The Transformation Model is the framework we use to help leaders understand their
organizations and also guide a successful redesign. The model reduces the complexity of an
organization to eight key variables that must be understood and aligned for a business to be
successful.
Organizational transformation is the process of transforming and changing the existing
corporate culture to achieve a competitive advantage or address a significant challenge. It can
be an exciting time for any organizati
What is the difference between change management and organizational
transformation?
Change uses external influences to modify actions, but transformation modifies beliefs
so actions become natural and thereby achieve the desired result
Why do we need transformation?
In a world of unprecedented disruption and market turbulence, transformation today revolves
around the need to generate new value—to unlock new opportunities, to drive new growth, to
deliver new efficiencies. All transformations require you to rethink how your enterprise creates
value today and in the future.
Organizational transformation is the process of transforming
and changing the existing corporate culture to achieve a
competitive advantage or address a significant challenge.. It is
visible action taken by organizational leaders to move from the
present to the future in order to achieve a specific outcome or
benefit. It typically involves many, if not all, of the people in the
organization and has the potential to refocus and reenergize the
entire workforce.
The challenge for many organizations though is knowing their is
a need for organizational transformation, but not being certain
of what the corporate culture needs to be transformed to. For
example, you may have formal mission statement and company
values defined, but when it comes to having organizational
leaders articulate the organizational culture in a clear, succinct
way, they struggle.
Yet this is the first and most important step to achieving
organizational transformation: understanding your existing
culture. Here, we’ve broken down the difference between
mission, values, and culture to help you get started. Once you
can distinguish between these terms and clearly define your
organization’s current culture, you will be able to move forward
with confidence.
Mission
First, the mission or vision - two words that can be used
interchangeably without problem. A mission is fairly
straightforward: it is your organization’s reason for existing and
the charter under which leadership operates. In other words,
what purpose does it serve?
Values
Values are the principles by which the organization abides. For
example, if the values include “empowerment” and “integrity”,
then it’s likely that employees demonstrate respect for each
other in their daily interactions, assume responsibility for
mistakes, and hold themselves accountable for results. If values
include “excellent customer service,” then a focus on the
customer (internal and/or external) influences everything an
employee does in his or her workday. While values are
important for formally defining culture and influencing,
remember that organizational culture is more complex than a
few broad, sweeping words.
Want to know more about culture transformation? Here's
everything you need to know.
Culture
You can think of culture as your organization’s personality, as
defined by the sum total of all behaviors of the individuals within
that organization. The key to thinking about organizational
culture is looking at how things are done. Those working in a
culture may or may not be able to articulate exactly what the
culture is, but they will convey it through statements like
“Everyone here works long hours” or “We just seem to rely a lot
on one another.”
Keep in mind that an organization’s written values may be
aspirational and not an honest representation of its current
culture. Closing the gap between an organization’s professed
values and its actual culture is often the point of cultural
transformation.
Defining Your Culture
If you want a complete, honest picture of your culture as it is
now, it’s important to talk to employees at all levels of the
organization. You’re looking for their honest opinions about
what it’s like to work there, how they feel about the culture, the
leadership, their own teams and divisions, and so forth. You
may want to bring in outside consultants for this process, as
they can offer not only expertise, but an unbiased perspective
as well.
Here are a few different approaches you can take to gather
feedback from employees about the existing company culture:
o Engagement Surveys: measure the mental and
emotional connection employees feel with their jobs
and their organization.
o Focus groups: this approach allows organizations to
capture feedback on how individuals feel about their
own department in relation to the culture, allowing the
organization to pinpoint problems or areas of
improvement.
Meetings with high-potential employees: these employees
typically represent key influencers in the organization and
their feedback tends to be reasoned, well-balanced, and
represents the best interests of the company. Their
feedback is crucial to defining the current culture.
Meetings with executives: an organization’s culture is a
result of these executive’s leadership skills which makes
their feedback vital in the definition process.
As you might imagine, having actual conversations with
employees yields the best insights to your organizational
culture. This process may unearth areas of dysfunction or other
issues, but the more concrete information and examples you
have, the better equipped you are to undergo a culture
transformation that is successful.
Begin Your Organizational Transformation
With Confidence
Now that you are aware of the definition of organizational
transformation and what it means, you are aware that it’s
important to consider each of the aspects listed, and the relative
weight of each. From there you can determine how best, and
what, to alter in order to ensure the newly transformed culture is
what’s wanted, sustainable, and carrying no unforeseen
consequences.
