Happy New Lunar Year!
Transformation Key Success Factors number 7: Transformation is and remains Top-Management Issue!
We have saved the most difficult message for last. It is no more, but also no less: Transformation is and remains Top-Management Issue! The top management of an organization cannot get out of its role and responsibility.
It is about leadership and being a role model for the organization, another time it is about consistency and making decisions (see #4). Without an effective Transformation Office (see #6) this is unthinkable.
It is so simple and so hard at the same time:
#1 After the transformation is before the transformation
#2 If you are not one of the first, better react quickly and consistently
#3 Transformation is multifaceted – supposedly small things are valuable
#4 Decisions are trendsetting, and imperative!
#5 Transformation is a marathon, not a sprint
#6 What gets measured gets done!
#7 Transformation is and remains Top-Management Issue
Transformation Key Success Factors number 6: What gets measured gets done!
It's about much more than just reviewing the myriad of activities. This is where the Transformation Office gets its act together. The Transformation Office is both a wild card and a prompter. In many respects, the Transformation Office has the top management's back.
The Transformation Office keeps track of the goals, the measures and the required activities. In this way, it maintains an overview of the transformation’s critical path and transparency about insights and results already achieved. This also allows the Transformation Office to prepare and enable top management to make necessary decisions (see #4).
Consistent alignment of planned results and achieved results enables failure analysis by the Transformation Office. Without an established culture of failure, no robust design of the transformation is possible. The path of transformation is long. Along the way, conditions and requirements can easily change or goals might have to be adjusted.
At the same time, the Transformation Office also stays on the ball in terms of communication and carries the vision and goals of the transformation through the organization. The Transformation Office is a kind of eierlegende Wollmilchsau (Swiss Army Knife)!
Transformation Key Success Factors number 5: Transformation is a marathon, not a sprint.
Even the longest journey begins with the first step. This also applies to transformation. After the first step, many more follow. Like a marathon, there are no shortcuts in transformation; you have to consistently follow the transformation to the end and not let it come to nothing.
It may well be that more than one path leads to the goal. It is therefore even more important that the chosen path is pursued consistently. Until one reaches the goal or realizes that this path does not lead to the goal. So there we have a marathon with multiple sprints. In the agile way of working or thinking, we can not only establish the error culture (see #6), we can also regularly celebrate successes and milestones reached.
It doesn’t matter how slow you go as long as you don’t stop. (Confucius)
Transformation Key Success Factors number 4: Decisions are trendsetting, and imperative!
Only those who do nothing do not make a mistake! Standing still and closing your eyes is not an alternative. You cannot wait and see during a transformation.
With a complete overview of all targets, measures and activities, decisions can be made more confidently and well-founded. The Transformation Office continuously provides you with this overview and not only prepares you for difficult decisions. For the homage to the Transformation Office, see #6.
In the end, decisions remain with risks and uncertainties. Machiavelli says, “There is nothing more difficult and dangerous, or more doubtful of success, than an attempt to introduce a new order of things."