6 essential elements for successful transformations

April 20, 2021
Tony Lockwood

Operating Partner

View profile

Over the years, you get a sense of what ‘good looks like’ and a ‘nose’ for spotting things that just don’t feel right!

How is this applicable to Transformations?

Well, in all my years, I’ve found that if organisations have these 6 elements entwined within their Transformation narrative, they are much more likely to succeed.

  1. A Compelling Narrative – by definition, transformations should look to radically move the boundaries. This should be based upon a stretched aspiration with an inspiring view of the future state, designed to drive pace within the programme
  2. Real Role Models – the whole leadership team must be aligned behind this ‘vision’ and be actively supporting its delivery. They must energise the wider team, upgrade their leadership capacity and lead through the line
  3. Capture Value Without Causing Chaos – it’s very easy to throw everything up in the air and see what happens – have you seen this happen in your organisation? – the result is often chaos! Yes, you have to change things rigorously but it’s better to be architected along a small number of broad themes
  4. Make Change Visible – sometimes, it easy to get caught up in a dark room and design the hell out of the change programme and when you’re eventually ready to ‘announce’ the change, the world’s moved on and you have to start again! An agile approach is much better, with small wins openly discussed and celebrated
  5. Develop Both Short Term Performance and Long Term Health – Transformations that are focused on either one of these rather than both rarely succeed. You need to ensure that you deliver impact today that build capability/ capacity for tomorrow
  6. Align Incentives – WIIFM principle applies here – most people when faced with a change will ask the question – what’s in it for me or what’s the impact going to be on me! Be clear from the outset of the impact and ensure that incentives (recognition, reward, development, opportunities etc.) are defined and communicated early

Interestingly, I found that all 6 need to be present and the impact of any one being missed is often significant!

Download a copy of our Programme Assurance Framework and get an understanding of how the 8 | 32 | 4 approach can help your deliver successful change and transformation