Almost every senior leader we talk with describes their organization as going through some kind of transformation. While they might not use that exact word, we hear about “initiatives,” “large-scale change,” and “journeys.” In each case, they have hopes and concerns about achieving their desired state.
Pitfalls
In a recent article published by McKinsey & Company’s People and Organizational Performance practice, the authors described six common pitfalls. Do any of these sound familiar to you?
1.Goals aren’t clearly linked to the transformation.
2.New units lack clarity about strategic goals.
3.Technology and data changes are pursued separately from organizational changes.
4.Budgeting, prioritization, and resourcing workflows are not aligned to the operational model.
5.Culture and leadership remain unaddressed.
6.Top-down leadership in the transformation is lacking.
E. David Spong, the retired leader of two separate Boeing divisions to receive the prestigious Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, used to distinguish between a performance excellence journey and implementing a structured improvement methodology, such as Six Sigma or Lean, by declaring the former as a key role of leadership that can’t be delegated.
