DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION SERIES - What is the job to be done by the technology?

My purpose is to unlock human potential to create a healthier world, and my vision is to inspire commercial, marketing and medical leaders to shift from merely delivering messages to healthcare professionals to becoming their trusted advisors. My goal is to truly unlock the power of genuine connection. I am deeply passionate about helping more professionals feel confident using digital channels and content in a way that enables them to recreate the same chemistry they have face-to-face, online.

To explore this topic, I have been inviting inspiring pharma leaders to join me on LinkedIn Live, to share their experiences. I have been interviewing them, so we can all benefit from their insights and provide them with a platform to share their expertise.

I recently chatted with Christian Wöckel, Head of the RSV Franchise for Germany and Austria at Sanofi.

Christian is responsible for digital marketing and commercialisation activities. Before this role, he led the go-to-market transformation for GenMed in Germany, Switzerland, and Austria since 2021. He brings extensive expertise in digital transformation, including AI, analytics, and agile methodologies, gained through both commercial and non-commercial functions.

Christian joined Sanofi in 2017, and since then, has been driving the transformation roadmap and establishing a Global Centre of Excellence for Intelligent Automation and Process Mining. Prior to joining Sanofi, he worked as a consultant, advising clients on financial topics relevant to CEOs.

For those who may not know, Christian studied both in Germany and the USA. He holds an MBA and has further honed his expertise in digital transformation through executive education programmes at Stanford, IMD, and INSEAD.

Reading through Christian’s bio, it was clear that he’s a very capable and clever individual with both a passion for digital transformation and a strong drive for results and impact. I'm not surprised at how quickly Christian has advanced in his career!

Looking back, I believe I first connected with Christian on LinkedIn while he was reading my book The Omni Advantage.

Christian said: "I remember thinking, I need to connect with this author! I wanted to commend you for sharing your insights and making such a valuable resource available. I believe this was around mid-last year."

A few weeks ago, we almost met in-person while in the same city, unfortunately, our schedules didn’t align. I look forward to meeting Christian in person soon.

Christian was representing his own views, not those of his company, which allowed him to speak freely.

Could you tell me a bit about your career path and why you chose to explore the pharmaceutical industry? Finance and pharma are quite different fields—what attracted you to it?

To give a brief overview: after working in consulting, I joined the pharmaceutical industry in 2017. Initially, I worked within the business services organisation, focusing on scaling process automation and process mining. From there, I moved towards the commercial side, where we transformed our go-to-market model. Currently, I’m involved in the vaccines field, which is also incredibly interesting.

To answer your question on why pharma: firstly, healthcare has always been present in my life, as I come from a family with several healthcare professionals.

Conversations around health and pharma were often on the table when I was growing up. Then, early in my career, I had a lot of interactions with pharmaceutical companies, which naturally sparked my interest in the field. Since then, I’ve developed a strong passion for helping patients access the treatments they need and, ideally, for contributing to the prevention of certain diseases. That passion is a huge motivator for me day-to-day.

I think we need to be comfortable with both using digital channels and face-to-face, adapting to provide healthcare professionals with the channels they prefer. What do you think, Christian?

When it comes to digital transformation, we need to start by focusing on the user or the customer, because there’s a job to be done, right? We shouldn’t attempt to "boil the ocean" with technology. Instead, there should be a clear use case or purpose.

When we’re discussing different ways of engaging, if those align with the right preferences, that’s the approach we should take. But this might vary depending on the customer profile. For instance, if we're talking about internal applications, using technology to assist an accountant could make their work easier by simplifying tasks and giving them time back to focus on value-adding activities.

So, I think it’s essential to start from the job to be done, focusing on the end user or customer, and work backwards to see where technology can truly help. Then, it’s crucial to create a compelling story, because people need to understand and believe in how the technology will support them. Otherwise, you’re left with “leading a horse to water but it won't drink”—a point you made so well in your book. Motivation and change management are huge components here.

Before we delve further into your professional passion for digital transformation, what are some of your passions outside of work?

I'll keep it brief. First is travelling the world - seeing as much as I can. I think when I’m older, I’ll be really glad to have experienced so many different countries, cultures, and places. Then, I’m passionate about sports; I do a lot of workouts, running, and cycling. Finally, spending quality time with friends and family is essential to me. Those would be my three main passions, in addition to what you mentioned.

What’s the top destination on your bucket list?

South Africa. I’ve never been, but it’s definitely at the top of my list. I've travelled to many places, but South Africa is one of the next big ones I’d like to see.

What are some of the biggest challenges you face in the change management needed to drive digital transformation, and how have you overcome them?

There are certainly many challenges, and a lot can go wrong. It also depends on whether you’re consulting within a specific industry, or working directly within a particular organisational culture - whether it’s European, Asian, or otherwise, as culture impacts the types of challenges you encounter.

