In many cases, leaders are advised to bypass the deeper systemic issues by standing up new teams or structures to drive transformation separately from the existing business, rather than embedding it within the way work gets done. But without changing how the organization operates at its core, those efforts become expensive, slow-moving, and disconnected from measurable results. Instead of transformation taking hold, the operating model stalls, teams get overwhelmed, and the work meant to move the business forward ends up stuck in neutral. Now you’ve added even more teams pulling on the same resources, stretching them thinner, and forcing them to navigate competing priorities across multiple delivery systems.
Why transformation keeps failing
Treating transformation as a short-term push or isolated project will always fall short. If the way the business runs doesn’t change, the transformation won’t either, no matter how strong the vision is.
To get different results, you need to work differently. That means building a new way of operating, one that aligns strategy with execution, prioritizes the right work, and creates space for real change to take hold. Not as a one-time event, but as a new rhythm for how the organization delivers value.
