The Transformation Challenge—How to Lead It Effectively
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Innovate & Transform

The Transformation Challenge—How to Lead It Effectively

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Transformation is a dominant theme in today’s business discussions. As the pace of change accelerates—driven by technologies like AI and a growing array of service robots (e.g., Alexa, Siri, JIBO, Tally)—corporations must continually adapt their visions, strategies, and operations. 

Trusted Insights for What’s Ahead™

Transformation is a dominant theme in today’s business discussions. As the pace of change accelerates—driven by technologies like AI and a growing array of service robots (e.g., Alexa, Siri, JIBO, Tally)—corporations must continually adapt their visions, strategies, and operations. 

Trusted Insights for What’s Ahead™

  • Transformations never end, and it’s the leader’s role—and challenge—to identify interim starting and endpoints to guide an enterprise through significant transformational stages.
  • Change management is crucial in any transformation. Micro change management—a persistent set of small, orchestrated changes made continuously over a period of time— plays a key role in speeding up transformation efforts by addressing change needs at a detailed level.
  • The organization must eliminate outdated processes or mindsets that act as barriers to transformation and can hinder or even derail progress. Aligning hearts and minds with the accompanying cultural shift will energize any transformation. 
  • Measuring the progress of the transformation must extend beyond primary corporate metrics such as revenue and profit to include secondary or tertiary data linked to behavioral shifts—such as how quickly employees sign up for training after the first request or how engagement is impacted by the new initiative—which are often more challenging yet critical to define and measure.
  • After capturing and analyzing behavioral data, it's crucial to implement adjustments that facilitate the transformation for users. Short and actionable feedback loops should prioritize input that accelerates associate engagement. Reward systems serve as effective tools to reinforce behaviors that align with the transformation effort.  

Realizing the Realities and Intricacies of Transformation

Any transformation is a sequence of moments within the broader context of an organization's life. Assessing the exact start and

Author

Jim Fitzhenry

Jim Fitzhenry Jim Fitzhenry

Senior Fellow
The Conference Board

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