Author: Mike Urgo
I am going to start a newly sponsored series.
Forgetting, for the moment, that I am still need a sponsor.
The series is going to focus on buzzwords used in business and technology for the purpose of defining them and discussing how to achieve success.
For the first episode, I want to focus on the word Transformation.
It seems like everyone lately is trying to be a transformer. Transformation is a word I am hearing more and more as companies are looking to leverage new technologies (including Artificial Intelligence). I am even seeing job posting for roles like: “Transformation Director”.
But what does it really mean?
How can organizations achieve success when transforming?
Transformation can easily be associated with change and change can be scary to some. Formally, change is more tactical and refers to a modification or shift in something that already exists. Transformation, on the other hand, is strategic and focuses on creating something new and seeks to change a mindset.
With both change and transformation, It’s important to speak clearly and with targeted outcomes when working with clients (both internal and external).
So, when we stand in front of our team and say:
We are excited to transform the way we do sales!
We should be forthcoming and follow that statement by giving further details like:
We are starting to look at how we approach sales. We want to embark on a journey that will strategically look at the processes and tools we use with the goal of shifting our mindset away from bottom line thinking towards a customer first mindset. As we proceed through this journey, we will be working with teams to identify areas of opportunity and create a roadmap of smaller projects to achieve success.
I believe that transformational success can be achieved in a three-pronged approach, using tried and true methodologies.
- Discovery and Planning
- Change Management
- Governance and Control
Transformation to me, at the highest level, just means doing something different.
Discovery and Planning should be applied first, and I highly recommend starting some simple questions that are typically applied during discovery and planning.
- What are we trying to transform?
- Why is this important?
- When should this transformation be completed by?
- How can we do it?
- What are the downstream impacts?
The trick here is that these questions should not be answered in a vacuum. These should be supported by data and feedback from all teams that could be impacted by the transformation. There are two reasons for this. The first and most important is to have metrics that can be measured to ensure you’re achieving success, while the second is to make sure you and your team are not missing something.
The indirect impact of reaching out to all teams involved is that you begin to garner some understanding and buy-in. Tone is especially appropriate. Thinking about the six leadership styles, this is not the time to use a commanding tone. Change is hard for people, and transformation is just another word for change. Anyone with any Change Management experience knows that a commanding tone can instantly turn people off to the proposed changes and that can set you behind before the transformation effort ever really begins.
Taking the time to check all the correct and relevant change management boxes prior to making any changes will help with the success of any initiative. One of the more important boxes to check is to ensure that leaders and champions are aligned on the change. Any transformation effort is going to come with some detractors or challengers. It’s imperative that all leaders and champions are aligned to help head off the negative back channel and hallways conversations.
The first two steps can be time-consuming depending on the size of the transformation and the population affected by it. However, investing the time and effort into proper planning and discovery as well as change management will drastically improve your chances of success and long-term adoption.
Finally, prior to starting any transformation effort, it’s important to define a Governance / Control Model for the change. How are you and your organization going to ensure that whatever is changed is adopted and used. For example, if you are changing the sales process and you have sales metrics prior to the change, but some people refuse to use the new process, it’s hard to measure if it’s working.
Creating and enforcing a governance / control model will help your team hold people accountable and start to track meaningful key performance indicators (KPIs) and track your progress. Tracking your progress should not be secret either. Make it available to key stakeholders so that they can show progress to the affected population. Imagine the new sales process is increasing new business by 10% for those using it. Why would you not share that with the team? It should only serve as motivation for those that are struggling with the change.
It's also important to note that with any transformation, there will always be resources that struggle with change. That doesn’t mean they are poor resources, and their concerns should be heard. Especially during the discovery and planning phase. These resources that are extra critical may find something that others, who are excited about the change, may have missed. However, once the train leaves the station, it’s important for them to understand that they need to get on board.
Remember, transformation is change and change can be scary to people. The more you can plan and use appropriate change management practices, the easier and more effective your transformation will be. By implementing governance and control policies, you can hold the team accountable and drive long term adoption and drive success.
Want to know more about how this type of thinking can have a positive impact on your organization?
Schedule a call to see how I can help you or perhaps you are an organization that is a good fit for my next full-time career move.
https://calendly.com/mjurgo
The ability to take the time to understand your organization, your people, your processes, and translate to technological solutions is what makes Intellectual Nebula so effective!
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