Transformation....most abused term in the corporate world

It is interesting how organizations decide to change everytime there is a change in the market conditions, business essentials, or just a change in the leadership. In almost each and every case there is a mass hysteria that is built upon the change that would be driven and how it would make a difference in the fortunes of the company at large and for the people in particular.

"Transformation" is what it would be called - driven by the CEO's office and supported by the group of people who would in one voice support everything. As the plans would be drawn up, teams would be created and tasks assigned, and here comes the catch. Everyone in the team would have to do the regular work and find time to do this magical transformation. In typical consulting companies, you would be told to sell this so that you can do all that you are planning on the back of a customer. Shoestring budgets but bumper results are expected from the people.

Transformation is used more as a selling gimmick by the organizations to attract the talent and then to let them know that all you are going to get will not take you home. The leadership is at fault as a larger number of them do not have the courage to drive the agenda with the CEO's office. The cost of transformation is most of the time not understood it is considered to be a waste of money and something that is diluting the margins.

Having been in the corporate world for a long long time my experience now tells me -

• Transformation is a sales tool
• Not all management is serious about it
• Investments are in most cases missing
• Used sometimes to downsize
• At times it is also used to settle individual scores - where there is a leadership change

I don't want to sound cynical but there have been major success driven by a well run transformation program and we will talk about that in the coming days.