Process Digitalization: Transparency as a Major Barrier to Digital Transformation in Businesses

Digitalization is often presented as a driver of performance, innovation, and competitiveness. Yet, its adoption continues to face significant resistance. The reason: the transparency it brings to the way organizations operate. This was one of the key insights shared by Axel Djouonang, Chief Business Officer (CBO) at Kaeyros Analytics, during a talk held at Promote 2026. 

According to him, digitalization is not only about implementing new tools or automating tasks. It transforms the way a company operates by making processes more traceable, data more accessible, and operations more measurable. This transparency helps identify operational inefficiencies and dysfunctions that may remain unnoticed within traditional management systems. 

In environments where some individuals benefit from these inefficiencies, digitalization can generate resistance. Such reluctance often comes from a desire to preserve a certain level of operational ambiguity. Some organizations hesitate to digitalize their processes, not because technology is inaccessible, but because it reveals realities that were previously hidden. 

“Digitalization brings transparency, and leaders need to be aware of this,” emphasized Axel Djouonang, encouraging companies to question their true willingness to embrace digital transformation. 

Beyond the issue of digital sovereignty, which he considers an important but secondary challenge compared to economic priorities, Axel Djouonang highlighted another fundamental objective: value creation. According to him, business investments and strategic decisions are primarily driven by an organization’s ability to generate value and strengthen its competitiveness. 

From this perspective, digitalization and process industrialization become essential levers for improving productivity, structuring operations, and supporting sustainable growth. 

To truly understand its own activities, a company must be able to measure what happens at every stage of its operations. Digitalizing internal processes makes it possible to ensure data reliability, monitor performance in real time, improve controls, and make decisions based on objective indicators rather than assumptions. 

Digitalization should therefore not be viewed as a constraint, but rather as a means of improving governance. Companies that embrace this transparency gain a clearer understanding of their operations, strengthen trust with their partners, and improve efficiency. 

In an increasingly demanding economic environment, digitalizing business processes is no longer merely a technological choice. It is a strategic decision in favor of more responsible, more efficient, and value-driven management.