Reflecting on my experiences, I’d say I’ve faced a range of challenges over the years. Today, I’d like to focus on a few key ones.

Firstly, gaining buy-in and support from leadership is essential. In large transformation programmes, there’s often a tendency to rush ahead, which can result in leaders not fully buying into the vision or the goals. The less involved they are from the outset, the greater the risk that, when the project is later introduced to the wider organisation, it becomes diluted. Employees may sense that leadership isn’t fully committed, which in turn, affects morale and buy-in across the board. A solution here is to ensure leaders are involved from the start and are given a role in co-creating the vision. This approach encourages commitment and helps them communicate the transformation more effectively to others.

Another major challenge is focusing on the specific purpose or “job to be done” by the technology. In the past, technology has often been implemented broadly, with user requirements only gathered towards the end of development. This can lead to tools that don’t fully meet user needs. By the time we reach user acceptance testing, we might find that the tool isn’t fit for purpose, and end-users or customers may resist it. To avoid this, it’s essential to bring end-users or customers on board from the very beginning. Involving "front runners" or "champions" in the development process not only ensures the tool meets their needs, but also creates advocates who can help drive adoption when it’s rolled out.

Finally, a significant challenge is crafting a compelling narrative for digital transformation that avoids being overly technical. It’s common for us to use technical jargon or detailed language, which can make it difficult for those unfamiliar with the topic to grasp the vision. Then we’re left wondering why they aren’t fully on board or why so many questions remain. One effective way to overcome this is by using metaphors, illustrations, and storytelling techniques that make the transformation relatable and engaging for a broad audience.

So, three main challenges: securing leadership buy-in, ensuring user-centred design for digital acceptance, and crafting a compelling, accessible narrative. How did you overcome these barriers? Do you have any stories you could share with us?

Yes, I think there are many stories and different answers to that. Working on various projects, both in consulting and in other sectors, I’ve seen it often depends on the context. When it comes to leadership alignment, for instance, it typically requires spending time together to thoroughly discuss and agree on the goal and ambition. It’s essential that everyone understands not only the goal but also the implications. This requires investing time to ensure alignment on questions like, “How quickly are we aiming to move from A to B?” and “Does everyone understand the implications?” If you rush through this process, you might end up losing essential buy-in that you’ll need later on.

As for user acceptance, it’s crucial to have the end-user or customer - those who should benefit from the technology - involved from the outset. This might mean, for example, involving an end-user in developing a dashboard or AI platform, even if they’ve never participated in technical development or agile cycles. This engagement allows them to provide early feedback and helps them understand the value of what’s being developed. They may even become advocates for the solution, promoting it to others by showing how it benefits their daily work.

And lastly, for storytelling, it’s often a matter of trial and error. It can be valuable to have a coach who helps in creating a narrative, using metaphors that make complex ideas about digital transformation easy to understand and human-centred.

What approaches have you used to ensure collaboration across departments like marketing, sales, commercial, and public affairs in your digital transformation efforts?

If I were to summarise, it comes down to structure, alignment, and transparency. These might sound abstract, but I’ll explain. By “structure”, I mean setting up the right kind of programme governance, roadmap, alignment meetings, or even metrics. This helps ensure everyone knows how we engage and collaborate, and we’re all operating in sync toward one goal. Whether it’s in an agile framework or a more traditional waterfall approach, clarity on how we work and collaborate is essential.

This must be complemented by the right level of alignment, ensuring that everyone is clear on the goal, how it will be measured, and how each department or contributor will help achieve it. In a technology programme, for instance, you’ll have some team members handling data, others working on change management, and some bridging strategy with technology. This clarity of roles is crucial for efficiency and purpose.

Finally, transparency is key. In highly disruptive, ambitious programmes, it’s vital that everyone is clear on who’s working on what. The more transparent and trusting the environment, the better the structure, alignment, and collaboration. If one of these elements is missing, there’s a higher chance of inefficiency or even chaos.

It’s like a magic triangle.

Which technologies or trends do you see as driving forces for the next phase of digital transformation in pharma?

I believe this is largely industry-agnostic; technological advancement is exponential, and we’ll see many new technologies emerging in the coming years. We witnessed, during the pandemic, how these trends accelerated, and now there’s a significant buzz around generative AI, for example, with some exciting potential applications in the pharmaceutical sector. Generative AI could reinvent how we create content, especially in terms of conversational AI, ushering in a new era of how conversational technology might operate. Large language models, in particular, could assist in medical writing and other tasks, enhancing our daily work in tangible ways, regardless of the industry – whether pharma, automotive, or telecom.

