Resistance to Digitalisation Lies Within Us
17-09-2025 | Posted by Principia
According to McKinsey, 70 % of organisational change initiative fail , usually due to poor communication and a lack of clear leadership. Most companies therefore do not fail in their digitalisation projects due to a lack of technology, but because of the human factor. This leads to a paradox: the more tools we have to improve processes, collaborate better, and reduce errors, the harder it becomes to activate change.
A PLM (Product Lifecycle Management) system has proven to be key in facilitating this digital transformation, not only because of its functionality, but because of how it helps people to see and experience the value of change. This is where Dassault Systèmes’ offering truly stands out.
A PLM is not merely a repository for technical information. It is a digital nervous system that connects departments, suppliers and customers around a single source of truth. But for this to work, deeply human tendencies must be overcome: fear of change, mistrust of the new, dependence on legacy systems, or simply a lack of vision about what is possible. The implementation of a PLM such as Dassault’s 3DEXPERIENCE helps to overcome this resistance by transforming the way people relate to information, to their work, and to other teams.
One of the first obstacles to digitalisation is often the perception that control or individual knowledge will be lost. Often, vital know-how is locked away in Excel spreadsheets, emails, or even in the heads of the most experienced employees. Centralising information in a PLM allows that knowledge to be captured, structured and made accessible, but it also ensures that everyone sees this as an evolution of their role, not a threat to it. Dassault’s platform facilitates this process thanks to its intuitive, role-oriented interface and its ability to customise views and workflows according to the user’s profile. This reduces the adoption curve and helps each professional to quickly understand how their work improves within the new digital environment.
Another common barrier is that each department has its own way of working, its own tools, and its own priorities. This creates information silos that hinder decision-making and cross-functional collaboration. 3DEXPERIENCE breaks down these silos by integrating engineering, design, manufacturing, quality and the supply chain into a single collaborative platform. This integration is more than technical—it is cultural. It compels people to share, to validate before proceeding, and to accept that transparency leads to better outcomes. And when the first benefits are experienced—fewer production errors, less rework, fewer version conflicts—attitudes begin to shift. A new digital mindset emerges, built on trust in data and more agile processes.
The PLM also plays a role at the strategic level. One of the most invisible barriers in any digitalisation process is the disconnect between leadership’s vision and operational reality. Many employees do not understand why change is happening, or see it as just another top-down trend. With 3DEXPERIENCE, business objectives can be clearly visualised, and each task, each model, each validation can be seen as part of a broader value chain. This traceability and visibility create purpose, engagement and commitment. When an operator, designer or quality manager sees how their work directly impacts timelines, costs or product sustainability, digitalisation ceases to be a slogan and becomes a real tool for improvement.
Another frequent fear is not knowing how to use the new tools. Dassault has addressed this resistance by offering a consistent and user-friendly experience, with interactive guides, test environments and training content tailored to every level. Moreover, the platform evolves progressively, without breaking with the past, which helps maintain confidence during the adoption process. The sooner people feel comfortable using the system, the sooner measurable improvements emerge: reduced development times, better change management, increased component reuse, and shorter time-to-market.
PLM alone does not solve digitalisation, but it acts as a powerful catalyst for overcoming human resistance. It offers structure without rigidity, transparency without overload, and collaboration without friction. At Principia, we have deep knowledge of industrial processes and experience in implementing Dassault solutions. In our view, PLM becomes a cultural accelerator. And when technology is put at the service of people, there is no barrier that cannot be overcome.
