project story
Federal Public Service Organization
Digital Transformation
What if digital transformation started with listening?
The Moment partnered with a federal government department to support the shift towards a digital workplace and digital ways of working across all aspects of the organization. Rather than assuming employees were resisting change, the engagement uncovered that they were working hard to adapt—but facing barriers that weren't visible to leadership. The work helped shift the focus from generic digital literacy checklists to a deeper understanding of real employee experiences as well as the beliefs, assumptions, and systems shaping the digital transformation initiative.
Challenge
Although the pandemic accelerated the shift to digital ways of working, employees lacked the tools, support, and clarity to thrive. Digital transformation was seen as something employees had to figure out on their own, resulting in frustration, inconsistent adoption, and underutilized platforms. The department needed a clearer picture of what was actually blocking progress and what digital support looks like when it's grounded in the realities of day-to-day work.
Approach
The department's digital goals were ambitious, but they needed to start by understanding the lived experiences of employees navigating new tools and processes. The engagement reframed the problem, surfaced deep insight, and delivered actionable guidance to support the digital transformation goal including necessary cultural and operational change.
- Alignment: We worked with internal teams to clarify goals, learn about existing efforts, and align on what digital success could look like for their department. A review of internal documentation and stakeholder consultations helped build a clear picture of context and constraints.
- Discovery: Over 50 employees from across the organization were engaged through in-depth interviews and diary studies to surface the experiences of those with different roles, accountabilities, and exposure to digital ways of working. The robust discovery process revealed not just technical gaps, but cultural and systemic barriers that were limiting adoption and progress toward digital transformation aspirations.
- Actionable Insights: Findings were synthesized into behavioural archetypes and guiding principles that helped the department shift its approach to digital transformation. Archetypes were deliberately chosen over personas to challenge assumptions and focus instead on how different employees perceived and engaged with digital ways of working. This included evolving the way they engaged employees in the development of digital solutions, improving how new digital tools were launched, and managing the change of continuous improvement.
Impact
The work shifted the department's approach to digital transformation to be more employee-centred. Employees felt heard, the department gained clarity on blockers, and actionable steps were identified to improve the development and adoption of digital ways of working. By shifting mindsets to a shared responsibility and holistic approach to digital transformation the department was better equipped to create supports that met real needs and accelerate its digital goals with confidence and employee buy-in.
Our Team
Solving complex challenges doesn’t happen by accident, it takes the right mix of minds, skills, and perspectives. For every engagement, we assemble a team tailored to the needs of the work: one that spans service, experience, systems, and technology design.
Karen Oikonen
Principal
Karen (she/her) believes that real change starts with deeply understanding people. A lifelong explorer and champion of the human experience, she is committed to creating inclusive, participatory engagement with diverse communities and thrives when exploring vulnerable topics.
Robert Hicks
Lead
Rob (he/him) thrives on meaningful collaboration, ensuring the right people are heard and their insights turn into actionable prototypes.
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