WHY IS THERE SUCH A HIGH FAILURE RATE IN BUSINESS TRANSFORMATION TODAY?

The true number of business transformation project failure is underreported. Depending on which research you follow, the figure is between 70% – 80% of business transformation projects end in failure. There is five (5) main causes in business transformation failure are – lack of stakeholder involvement, lack of senior stakeholder support, changing requirement, incomplete requirements and poor planning.

WHAT IS WRONG WITH EXISTING APPROACHES?

Nothing. They are good at the purpose they were designed for, except they are now used for a different purpose, and that is not the original purpose they were designed for. Look at TOGAF® (The Open Group Architecture Framework) for example – it’s a framework for managing ‘technology’ or ‘technology changes’. It is not surprising, it was written by a “technology standards company”. They know and understand technology. What is happening is, TOGAF® is being used in business transformation projects that the ‘framework’ to manage the ‘transformation’, but it only focuses one thing – technology. It doesn’t focus on anything else other than Technology (it almost completely ignores, the other two (2) important aspects of the organisation – People, and Process(es)). It also ignores how to transition the business from the current state, to its desired future state. It effectively put the Technology stakeholders in the drivers set, to dictate to the Business what they think they want and literally throw it over the fence to the Business for them to work out if first it is fit for purpose, and then how to use and implement it.

HOW DOES HOBA® SOLVE THE PROBLEM IN BUSINESS TRANSFORMATION TODAY?

HOBA® solves the 70% failure rate in business transformation problem by addressing the causes that problem in the first place – by putting the Business back into control, to take control back from Technology and into their own hands, using a structured process and framework that was developed WITH the Business, BY the Business, to be USED and OWNED by the Business, putting the control back into their own hands.

WHAT IS THE BIGGEST PROBLEM WITH BUSINESS TRANSFORMATION PROJECTS AND HOW DOES HOBA® HELP?

The biggest problem with business transformation projects is firstly the name. “Business Transformation” is incorrectly called or referred to as “Digital Transformation”. ‘Digital Transformation’ is a misnomer, it is not ‘digital’ per se that is ‘transforming’, it is the ‘Business’ that is transforming, and how it does or is doing that in this period of time is via ‘digital technologies’ (if ‘technology’ isn’t already digital, what were they before?). What this intentional confusion in the marketplace is causing, is it causes is an incorrect bias and focus on the ‘technology aspect’ only of the transformation, which by doing so completely ignores the Business aspects – that’s the Business Operations Stakeholders and their concerns, and the Processes those stakeholders carry out. HOBA® helps by putting the Business back in to control, to be very clear and structured with what is the Vision, Strategy, Objectives and Measures, what stakeholders are involved and need to be involved in the transformation and their decision making authority, the process to manage those decisions, scope and risks; what are the problems they want to address or opportunities they want to take advantage of; what benefits they want to realise from the transformation and when; what the future or Target Operating Model (TOM) needs to look like to achieve their Vision and Strategic Objectives and business benefits, and how and when will the changes be implemented. Everything and nothing more, only doing what needs to be done, to transform the business, not doing what is happening in the marketplace today and that is ‘creating reams and reams of colourful models and diagrams, that while beautiful, are in reality just “interesting but (sadly) useless”.

WHAT IS THE DESIGN PROCESS?

The Design Process is the 6-Step process used to implement HOBA® and manage the transformation from the very start, to the very end, implementation.

WHAT IS THE BIGGEST MISCONCEPTION IN THE MARKETPLACE?

The biggest misconception in the marketplace today with business transformation is that Clients are led to believe that they need ‘reams and reams’ of pretty colourful presentations to transform your business. This is a fallacy. This only creates expensive shelf-ware. What those ‘pretty presentations’ are designed for is to enable the transformation project to keep moving toward its end goal, transforming the Business. What the Clients are led to believe is those ‘pretty presentations are the actual goal of the project, and often celebrated and hang up on the project office wall with great bravado as if they were the goal of the transformation itself! What those ‘pretty presentations’ actually need to be is two (2) things – first, is they need to be understandable, and written in a language that the Business understands, so first they can understand what it and they mean, and then they can agree to it. Then second, then they need to be useful. A lot of Consultants and Consultancy’s wanting to impress their clients with great marketing, pretty presentations and long list of impressive acronyms and latest “it” words, but this just confuses the Client. What happens is the Consultants will present their ‘ideas’ (because that’s what they are, they have had one meeting with the Client, interpreted that into their own words and perspectives, and come back to them several weeks and months later, having not consulted with them through the process, thinking ‘they know their Clients business best (they don’t, the Client does!) and play back their 300+ page power-point presentation that looks impressive), they present it to the Client, the Client has no idea what it means or says (its written in a foreign language, literally), due to the time it’s taken, and the money it has cost at that point, the Client agrees to it in the room, then walks out the room, and completely ignores everything the Consultant(s) said. The transformation goes nowhere. HOBA® solves that problem, refer to the first question above.

HOBA® is trusted by the UK Government, FTSE-100 companies and start-ups to both set up, and also turnaround their failing transformations. HOBA® is used by thousands around to transform their business, and was made public for the first time in late 2018, after over 10+ years in use with private clients, published in The Business Transformation Playbook – How to Implement Your Organisations Target Operating Model (TOM) and Achieve a Zero-Percent Failure Rate Using the 6-Step Agile Framework’, reaching bestseller on Amazon in 6-categories including Project Management and Consulting, and made it onto the Best Business Strategy eBook List of All Time by BookAuthority, at no.30 (March 2021). See News for details.

