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Getting carried away by transformation

Transformation is one of the most over-used and under-justified terms in the business vocabulary. Hands up anyone out there who hasn’t worked in an organization during a business transformation programme?

transformation

Picture credit: alicepopkorn

Hmm, not many of you waving. Perhaps because transformational change programmes are as widely-strewn as litter at a confetti-manufacturers’ convention.

And yet genuine business transformation is rarely achieved by such initiatives.

So why do we persist in using the T word?

Do we really believe that our fortunes will be transformed, or is the T word just a higher tog-rated comfort blanket for those of us who would like things to be better?

The over-use of the word Transformation devalues its own currency because the eventual outcomes are only rarely truly transformational.

For sure Transformation becomes even more attractive during difficult times. But, maybe, for the sake of integrity, we should hold a moratorium on the use of the T word and have the honesty to dub our initiatives properly: as Business Improvement.

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  • http://shawnmfields.wordpress.com Shawn Fields

    I think you’re way off base here – you’re confusing the word “transformation” with the inability of companies to run effective transformation programs – and they are not one and the same.

    From Dictionary.com, the definition of transformation is as follows:

    trans·for·ma·tion   /ˌtrænsfərˈmeɪʃən/–noun

    1.the act or process of transforming.
    2.the state of being transformed.
    3.change in form, appearance, nature, or character.

    So, the fact that transformation denotes a change in form, appearance, nature or character implies that something substantial changes – so, accessing current state of an organization and desired future state (unless those two are the same thing which is highly unlikely) means something needs to change and/or tranform.

    The fact that most organizations don’t know how to transform effectively doesn’t mean that transformation doesn’t needs to take place. To say that, you would say that since most people can’t play golf well, then we should change the name of the game?

    Don’t hate the game, hate the player.

    Don’t hate the name, hate the fact that most companies don’t know how to deliver.

  • http://www.sba.co.im Steve Burrows

    From another dictionary:

    “Transformation: a complete change in somebody/something”
    “To transform something into something else means to change or convert it into that thing.”

    In this context the post is correct – a business improvement programme may implement considerable change – improvement or change in process, but does it change the business? If the business sells washing machines, and implements a programme to washing machines better, there is no transformation.

    If the business selling washing machines implements a change programme to move to renting washing machines, there is a clear transformation.

    Significant change does not imply transformation, although transformation implies significant change. Essentially one cannot have business transformation unless the Vision (and Mission?) of the business is changed. Once the board decides on that then transformation may follow as part of the implementation of the new Vision.

  • http://shawnmfields.wordpress.com/2009/07/15/ Shawn Fields

    I disagree – transformation does not in and of itself mean “significant” change. Change is transformation, and transformation is change.

    What you’re refering to is “strategic” change and/or transformation. There’s also operational, technical and process transformation – ideally, these are dictated by a strategic change, but not always – some may be just transformational “improvement” in an existing “item.”

    In your example re: washing machines, you say that if a company makes washing machines, but decides to improve the quality of those same washing machines, that is not transformation. I disagree. What if that quality improvement increases the MTBF of those washing machines by 100%, and that 100% improvement causes the company’s market share to rise by 5%? Is that not transformation? I would submit it is…

    My frustration is that people don’t want to use the “term” transformation because they’ve seen too many failed “transformation” efforts. By that definition, every time some project fails, we should stop using the name “project.”