How to Radically Innovate Our Workplace & Elevate Humans and Business?
In my experience of >25 years in leadership, organisational #transformation is never easy. Even when we examine those 20–30% of transformations that allegedly succeeded, it often turns out that their “definition of success” is merely about “delivering the plan” or “hitting the targets”, rather than enabling the flourishing of all.
Recently, together with Tony O’Driscoll, Robin Speculand, Behnam Tabrizi and others we have been working on a new and better definition of “Transformation” — focused on organizations that achieve a true “shift” in their capacity to cultivate human excellence and successfully operate for the “good of all”; transcending a merely profit-driven methodological, analytical approach to become their best selves. So far, we have arrived at some interesting insights:
1. Transformation is not cut-and-paste but highly contextual: what works to successfully transform an organization in one context might not easily work in another. The “best strategy” is critically dependent on the context within which any methods or tools are being applied.
2. Transformation is never linear. None of the transformations we have seen follow a predictable, step-by-step, predetermined progression. Sorry, project planners! Life’s not an excel spreadsheet! Instead, change is iterative, emotional, often unpredictable and non-linear in nature.
3. Transformation is synergistic, not just analytic — and often emergent rather than top-down. A real transformation requires a coherent and integrative “shift” in the human and technical capacities of an organisation to support the emergence of new and better pattern of behaviors and outcomes. This does not mean transformation is just spontaneous or random — it means there is a strong, pervasive, shared spirit of transformation that lends a powerful energy, identity and character to the change effort whilst leaving much freedom to individual efforts.
4. Transformation is achieved by people. People connect dreams and delivery; there is no change without people changing.
5. Transformation is never finished. True transformation is a journey of discovery that evolves and morphs in perpetuity.
In fact, when it comes to Transformation, once size does not fit all. It is a “messily coherent” endeavour than can never be fully codified or captured in one specific model. That said, we can learn much from the exemplars of positive transformations: how people developed, what experiences mattered, which tools worked and how new theories & practice helped move beyond status quo.
That’s why we are launching a new series of transformation dialogues on Sept 12, themed #FreethinkersCorner. Free registrations are open now for everybody interested.
If we are serious about our change, we must enter into dialogue with others, compare notes, co-evolve. To nurture that good “transformational spirit” that compels and propels an organization to create a powerful energy towards a better shared future for all…