CAN I READ A PREVIEW OF THE BUSINESS TRANSFORMATION PLAYBOOK?

Yes, you can download a FREE preview to The Business Transformation Playbook here.

Mastering Business Transformation: Lessons from Lean Six Sigma Expert Tom West

By Heath Gascoigne
November 17, 2024
Business Transformation, Enterprise Architecture
Post Views: 531

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Mastering Business Transformation: Lessons from Lean Six Sigma Expert Tom West

Business transformation is no small feat—it’s a journey fraught with challenges, both predictable and unforeseen. How do successful leaders navigate this complex terrain? In our recent podcast, Tom West, a Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt, shared invaluable strategies for overcoming common transformation pitfalls. Drawing from decades of experience, Tom emphasizes a balanced focus on people, purpose, and process.

Whether you’re a business transformation leader, consultant, or strategist, this article distills Tom’s wisdom into actionable insights to transform your organization faster, with less risk, less effort, and greater results.

Heres what we’ll cover (click the links to skip to the section below):

NB – Click to expand images 📸

Why Business Transformations Fail

Business transformation often stumbles due to:

Tom West’s approach addresses these gaps by combining the business case with the human case, ensuring both are prioritised equally.

Tom West’s Key Insights

Here are Tom’s valuable and thoughtful insights that he has gathered through his experiences and observations:

Tom highlights the importance of emotional intelligence (EI) in transformation:

Leaders often rely heavily on technical expertise but underestimate the power of EI.
EI fosters trust, communication, and resilience, which are critical during change.

Purpose-driven transformations engage and empower employees. Tom’s approach includes:

Identifying individual and organizational purposes to align efforts.
Recognizing how misaligned goals can lead to burnout and wasted potential.

Empowerment is at the core of sustained success:

Gradually transfer decision-making to teams through the “lifeguard model.”
Build skills, confidence, and accountability to drive long-term impact.

BOOK YOUR FREE STRATEGY CALL!

Unlock the roadmap to your business transformation success. Schedule a free strategy call with our experts to align your strategy, architecture, and operations for real change. Let’s create a tailored approach that fits your needs and sets you on the path to success. 🚀

👀 "Business transformation isn't just about tools & processes—it's about PEOPLE. Empowering teams & aligning purpose with strategy is how real change happens. 🌟💡 #BusinessTransformation #Leadership #HOBA" 🌎🏆 - Heath Gascoigne, HOBA Tech CEO

Heath Gascoigne Tweet

Practical Applications for Leaders

Here are Tom’s practical and invaluable advice for leaders who strive to enhance their effectiveness and foster a productive work environment.

Reflect on your leadership style and embrace feedback to foster a culture of growth.

Adapt your messaging for strategic and operational levels to ensure clarity and alignment.

Create safe spaces for experimentation and learning without fear of repercussions.

Prioritize skills like influence, trust-building, and emotional resilience alongside technical expertise.

Takeaways for Business Transformation Success

Tom West’s insights provide a roadmap for transformation leaders:

The HOBA framework empowers leaders to create business architecture that’s adaptable and resilient—key traits for a world facing constant change.

To watch the full podcast with Tom, go here 👉 Six Sigma Master Black Belt on using E.I, self-awareness and empowerment for sustained business transformation.

Conclusion: Empowering Transformation Through Purpose and People

Business transformation is a journey of navigating complexities, aligning strategies, and empowering people. As Tom West’s insights remind us, success lies not only in achieving business targets but in fostering a culture where purpose and empowerment drive every decision.

By embracing emotional intelligence, prioritizing individual and organizational purpose, and equipping teams with the tools and confidence they need, leaders can transform challenges into opportunities. Transformation isn’t a one-size-fits-all process—it requires adaptability, resilience, and a focus on both the business and human cases.

At HOBA Tech, we’re committed to equipping leaders, managers, and consultants with the frameworks and tools to succeed in today’s fast-paced world. Let’s build transformations that last—not just for organizations but for the people who make them thrive.

Are you ready to take the next step in your transformation journey? Explore the HOBA framework and discover how it can empower you to lead with confidence and purpose.

About HOBA Tech

At HOBA Tech, we specialize in helping organizations navigate transformation challenges using our award-winning Agile Business Transformation Framework.

Trusted by the UK Government, FTSE 100 companies, and startups worldwide, our approach ensures faster, smarter, and more sustainable results.

Explore our resources:

Looking for the Best Training to deliver your Business Transformation? Search no more!

🎯 "Soft skills aren't optional—they're the KEY to transformation success. Combine emotional intelligence with strategy to lead your organization to greatness. 🚀🤝 #AgileLeadership #ChangeManagement #HOBA

Heath Gascoigne Tweet

Hope you got a lot of value out of this.

Thanks for reading!

Heath Gascoigne

P.S. If you want to join our Business Transformator community of 2,000+ like-minded Business Transformators, join the community on the Business Transformator Facebook Group here.

P.P.S. If you want to learn more about business transformation, check out The Business Transformation Playbook here.

For more information, visit https://www.hoba.tech

Heath Gascoigne

Hi, I'm Heath, the founder of HOBA TECH and host of The Business Transformation Podcast. I help Business Transformation Consultants, Business Designers and Business Architects transform their and their clients' business and join the 30% club that succeed. Join me on this journey.

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Mastering Business Transformation: Lessons from Lean Six Sigma Expert Tom West

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