Welcome to Wednesday's edition of Business Transformation SmartBrief. Today we'll cover:

• How digital transfomations fail.
• What in the world is VIVIT?
• Autonomous vehicles make inroads in mining.

Digital transformation initiatives can fail due to a lack of tangible business value, goal misalignment, and poor leadership. Security Compass Chief Product Officer Trevor Young suggests regular assessments and feedback sessions to detect issues early. IBM's Aparna Achanta recommends aligning transformation goals with business vision and rolling out tools gradually, while Smith and Howard CTO Karthik Krishnamurthy emphasizes the importance of strong executive sponsorship to maintain momentum.

Scientists have developed a technique that uses ionic liquids to turn biological tissue transparent without damaging it, allowing for high-resolution imaging of organs such as the brain and heart without dissection, preserving intricate tissue details. In a study in Cell, the researchers demonstrate how the technique can map complex neural connections and enhance fluorescent dye signals.

Smart Take: This technique, which has an unwieldy name of vitreous ionic-liquid-solvent-based volumetric inspection of trans-scale, or VIVIT, could allow unprecedented mapping of internal organs without damaging tissue. VIVIT offers a clear advantage (no pun intended) over high-resolution microscopy, which requires thin slices of samples but lack a view of the entire organ.

Traditional change management typically relies on gradual methods such as small wins, coalition-building and low-risk pilots, write Michaela Kerrissey and Julia DiBenigno. These approaches are designed to generate momentum and secure stakeholder buy-in, but such caution may be counterproductive in more volatile contexts, they write.

New York City has released the Greater Greenways Plan, a comprehensive plan to expand its 506-mile greenway network for pedestrians and cyclists. The plan, the first in over 30 years, outlines more than 100 projects to connect underserved communities, promote economic development and enhance environmental sustainability.

While robotaxis attract attention, self-driving trucks are making impacts in industries such as mining and farming. Anthony Levandowski, founder of Pronto, has introduced autonomous trucks at sites such as the Mark West Quarry in California, using a system that relies on global satellite navigation and computer vision. Pronto's approach enhances safety in dangerous environments, reducing the risk of accidents, Levandowski says.

Smart Take: If autonomous vehicles can make inroads in unsexy industries such as mining and farming, there is hope for reducing the carbon footprint -- and boosting the bottom line. "There's about 1,200 driverless mine trucks in the world today, which is more than the self-driving car companies combined and it's still at 1% market share and it's growing exponentially," Levandowski says.

The integration of telehealth into primary care has led to increased physician time with patients, according to a study in Primary Health Care Research & Development, raising sustainability concerns. The research, involving over 464,000 patients in Israel, found that those using telehealth consumed more physician time compared with those only attending in-person visits. This indicates that telehealth, while beneficial in many ways, adds to the workload of primary care physicians.