FEATURE
2 . Ensure the burning platform for change is sustainable
3 . Over index on people more than ever before
Karen Thomas-Bland , Global Board Level Advisor and Founder of Intelligent Transformation Partners
Transformations typically start by creating a sense of urgency – it ’ s what drives that initial momentum needed to start galvanising and aligning people . But burning platforms rarely have the longevity needed to sustain you through an entire transformation . The best dialogues make the need for change personal and emotional by giving people a positive reason to believe in the need for change . Burning platforms have in the past tended to lean heavily on financial goals and , while this is still fundamental , the best ambitions encompass goals around people , planet , purpose , prosperity for all and profit . Employees , customers and investors have high expectations on organisations to tackle systemic issues like climate and inequality , while still making profit . If your transformation story is compelling , you will feel significant energy and momentum around it .
Strategies to deploy include :
• Consider ‘ what impact is my organisation making on the world ?’
• Explore in a changed , post-pandemic environment , ‘ how have my employees , customers and investors ’ expectations changed and how can I meet or exceed them ?’
• Ensure the rationale for change is well understood and is delivered thoughtfully , encompassing a broader set of objectives .
Transforming environments are inevitably risky – the stakes are high , reputations are on the line and often you are asking your team to do things they haven ’ t done before – indeed , you may be doing things you haven ’ t done before .
Creating a culture of psychological safety , where no one will feel penalised for taking small bets that may not succeed builds trust and confidence . In today ’ s hybrid working environment I find it ’ s also helpful to really tune in to those often-weaker cultural signals which happen when people are physically distant .
Strategies to deploy include :
• Consider how to encourage people to bring their true self to work .
• Explore what steps you need to take to build an inclusive , accountable and collaborative culture that will help teams thrive in a hybrid and asynchronous model of working .
• Put wellbeing high on the organisation ’ s agenda .
4 . Manage the energy and the urgency
It ’ s perhaps fair to say that we are all feeling some degree of exhaustion and in need of a break and businesses have an urgency to get back to some kind of normality . I find one area to resolve is balancing what I term ‘ the energy and the urgency ’.
Transformations thrive on a series of cycles , building out proof of concepts , piloting them , syndicating those that prove the business case and then implementing them at scale . These cycles need waves of collective energy from people to carry them through .
Now more than ever it feels important to balance where people are at and when you will maximise your chance of success . Transformations as we know them aren ’ t fleeting activities , and you have to be in them for the long haul . For me , I have been thinking a lot about how to manage the ebb and flow of when to go fast versus when we need down time to refresh .
Strategies to deploy include :
• Being strategic about where you spend your own time .
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