In my role, I have been fortunate to spend some time visiting a large number of companies. As a result, I have witnessed a broad range of organisational cultures. This exposure has allowed me to observe the behaviours that contribute to a company’s transformation success.
There have been all too many cases where I have witnessed what I call “Anxious Activity”. This is activity that is not productive, or results driven.
People are running around in circles without clear objectives. The PowerPoint presentations have become a cottage industry and people are measured by the numbers of meetings they attend rather than what the meeting is designed to achieve. Instead, the focus should be ‘what are the objectives of this meeting?’
There is no powerful sense of urgency to move quickly and intelligently to deal with challenging situations. Maybe it is simply a sense of complacency in the workplace, but the reality is that you cannot transform your business if people are complacent. It is imperative that all employees are aware of why the transformation is being undertaken and that the transformation is led from the top.
On the other hand, I have visited organisations where people are pre-emptive of situations, resourceful and share a sense of urgency in order to be the best they can be. They have an understanding of what they are aiming to achieve, and they relentlessly pursue it as this sense of urgency is an integral part of the culture. These organisations have a much better chance of transforming to compete in the marketplace.
The reality is, it takes skilful leadership in organisations to move from complacency to a sense of urgency and ultimately realising transformation success.
What other factors do you feel are integral to a successful transformation? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
If you require assistance transforming your organisation, please contact myself or PM-Partners on 1300 70 13 14.
