We are due for a transformation, but… not everyone in the management team agrees, we are already short of resources, budgets are already tight and sales are growing – there’s no rush.
That’s how one client basically put it. While many people were clear on the need for a transformation, others gave all sorts of reasons for not engaging in such a process given the current constraints and the many risks inherent in transformation.
First, get aligned on the need for transformation
To convert the “buts” to “ands”, we first conducted a series of interviews with management and other influencers. One of our starting questions was: Why does the organization need to transform? When we shared the responses with the steering committee and got them talking about it, everyone came to realize that transformation was a must.
Then, focus on what to transform
Even when the need for transformation is clear, you will still have to determine the vision for your transformation, as well as its goals and scope. The next three questions we asked our survey participants were therefore: What is the vision for this transformation? What are the goals? What is the scope? The responses to those questions and the discussion they triggered helped management define a vision and common goals. The “how” of the transformation still had to be clarified, however, and the scope as well, taking into account the organization’s constraints.
Finally, decide how to transform
The discussion then turned to the actions, resources and structures that had to be put in place to initiate the transformation and define its scope.
Combined, these interviews, discussions and actions allowed the “buts” to be converted to “ands”. Yes, it became possible and necessary to undertake the transformation AND to continue to meet the organization’s objectives.
Yes, it is possible to transform AND operate at the same time. It’s a matter of first defining the “why”, the vision and clear goals, and then specifying priorities, the structure (or ecosystem) and an engagement and measurement strategy.
Co-founder, Vice President and Strategic Consultant
Aplus
