Leading Change: Why Transformation Efforts Fail

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Leading Change: Why transformation efforts fail
Introduction
The rapid changes in the fundamental structures that support businesses create the need for
frequent business transformations in order to keep up or lead the market. Many businesses often
approach transformation with a lot of enthusiasm and end up being greatly disappointed when
their efforts do not fully materialize into their expected results. As indicated in Kotter, (2012, pg.
3-4), major change efforts have enabled some organizations adapt significantly to changing
conditions, have enhanced other companies’ the competitive standing, and have further
positioned some for a far better future. For a successful transformation, the organization should
adopt the strategic business transformation approach. Nair explains that strategic business
transformation entails realizing, responding to and navigating through a major shift in market
need, (Nair, 2011. Preface). This would mean developing a business design that is able to
respond to and withstand the numerous market transformations thus attaining and keeping the
business market leading position. However, making strategic business transformation is not easy,
and businesses often fail in their transformation efforts. This paper identifies and discusses the
major reasons and causes of failure in transformation efforts of businesses.

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According to Kotter (2012. Pg. 4-15), some of the most significant errors associated with
transformation efforts failure include; too much complacency allowance, failure to create a
sufficiently powerful guiding coalition, underestimating the power of vision, inadequate
communication of the vision, allowing obstacles to block the new vision, failure to create short-
term wins, declaration of victory too soon, and neglecting to anchor changes firmly in the
corporate culture.
a. Allowing too much complacency
This refers to the transformation managers’ proceeding with the transformation process and
failing to create a high sense of transformation urgency enough to enable fellow managers and
employees to take or accept change actions. Rushing on the transformation process without
establishing a high sense of urgency in managers and employees always lead to transformations
failing to achieve their objectives, due to lack of effective communications. Sufficient urgency
needs to be established at the beginning of business transformation. This failure to create enough
urgency at the beginning of the business transformation could be attributed to overestimating the
amount of change to be forced on an organization and underestimating the how difficult it is to
drive people out of their normal working routines to facilitate the transformation, as seen in
Remme, (2008. Pg. 135)
Most of the organizations today are associated with too high levels of complacency exhibited by
high levels of past success, no visible crises, inadequate standards of performance, insufficient
feedback from external constituencies and failure to recognize the potentially undesirable effects
of the existing organizational problems, (Gilardoni, 2018. Pg. 292). Remme further elaborates
that without a sense of urgency; there will be no extra effort for change by people and they will

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resist change initiatives from above. To elaborate on these causes, an example from a church
parish setting could be used. In a case where the parish needs to undertake steps to change parish
life. The parish priest could give an approval for a group to form and implement changes to
parish life, but he fails to give his commitment to the changes put forward. According to Reed,
(2018. Pg 393), this group could quickly find themselves isolated and battling complacency and
a lack of any urgency from the leader of the organization. Moreover, the case of the fact that
General Motors enjoyed great returns and huge success since its formation made it lack a
powerful enough the sense of urgency to be able to sense the need to work on their vision
towards matching the new conditions and meet the stiff competition in the market. This led to
its’ falling into crisis in 2008/2009.
b. Lack of sufficiently powerful guiding coalition
This entails failing to establish a strong and effective coalition in the form of transformation
committee that may constitute of the senior management, departmental heads, chain or line
managers as well as designated employees that would strongly advocate for and work towards
achieving the successful transformation desired. Kotter, (2012. Pg 6) highlights that most
successful transformation cases are characterized by powerful coalition in terms of formal titles,
information and expertise, reputations and relationships, and the capacity for leadership. An
individual alone does not have all the necessary assets and capabilities to create the required
transformation in the organization, thus the need for a coalition. For instance, in the church
parish setting case where the parish priest gives approval for a group to implement changes to
parish life, lack of sufficiently powerful guiding coalition could be seen when the priest himself
is passionate about making changes to parish life but he is unable to form a sufficiently expert
and respected group with whom to work. This could be seen in the formation of well-meaning