Change and Transformation Leadership: The Three Pillars to Franchise Digital Delivery by Joel Munch

In the ever-evolving landscape of technology-driven change, the ability to adeptly lead digital delivery and change has become a critical skill for today's leaders. Drawing from my own professional journey, I offer a practitioner's perspectives inspired by real experiences with minor modifications to protect confidentiality.

What motivated me to share these insights?

Gartner recently unveiled their CIO Agenda for the upcoming year, and it resonates with my own convictions. In an era where technological advancements surge forward at an unprecedented pace, and financial constraints tighten, the urgency of executing seamless change and digital delivery has never been more pronounced. According to Gartner's research, leaders who collaborate with their peers and distribute responsibilities effectively — Gartner’s Franchise Digital Delivery model — are over twice as likely to meet or surpass their business objectives.

The application of franchising digital delivery can be found in numerous successes I’ve led as a change and digital transformation leader. While this approach likely thrives in organizations accustomed to matrixed teams, its introduction to more siloed structures demands adept leadership skills to navigate political challenges. Regardless of the organizational context, there will inevitably be resistance to change. Assessing and mitigating these risks is crucial.

Gartner outlines three pillars of their Franchise Digital Delivery approach as follows:

Pillar 1: Co-Lead,

Pillar 2: Co-Deliver, and

Pillar 3: Co-Govern.

From three decades of deploying digital solutions across diverse corporate and government landscapes, I've observed that optimal success is achieved when all three pillars are firmly established within the organization. One particularly intricate example involved my role as a digital change leader tasked with reassessing and guiding the re-implementation of a failed enterprise-wide digital solution.

Pillar #1: Co-Lead

The journey began by convening not only the vice presidents of global business units but also senior managers intimately familiar with each unit's unique challenges and culture. During this immersive event, we embraced the first pillar — committing to Co-Lead. My primary focus was on guiding senior managers to understand the potential collaborative achievements, while simultaneously addressing potential risks with each business unit vice president.?

This initial stage was about more than assessment and ideation; it laid the groundwork essential to achieve an environment of co-leadership. Confirming that we had established a common vision and shared understanding among stakeholders was imperative before moving forward.

Pillar #2: Co-Deliver

With confirmed readiness to co-lead, the emphasis shifted to cultivating trust at all levels and overcoming inherent organizational resistance. Engaging in complex, emotionally charged discussions and negotiations, I opted to facilitate discussions with small groups rather than conducting one-on-one meetings. Demonstrating a collaborative approach to change, I strategically integrated leaders from various departments in the facilitated sessions, showcasing the elements of co-delivery. With the formation of multiple fusion teams, we progressed to the second pillar — Co-Deliver.

It is imperative to approach this stage with caution, avoiding authoritative demands for participation. While a more autocratic leadership style may be necessary in toxic work environments, there is often a political price to be paid. Fortunately for the organization serving as the subject for this article, they did not have a toxic work environment. I was thus able to foster, rather than force, a sense of ownership and shared responsibility among stakeholders.

Pillar #3: Co-Govern

As digital delivery gained momentum and the fusion teams navigated challenges under my guidance, I shifted focus towards the third pillar — Co-Govern. This involved identifying individuals with the requisite functional and leadership skills to propel the digital solution forward beyond implementation, or in this case, its re-implementation. The individuals I sought out represented all levels, divisions, departments, and teams.

Within some organizations, the group to co-govern may be called a Center of Excellence (CoE) or Community of Practice (CoP), depending on your organizational context. Formalizing Pillar #3 can be pivotal for the enduring success and ongoing evolution of the digital solution throughout its lifecycle. In many instances, a CoE or CoP operate most effectively as a self-directed group under the sponsorship of at least two senior leaders from different departments.

As an important note, my assessment of the many stalled and failed initiatives I’ve been brought in to “fix” points to a substantial lack of co-governance. Such neglect most often results in the digital solutions facing a wall of resistance or falling short of the objectives.

Conclusion

Every digital solution has a lifecycle that necessitates active support from the various types of stakeholders. The Franchise Digital Delivery approach provides a framework that supports success. Weakness in any of the three pillars frequently necessitates external intervention, such as my involvement, to lead the replacement or redeployment of the digital solution for lasting success.

Additional Thoughts from My Notes

My recommendations if you choose to consider Gartner’s Franchise Digital Delivery model would be to include elements from more robust change models based on your circumstances. Not to be overlooked even in a business context, you may consider including elements of the Theory of Change model recognizing that meaningful and sustained change within any type of organization often requires the active involvement and collaboration of a diverse set of stakeholders. Alternatively, you may incorporate components of Kotter’s model, particularly its focus on quick wins that often result in more effective stakeholder engagement. Lastly, you may consider aspects of the ADKAR model with its focus on the human resources component makes it well suited where there exists widespread resistance to change.

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I write about my leadership experiences, research, and observations. If you have a leadership challenge you would like to discuss, please reach out to me directly.

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Referenced by this article: Gartner CIO Agenda