Is Traditional Transformation Dead? Navigating Change in a Disruptive World.
In a world where disruption is the new normal, clinging to traditional transformation methods feels like trying to navigate modern-day traffic with a paper map. Sure, it worked in the past, but does it really hold up in today’s fast-moving, unpredictable environment? Spoiler alert: it might be time to rethink things.
The Old Playbook: Tried, Tested… and Tired?
Traditional transformation has always followed a familiar pattern: build a plan, lock it down, and roll it out. It’s all about control, top-down decision-making, and linear timelines. While that worked in stable environments where you could reasonably predict outcomes, the game has changed.
The challenges we face today - rapid technological advancements, economic uncertainties, societal shifts - don’t politely wait for your roadmap to play out. Disruption doesn’t send a meeting invite.
The question is: can rigid structures and slow-moving processes keep up with a world that demands agility, adaptability, and constant iteration?
Rethinking Transformation
A fresh perspective on transformation is emerging. This perspective sees organisations not as static systems but as evolving ecosystems. This mindset emphasises adaptability, continuous improvement, and a deep understanding of a business's environment.
This approach recognises that organisations don’t transform in isolation; they’re deeply connected to the people within them.
The Human Element of Change
One of the most common reasons transformation efforts fail is the lack of focus on people. Too often, change is “done to” people rather than created with them, leading to resistance, disengagement, and a failure to embed new ways of working.
Successful transformation starts with placing people at the centre. It involves engaging employees, listening to their insights, and empowering them to be part of the process. When individuals feel valued and involved, they’re more likely to embrace change and help drive it forward.
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Moving Beyond the Old Ways
The ‘traditional transformation’ methods are falling short because they:
In today’s world, transformation must be agile, people-focused, and outcome-driven. Organisations need to evolve their thinking to match the reality of constant change.
So, What’s the Alternative?
In a disruptive world, transformation needs to be:
It’s time to embrace transformation as a living, breathing process—messy, iterative, and human.
Is Traditional Transformation Really Dead?
Maybe not dead, but it’s certainly on life support. In its place, we’re seeing a new kind of transformation emerge - one that evolves with the times, learns from the people within it, and thrives in the chaos.
Because let’s face it: if the world isn’t slowing down, neither should we.
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Curious to know what ‘traditional’ transformation is. I don’t think I’ve ever applied the same blueprint twice. It always has to evolve
Value creation through tech, transformation and AI
4 周Transformation is more needed than ever, as the pace of societal change accelerates. But! A core objective of Transformation initiatives must now be ‘organisational agility’ - building the systems, governance, metrics, controls and mindset to continue to accelerate adaptation over time. And this is different… most of all for the management teams and Boards who still view ‘transform’ as an aberration between periods of steadiness.
Business Agility. Product Operations. Transformation.
4 周I think the way it has been done for the longest time, may be dead. I have an odd association with the word transformation because it draws images of a one and done style movement, when in reality transformation is an ongoing process of improvement. You never really reach an end state for being transformed. That closely links with agile and lean principles and continuous improvement.
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4 周George, a great debating point, what is traditional transformation? Many have a technology element which for the transforming org is their perceived appropriate tool to achieve its aims, then there is process and people change. I’ve found and find whatever the transformation archetype what proportion of the target change is actually achieved. Agile is interesting, is there ability to adjust and develop easily post implementation, certainly needed, having worked through many a SAP, Oracle, Coupa, Ariba, Baan et al or that traditional transformation would be to optimise later, many orgs don’t and subsequently lose the benefits laid out in the business case.
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1 个月Couldn’t agree more - traditional transformation is dead but not everyone has seen the memo. The idea of designing a future state and executing a controlled transition assumes we can accurately predict the future - we can’t. And it’s not just slow, top down processes, many transformations try to architect solutions for problems they don’t fully understand or even know about yet. We know the real world doesn’t work like that. I very much advocate for continuous or evolutionary transformation; building systems and structures that adapt in real time rather than tethering outcomes to rigid blueprints or unrealistic plans.