Transformation - part II

"Change is the only constant in Life"

Heraclitus, a Greek philosopher

The previous article explains Transformation by looking at the aspects that distinguish Transformation from change. In this article, further distinctions are explored.?

Content and context

Change is about new content, and Transformation is about new context and content. To understand this concept further, consider that there is a small boutique restaurant in the neighbourhood serving delicious sushi.?

To combat the increased competition from the other players and to survive, they embrace "digital" and create a website and an app, tie up with food delivery services like Deliveroo or Just Eat, and change their focus and menu from Japanese delicacies to a multi-cuisine. Then it is a classic example of a change; they have changed the content to survive and grow. In this approach, they might succeed or may not achieve success (overall business viability depends on many other factors as well), but an important point to note is they will lose their identity as a "restaurant serving Japanese delicacies".?

Transformation, on the other hand, is about having a new context; the restaurant's founder might create a new future and reinvent themselves as "serving healthy and tasty food". They might still do all the above things, but the new context might give them new ideas; they might even start selling self-cook healthy meal recipe boxes or an education portal and/or create awareness around well-being. If the core of their identity is "Japanese", they will focus on that identity and create their products and services around it. They might even consider venturing into teaching Japanese martial arts. The context gives rise to the new content. This kind of radical Transformation is not uncommon; Samsung was a small South Korean company founded initially as a grocery trading store by Lee Byung-Chull in March 1938. Now one of the largest electronics companies, some recent examples include Philips, which transformed from a consumer appliances company to a global healthcare company. The Transformation of Apple from a computer company to a lifestyle technology company is not too old. The Transformation of the supermajor bp's shift from an oil and gas company to an integrated energy company is one of the biggest in recent times.?

Transformation is about changing twice.

While change is an integral part of Transformation, one crucial aspect is that the change happens twice in Transformation. The first one is the change in reality and the second change is about the change in perception. Luc de Brabandere beautifully explains this in his book "The Forgotten Half of Change: Achieving Greater Creativity through Changes in Perception". In transformation, the change happens twice.

Usually, in change initiatives, it is sufficient to focus on managing either reality or perception, whereas Transformation is about managing reality and perception.?

If the company is losing market share, companies with a "change" mindset will focus on adding new features or making the product better, or the company might put greater emphasis on its sales and marketing efforts and enhance the perception of the product's value to the customers. Companies with the "Transformation" mindset will think of a new product itself. It will focus on better products (reality) and great marketing (perception) and set up excellent customer service to ensure the fact matches the perception (for example Apple, Inc.). The companies with a "change" mindset operate from an "x OR y" point of view, whereas the companies with a "Transformation" mindset operate from "x AND y And ..."; they are open to infinite possibilities. Their working methods focus on the "intent" rather than the "outcome", ruthless action, continuous feedback and refinement.?

Conclusion:?

?It is important to note that "change" and "transformation" are distinct approaches to executing a strategy. Both have their advantages, and both will not guarantee results. For an organisation to become successful and thrive in a changing world, many other factors come into play, including leadership and culture, products and services, markets, consumer preference, macro and micro economic conditions and even luck.?

With this new understanding, the ship thesaurus paradox can be solved by taking the lens of "Change" and "Transformation".?

As the planks of Theseus' ship needed repair, it was replaced part by part, upto a point where not a single part from the original ship remained in it, anymore. Is it then the same ship?

Theseus' Paradox?

?The article on Transformation Parts 1 and 2 , is written with the intent to distinguish the critical difference between "Transformation" and "Change" so that they are not used as synonyms.?

Please share your thoughts, feedback and comments.?

Acknowledgements?

I have wanted to write about this topic of Transformation for a long time. Almost since it was a buzzword and had its shine (it has nearly lost its shine), most discussions and teachings used these concepts as similar or, at times, synonyms. I don't have the credibility to influence and make those changes, but I at least have the freedom to express and share my views through this medium. I'm open to discussing, debating and refining my thought process. Most of my learning about Transformation has come from the works of Werner Erhard and the insights I got through the time spent at Landmark Education, The Leadership course designed and delivered by Michel C Jensen, Erhard and Steve Zaffron and the works of Luc De Brabandere.?

References

• Werner Erhard, “Being a Leader and the Effective Exercise of Leadership An Ontological / Phenomenological Model” (Workshop presented at the Leadership Course, Panchgani, India, November 12, 2010).
• “Landmark Course Supervisor Program” (Classroom presented at the CSP Classroom, Bangalore, August 2009).
• William Bartley III, Werner Erhard The Transformation of a Man: The Founding of EST (Clarkson N Potter, n.d.).
• Luc de Brabandere, The Forgotten Half of Change: Achieving Greater Creativity through Changes in Perception (Chicago: Dearborn Trade Pub, 2005).

Transformation Part 1 and 2?? 2022?by?Raghavendra Mithare?is licensed under?Attribution 4.0 International. (no additional permission to required - This license requires that reusers give credit to the creator. It allows reusers to distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon the material in any medium or format, even for commercial purposes.)