TechConnect at Digital Talent EU Days
We presented our findings on why digital transformation stalls even when staff have the right skills at Digital Talent EU Days 2026 in Dublin, Ireland.
Across Europe, organisations are investing heavily in reskilling and upskilling, yet a lot of digital transformation efforts are stalling. Na Fu, Chair of Responsible Leadership at Trinity Business School, and Brendan Rowan, Managing Consultant at BluSpecs highlighted that our research shows that this is not simply a skill shortage. It is an absorption gap; this is when organisations struggle to make use of the skills their people already have. This happens when leadership support is weak, processes are broken and new tools come with rigid workflows.
The answer is not more technology or more training but about using the right tools, in the right way, especially for the people who use them.
What bridging work tell us
Brendan explained bridging work, which is the everyday effort that staff put in when a new tool does not do what it was designed to do. This includes workarounds, tacit knowledge, informal learning between colleagues and structured dialogue to talk about digital friction. It also carries an emotional cost, as people try to cope with constant change.
Workarounds are not always a bad sign. They show where a tool does not fit the way people work, and how resourceful teams can be in trying to fill that gap.
From diagnosis to intervention
Our session introduced a model for closing the gaps. Brendan further explained how material gaps are found in the technology layer, efficiency and identity gaps in the people layer, and coordination and strategic gaps in the system layer.
Closing them calls for action on three groups. Vendors need to keep adjusting tools after launch. End users need regular reviews and a say in what they need. Senior management needs to lead change, communicate clearly and keep everyone aligned. Training builds skills and bridging work builds capacity. Until organisations acknowledge and resource it, the gap will remain.
