to be in place? 

Durant: Education and communication always come first. Every employee needs a basic understanding of how to use, store, share, and protect data. Clean data is the first non-negotiable, because you simply can’t analyze what isn’t accurate. 

Leaders are part of this equation, too. Executives need to understand the systems they expect their teams to rely on. Otherwise, the technology ends up creating friction instead of helping the business move faster. 

Q: Can you share an example of how education shapes successful transformation? 

Durant: A great example is a $9 billion hospital system we supported. They launched a data literacy program focused on safe data practices, including how to avoid misusing open AI tools like ChatGPT. The initiative dramatically reduced their compliance and reputational risk. 

But here’s the most important part—this program worked because leadership joined the learning. When executives lean in, adoption improves everywhere else. 

Q: You’ve said one-size-fits-all training doesn’t work. What does an effective learning approach look like? 

Durant: Training has to meet people where they are. That means tailoring it to the organization’s specific gaps and delivering it in stages. Start with foundational terms, then move into deeper use cases as people build confidence. 

And it’s equally important to treat learning as continuous. One-and-done workshops don’t build endurance. Ongoing education does. 

Q: What skills do modern executives need to lead in a data-driven environment? 

Durant: Data literacy has become essential. Today’s executives need to know where data lives, how it’s stored, how to extract it, how to assess profitability or performance across multiple locations, and how to build a reporting infrastructure that’s both accurate and fiscally responsible. 

This level of fluency is now a core interview metric. Leaders can’t delegate their way around it anymore. 

Q: Where else do organizations experience risk during change? 

Durant: Misalignment between leaders and teams is a major area of risk. In a recent brand transformation, success came from a pre-launch communication phase lasting three to four months, helping everyone understand the rationale before anything went live. 

Shared context turns change into a coordinated effort. Without it, change feels imposed,  and that’s when resistance grows. 

From change fatigue to change fluency 

Across industries, the same pattern is emerging. Transformation stalls when organizations jump into execution without first building understanding. But when people grasp the “why,” change feels clearer, more directional, and far less disruptive. 

Looking ahead, the organizations that move with agility won’t be the ones with the most sophisticated tools. They’ll be the ones whose leaders communicate early, educate consistently, and align teams around shared purpose. 

At Highspring, we partner with leadership teams to build that foundation—connecting strategy, systems, and people so transformation becomes structured, scalable, and sustainable. Learn more about our Executive Search solutions, and contact us today to get started.