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TRANSFORMATION IS NOT A STRAIGHT LINE!

The path to your transformed future is messy. You have to abandon what you were before you can become what you are to be. In the middle of your transformation, people you trust will tell you that you are not on the right path. They will point out that you “no longer have the legs” but you “do not yet have the wings”. They will implore you to stop. You need to have prepared for the journey and have planned for the changes. It is not linear, but it can be stepwise. You can plan it one cocoon at a time.

Butterfly

These days, we hear about teams, organizations, or whole industries going through some form of a "transformation".  I am often asked how to tell the difference between an organizational "change" and a "transformation"?  What makes a transformation special?

My position is that a transformation is a major change of state.  It is a change so large, that an organization cannot achieve its objectives by simply:

• Changing what it does, or

• Changing how it does something.

Instead, a transformation requires that the organization can achieve its objectives only by:

• Changing what it is.  

  << That is, it must make a fundamental change of state to be successful.>>

As one of the most vivid examples of a transformation, consider the caterpillar (the kind that crawls on plants and eats leaves).  When it was born, this creature must "fly" in order to fulfill its destiny.  Yet, the act of flying is impossible for the caterpillar.  It cannot crawl faster or jump off a leaf and "fly".  It cannot change what it does or how it does its activity to achieve success.  Instead, it must "change what it is." It must prepare for its "transformation" with its knowledge (stored in its DNA) and by "investing" (eating) and creating a cocoon.  In the cocoon, it begins to dissolve its former self on the journey to becoming a butterfly. 

If you would cut open a cocoon, mid transformation, you would not find 1/2 caterpillar and 1/2 butterfly.  Instead you would find something rather messy.  If you lose confidence and interfere with the process at this point you will have neither a butterfly nor a caterpillar.  You will kill it.

In a major organizational transformation, there is a lot of learning going on and the journey is rarely linear.  Even if you have strong knowledge of the end capabilities, there is significant change management to deal with.  During the journey, many people will offer advice that this transformation is not going well when there is not yet clarity of organizational future accountabilities.  Many will begin to fear the loss of the prior capabilities (or accountabilities) before the new ones are fully formed.  For those that have never been on such major changes, it will be a seriously uncomfortable period of time.  It is at these moments, when it most critical to not stop the process.  Do not cut open the cocoon.  Trust that the organization is capable of reforming to achieve its new and critical objectives.  It may take a little while for the "wings" to dry ... but the flying will be fantastic.

If your organization needs to significantly change some of what you are to reach your goals.  I recommend the following:

1. Clearly state your objectives and the definition of success -- the entire organization will need to know  (DNA)

2. Make sure there is early investment in critical capability building across the organization in the new skills, knowledge and tools before the full change (Eating)

3. Make sure there is senior leadership commitment to not stop until the objective is reached (Protect the cocoon)

4. Watch closely and continue to support while the new capabilities begin to emerge (emergence and drying wings)

5. Take a breath at the end to let the organization recover

化蝶 – 谈组织转型

最近听说一些团队，组织或者某个行业正在经历“转型”。经常有人问我“转型”和“变化”的不同之处何在？什么使“转型”更加特别？

 “转型”是事物形态的一种重要变化，这种变化非常巨大。只有通过“彻底改变自己” 组织才能实现“转型”目标。也就是说，必须从本质上变革才能成功。而不可能通过简单地改变“做什么”或者“如何做什么”来实现。

毛毛虫就是关于“转型”最生动的例子。毛毛虫出生后， 为了完成它的使命， 它必须要“飞”。然而，“飞”对毛毛虫而言是不可能的。它不能通过爬快些或者从叶子上跳下，就飞起来。它无法通过改变做什么，如何做来取得成功。相反，它必须“改变自己”。它要通过“投资”（进食）为自己做一个茧，用自己的知识（其固有基因）为其“转型”做准备。在茧里，它溶解原先的自己，开启化蝶（转型）的过程。

“化蝶（转型）”期间，如果你剪开蛹茧，茧里面绝不是一半毛毛虫， 一半蝴蝶。相反，你看到的是一团模糊的物体。如果此时你失去信心，扰乱转型过程，你肯定一无所获，既得不到蝴蝶也失去了毛毛虫。你只会终结它的生命。

组织“转型”要求大量的学习，道路不会一帆风顺。即使你很了解组织的最终能力，但仍然需要进行大量的变革管理。在转型的道路上，当组织未来的责任分工尚不明确的时候，会有很多人说转型并非如设想的那么好。在新组织确立前，还有些人会害怕因为转型而失去其原先的职能或者责任，因为他们从未经历过这么重大的改变，这对他们而言是一个非常难熬的阶段。恰恰就是在这个阶段，更不能中止转型。一定不要剪开蛹茧。请相信组织的重生能力，新生的组织可以实现其新的目标。也许它还需要一点点时间把“翅膀”晾干，但是“翩翩起舞”的画面将会非常震撼。

如果你的组织需要做些改变实现你们的目标，我有以下几点建议：

1. 清晰地阐述你的目标及对成功的定义——整个组织要理解（基因）

2. 确保在彻底改变前，组织能够在新技能，知识和工具等关键功能建立过程中进行前期投资（进食）

3.需要上层领导团队做出“转型”不达目标不罢休的承诺（保护茧）

4.当新功能开始出现的时候给予密切关注和支持（出现，晾干翅膀）

5.最后，稍作休息，完成组织重生。