

CULTURE first
“The only thing we have is one another. The only competitive advantage we have is the culture and values of the company. Anyone can open up a coffee store. We have no technology, we have no patent. All we have is the relationship around the values of the company and what we bring to the customer every day. And we all have to own it.”
Howard Schultz, CEO, Starbucks
thought leadership on culture and transformation
TRANSFORMATIONAL CHANGE IS NOT A JOURNEY
Most approaches define transformational change as a journey. However, treating it as a journey means that it is merely a process and not a destination.
TRANSFORMATIONAL CHANGE IS A PARADIGM SHIFT
Think of it as the inflection point on a new ‘S’ curve. It has to have an acute onset and rapid implementation. It is said that the momentum for change must ideally be created within 100 days, while inspirations and motivations are still fresh and unmarred by time. Transformational change is different from a “journey” in that the latter is usually a long, drawn- out process, where it would be unrealistic to expect people to maintain the same effort and enthusiasm from start to finish.
TRANSFORMATIONAL CHANGE IS NOT ABOUT MINDSET
TRANSFORMATIONAL CHANGE IS ABOUT PURPOSE
For change to have a purpose, it must be both intellectually and emotionally relevant to the employee. That is, it must make sense and resonate with the employee’s needs, values and beliefs. The problems defined by the management i.e. “VUCA” = Volatility – Uncertainty – Complexity – Ambiguity should not be treated as problems, but as SYMPTOMS of an outdated bureaucratic organisational structure that are no longer able to effectively respond to today’s “information-network age” business environment.
TRANSFORMATIONAL CHANGE fails when the methodology used is essentially the same as the one causing the problem. This is often the case when the change initiative is internally designed.
A NEW METHODOLOGY: this is a novel approach that has the ability to rapidly implement a paradigm shift that addresses current challenges and develops the organisation's internal capability to address the next change required for sustainable success. This approach responds to the symptoms of:
Volatility - by developing agility and adaptability
Uncertainty - by developing clarity of objectives and processes
Complexity - by developing ability to disaggregate to simplify
Ambiguity - by defining and inculcating transformational “purpose”
By: Stuart Ludwig
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