We define the “Transformation Journey” as a multi-year journey of sensing, exploring, learning, gradual reinvention and – eventually – successful Transformation.

The Transformation Journey

How does a company get started? What are the first few steps? What is the process – before there even is a roadmap, transformation office or even a mandate?

We view the Transformation Journey as the mandatory foundation. This four-step process is designed to guide you through a multi-year journey of exploring, learning and reinventing. It is a high-level journey framework, but allows you to take a broad helicopter view before diving into the many strategic and people challenges you may be facing.

Once this Journey has started and step one is completed, it makes sense to get started on the Transformation Roadmap – but it may not make sense to start on the Roadmap before you have a minimum of alignment among your key stakeholders.

Step one, start the journey.

The Transformation Roadmap

We define the “Transformation Roadmap” as a clear, actionable plan for leading an end-to-end Transformation.

The Transformation Roadmap emerged during late 2019 based on work and insights with a large number of transformation cases in Europe, Asia and the Nordics.

Across our research, interviews and client projects, we started sensing a pattern, a repetitive step-by-step process emerging. While we previously had only seen bits and pieces, for the first time we started to see the entire picture.

The process was greatly fueled by conversations and collaboration with Ian Pallister. With more than 25 years of strategy consulting from firms like Strategos, Palladium and Innovaro, Ian brings a wealth of knowledge in understanding the challenges by CEOs and Boards in navigating through major industry shifts.

Today, the Transformation Roadmap is helping companies navigate their strategy challenges.

Transformation and Strategic Dilemmas

How do we create a new strategy when there is no clear path forward? How do we create a new strategy when all analysis point to a rapidly shifting landscape and a declining room to maneuver?

How do we create a new strategy when our core business is barely able to sustain itself and we have few options for funding new growth options

Recently we have been working with customers and partners to gain a deeper understanding of what we call ‘Strategic Dilemmas’. Wicked, complex strategic challenges that seemingly have no obvious best path forward. In many of the industries, we find multiple Strategic Dilemmas at work.

At a recent Strategy Tools Master Trainer Program 12 participants spent a full working session exploring Strategic Dilemmas for the German automotive industry. Shifting through a number of articles, interviews, data points and newspaper clippings, the Master Trainers came away exhausted. “This is difficult. Very, very difficult” said one. We would concur.

When VW’s CEO Herbert Diess talks about the entire German automotive industry needing to wake up and avoid its own Nokia-moment, it is time to pay attention.

Watch out for many Strategic Dilemmas emerge here in the coming few years.

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If you want to dig deeper into the tools, case studies and methodology behind Building the Transformational Company, register here for our 5 week online certification program starting on September 16, 2021. For more insights on how to build your own transformational company, download the full report here.