
When Transformation Meets Resistance
A leading bank set out to drive digital transformation but faced unexpected resistance.
At Synthosys, we believe real transformation happens when organisations address the underlying forces that shape resistance. Using our IDEAL framework, we guided a leadership team through a critical cultural shift, allowing them to embrace digital change and unlock their full potential.
Identification
Your organisation has a bold vision—but why does every step forward feel like a battle?
A leading bank set out to drive digital transformation, expecting progress. Instead, they faced growing resistance. Frustration built as leaders pushed harder, yet engagement dropped, and progress stalled. They weren’t just battling resistance—they were battling an invisible force.
Why was there so much pushback, and how could they shift their workforce’s mindset?
Diagnosis
At first, leaders believed employees were resisting digitalisation itself. But when we dug deeper, the truth emerged—they weren’t rejecting change; they felt disconnected from it. The culture didn’t foster innovation, and as a result, transformation felt impossible.
Our cultural heatmap revealed striking misalignments in adaptability and innovation:
Innovation: One dominant group valued consistency and structure, resisting new, untested ideas.
Figure 1: Innovation dynamics profile of the team. Adaptability: Another group thrived on flexibility but felt constrained by hierarchical decision-making.
Figure 2: Adaptability dynamics profiles of the team. The Disconnect: While leadership believed they were encouraging innovation, employees felt they lacked the autonomy and trust to contribute.
This misalignment created an environment where employees felt powerless, making resistance inevitable. The challenge wasn’t technology—it was culture.

Execution
To bridge the gap, we designed a multi-level leadership intervention focused on:
Uncovering Barriers to Change: Leaders engaged in reflective sessions to understand how their existing culture influenced resistance.
Aligning Leadership Communication: We helped leaders craft narratives that connected digitalisation to employees’ sense of purpose and growth.
Empowering Teams to Adapt: Employees were given structured opportunities to contribute ideas, fostering ownership of the transformation process.
Through facilitated conversations and leadership coaching, the team shifted from enforcing change to co-creating it.
Assessment
Following the intervention, we conducted post-reflection sessions with leadership and employees to assess impact and measure the return on investment (ROI). The transformation was undeniable:
✅ Stronger engagement:
Employees felt heard and became active participants in shaping the digital transformation.
✅ Cultural shift towards innovation:
Leaders redefined adaptability, embedding a culture where experimentation was encouraged.
✅ Increased change adoption:
Resistance significantly reduced as employees saw digitalisation as an opportunity, not a threat.
Learning
Real transformation happens when resistance is not fought but understood. As the leadership team reflected post-implementation, a breakthrough moment occurred:
“It wasn’t digitalisation people feared—it was being left behind.”
For months, leadership believed resistance came from reluctance to change. But in reality, employees felt disconnected from the transformation. Once they were included, they became its biggest advocates.
The shift wasn’t in strategy—it was in culture.
Digitalisation was no longer a top-down initiative; it became a shared journey. Leaders moved from driving change to enabling it, fostering a workplace where adaptability wasn’t just accepted—it was embraced.
💡 Change isn’t about technology—it’s about people. Let’s help your organisation turn resistance into momentum. Start the conversation today.