The pace of change is set to grow exponentially. A key point, however, is how we translate these advances into practical implementation. How do we make these technologies truly augmentative, so they become seamlessly integrated into our daily operations? Bill Gates recently remarked that technology’s greatest progress lies in its ability to become so well-integrated that people hardly notice it. As leaders in digital transformation, it’s crucial for us to identify the right technological trends to empower our teams - whether in R&D or commercial settings - so they can gain the maximum benefit. Recently, I attended a conference - I'll avoid mentioning the specific provider - but they presented some interesting use cases, particularly in training and enablement. With generative AI models becoming more sophisticated, we can start exploring new approaches for training field teams and other colleagues. The computational power behind machine learning, along with how AI is utilised, has reached an entirely different level. We’ve seen how basic chatbots used to perform, and now we understand the capabilities of large language models, which can create highly realistic scenarios for on-demand, real-life case training. This could have a significant impact on commercial applications.

Another area we discussed was content creation. For instance, AI can now help us generate content more quickly and modularly, while incorporating customer feedback and engagement data. By looping this data back into our analytics platform, AI can make recommendations on which assets resonate most with customers, down to specific wording choices that align with customer needs.

Do you use AI yourself?

Yes, I do - quite extensively in my day-to-day work. Many applications now have recommendation systems that help make optimal choices, though I’ll refrain from mentioning specific ones. There are also impressive AI programmes that free up time for more value-added tasks. For instance, large language models provide quick translations, and tools like GPT-based applications or co-pilots are invaluable for tasks like crafting workshop concepts or drafting emails in a consistent, professional manner. Of course, it depends on the individual’s preferences and needs; everyone has their own way of using AI to enhance their work.

Personally, I find it fascinating that large language models can reduce mundane tasks while also offering real-time feedback.

Christian, one of the things I love most about AI is how it encourages us to think differently. We’re shifting from “What do I need to do?” to “What can I delegate to AI to free up time for higher-level thinking?” I find that the availability of AI and digital tools changes my approach to work altogether.

Absolutely, and that varies from person to person. Personally, I often think about where I can use a tool like Microsoft Co-Pilot to search for data, compile it into an Excel file, and even ask it to draw insights or statistical inferences. Although I could do it myself, Co-Pilot does it in seconds, freeing up time for other tasks. Of course, there are limitations, especially around data richness or large datasets, but I agree AI prompts us to approach tasks in a more efficient and innovative way.

How do you see the role of AI and analytics in your approach to digital transformation? Do you use it for things like number-crunching, for instance?

Yes, absolutely. I think technology, AI, and analytics are essential enablers. They're integral to the digital transformation strategy; you need them to better understand customer or user needs. For example, unsupervised learning algorithms can help make meaningful inferences from data, segment it effectively, and provide recommendations for marketers or sales teams. Analytics are also vital for optimising end-to-end processes - such as making hiring processes faster or improving the onboarding experience for new hires. AI can make valuable recommendations that enhance these processes.

But in the broader scope of digital transformation, it's just one piece of the puzzle. It needs to be supported by a solid technology strategy, the right tech stack, seamless data flow from A to B, and strong data governance. Moreover, there’s the human aspect: it’s critical to ensure that people understand and use these insights and recommendations effectively. So, yes, AI is a crucial part, but it needs to be complemented with components like change management.

What advice would you give other leaders in the pharmaceutical industry on their digital transformation journeys?

Firstly, be bold and try new approaches with a ‘test and learn’ mentality. You’ll soon see what works and what doesn’t, and then you can scale the successes. There’s no universal solution; every company has unique circumstances, culture, and starting points. So, be flexible in adapting your roadmap. Involve your people in co-creating the journey, and make sure you align technology with business strategy. Start with the end-user’s needs, and always keep user-centred design in mind.

Conclusion

In wrapping up this conversation, I was struck by how Christian’s insights echoed the importance of focusing on people rather than just technology in digital transformation. He emphasised involving end-users from the start, crafting tools and processes that genuinely address their needs and simplify their work. When digital solutions make tasks easier and more relevant, users are naturally more likely to embrace them. This aligns perfectly with the central message of my book, The Omni Advantage, which prioritises human-centred engagement over a purely technological focus.

I also appreciated how Christian and I share a common passion for meaningful engagement - particularly in healthcare, where the impact on patients can be profound. Christian highlighted that his ultimate goal is to empower teams and systems to deliver effective care, from treatment to preventive health, so that patients receive the best support possible. Our conversation reinforced the importance of building value across the industry by investing in people, fostering genuine collaboration, and aligning our digital transformation efforts with a clear purpose.

Thank you, Christian, for such an inspiring discussion, and thank you to everyone who joined us. I look forward to continuing these conversations in our next Digital Transformation Series!

If you would like to purchase a copy of The Omni Advantage, it is available as a paperback or audiobook.