Resilient Transformations

How did your organization handle its last major transformation? You had a detailed plan, discussed at length – and then what happened? We recently put that question to 40 senior executives responsible for transforming organizations in the production, engineering, consulting, and financial service sectors. Most stories had three parts: The plan, a surprising “but then… ,” and finally a response to the “post-surprise reality” (or what we may just call “reality”).
The third part is the most important part of any transformation, because this is where the transformation happens in the organization. We argue that the success or failure of major transformations depends not on better predictions, better plans, or better visions. Transformations depend on responding effectively to what we cannot practically know in advance: surprises.

Stingl, V., Wied, M., & Oehmen, J. (2019). Resilient transformations. In The Transformation Playbook (pp. 180-184) , Thinkers50, Wargrave, UK, 222 p. https://www.brightline.org/resources/thinkers50-transformation-playbook/