Business transformation is getting smarter.
In a world where change is the norm, organisations are increasingly looking for ways to become more agile to keep up with the pace. As a result, the organisations that traditionally help them face these challenges are having to adapt as well.
This is welcome news for businesses. It’s a long-standing trend that few executives say their companies' transformations succeed. In fact, 70% of business transformation projects fail, according to McKinsey & Company.
The new ways of thinking in business transformation are focusing more on the delivery and leaving a positive legacy for continuous growth and success.
The traditional model doesn’t always work
Traditionally the recruitment and consulting industries have adhered to their autonomous business models with little-to-no overlap between them. Organisations have contracted with consultancies to help them strategise and plan. Recruitment companies have then been drawn in to find the best people to deliver change.
This siloed approach leaves a big gap. Who is managing the overall delivery of the transformation? Who is responsible for monitoring progress and making sure you overcome the challenges that are inevitable along the way?
This leaves the organisation going through change with little control over the outcomes. The consultancy and the recruitment companies are effectively marking their own homework.
A focus on delivery
Organisations brought in to help companies going through change are increasingly focusing on delivering more flexible solutions, by combining consulting and recruitment into one package.
In doing so, the business has more control and input over the final outcome, as well as the confidence and assurance that the right structure, process and governance is in place to deliver the transformation successfully.
Business transformation programmes need to be treated as a changeable entity and adapted as new problems are encountered. There needs to be someone in place to oversee the whole journey to ensure the transformation is delivered smoothly, on time, and within budget. Someone who can reassess and re-evaluate the roadmap regularly, and adapt it as appropriate. This individual or organisation works closely with the senior leadership team to ensure they maintain control.
Bringing consultancy and recruitment together means more flexible solutions. It allows for the right people to be brought in at the right times. Independent consultants can be brought in to manage each workstream and stage of the transformation, at the appropriate point in the journey. While governance is in place at a top level to mobilise teams and ensure smooth delivery.
Building a legacy
The need to involve external organisations in business transformation often lies in a lack of internal capability to deal with change. Just 42% of business leaders say they have the internal capability to deliver business transformation. Though in reality this capability is often grossly underestimated.
But what if you could build this capability internally, and create a truly change-able organisation?
Change is always going to be on the agenda. And it’s crucial for us to challenge the status quo on an individual as well as an organisational level, to ensure we have the right mindset and skillset to constantly adapt.
By building blended teams of external and internal talent to manage and deliver change, you can shape your organisation to be more responsive, more flexible, and more adaptive. Interim executives with vast experience of managing change programmes can be brought in to empower and nurture internal talent, embedding a positive legacy of an agile, change-able business.
Transformation needs to be sustainable, and this isn’t possible without the appropriate management and governance in place to ensure you get the delivery right. This top-level approach also enables you to deliver a team to achieve the outcomes you want, whilst building your internal capability to become a more agile organisation.
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