As part of our ongoing work in the Transformational arena, we often get asked “What makes the perfect Transformation?”
There is no magic wand, but below we have tried to distill all the key elements that we believe need to be in place to offer the maximum chance of transformational success.
We believe that there are three main components that can be transformed within an organisation ; People, Process and Tools.
Consider the analogy of someone driving a car along a 40mph road. The driver represents the “People component”. The car represents the “Tool” and the 40mph road represents the “Process”.
Now, the MD has mandated that he wants his cars to get to places quicker (His Vision).
Some companies would look at the driver (People) and say that needs to change. So, they change the driver, but, unsurprisingly, although they are a more experienced driver, the car and the speed limit are the same, so the journey time remains the same.
Some companies would say they need a faster car and replace the Fiesta with a Mondeo (ie a better Tool). Again, without changing the process (speed limit of 40mph) or the driver, then the journey time would stay very similar.
Some companies would change the process. Good process reengineering would mean the car goes along a 70mph motorway rather than the 40mph side roads. So with the same driver and same car, the journey time could be shortened.
However, the real gains come when two or more of the three main components are changed. At BrightFrog, we would suggest that all three main components are changed (The Sweet Spot). Imagine if the car (Tool), Driver (People) and the 40 mph to 70mph roads (Process) were all changed. The journey time would be drastically shortened and the MD would be a happy chap.
As silly and simple as this analogy sounds, very few companies look at all three components when undergoing transformational change. Many think that just by introducing a new tool, then success will be guaranteed.
At BrightFrog, it is not uncommon for us to partner with large organisations who are investing heavily in rolling out new corporate systems, yet no one has looked at the underlying processes or organizational design.
We have seen many organisations rolling out new CRM, Digital, BI, Data, Finance and Supply Chain systems on top of old legacy processes and out of date organizational structures.
The attached graphic shows the three key elements of People, Process and Tools, that we believe have to be addressed in order for a transformation to be successful.
In addition to the three main components that can be transformed, there are also four main enablers that need to be considered ; Vision, Money, Stakeholder Engagement and Timeframe. An absence of one or more of these can dramatically affect the success of a transformation.
So, if you are currently undertaking a transformation, give some thought as to whether you have considered all three main components and the four key enablers.
If you or your organisation needs help in the Transformational process, then please get in touch.
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