Replacing Powerpoints with more online presentations is not the solution
By: Bert Van Wassenhove
Tags: Stakeholder Engagement, Transformation, Innovation

Change, innovation, transformation… never in history have these words been used so often by managers, entrepreneurs, policymakers, opinion makers and consultants. With 2021 just around the corner, we can expect another tsunami of good intentions. The question is how many of those intentions will be put into practice. It is not that easy to bring about change. Large organizations must dare to question past success formulas, and in small organizations, entrepreneurs may have to give up their baby for adoption. However strong the rational conviction may be that change is necessary, it is people who will have to make that change happen.

The solution lies in human-driven transformation, change and innovation that is powered by the frontrunners in an organization.

The solution lies in human-driven transformation, change and innovation that is powered by the frontrunners in an organization. Before this can happen, you must first and foremost know where you want to go as an organization, as a team, as a group of people in your market and with your product or service. Suppose you are a group of passionate experts who want to strengthen other companies with your knowledge. Then you will have to use a totally different building model than the flamboyant visionary who wants to turn the entire world upside down. By making a clear choice from the start, for a model that reflects the ambitions of your organization, you immediately generate motivation among all participants in the transformation process.

This is how simple a good business strategy can look: focus on the customer.

And obviously you want to steer your company in the direction of more satisfied customers. This is how simple a good business strategy can look: focus on the customer. And who knows best what the customer wants: those people in your organization who are in regular contact with the customers. A transformation process will only be successful if it puts the interests of your customers first. So, it’s crucial to involve them in the process, be it directly or indirectly through the customer facing people in your organisation. Not just sales, but also service-after-sales, finance, logistics and many more departments need to be involved. When in doubt, or in an endless discussion, the customer’s opinion gives you the answer.

You cannot keep on using the same formulas and expect an innovative result.

Bringing enthusiasm to the people inside and outside your organization also requires creativity. You cannot keep on using the same formulas (post-it notes, slideshows, offsite meetings, …) and expect an innovative result. Give your team members the space and time to form their opinion at their own pace, in a context that suits them best and without negative stress. Be the leader who takes dissent seriously and gives it a chance. And of course, not all ideas will be useful, but by taking them into the open, insights will emerge with buy-in from the entire team. True wisdom comes from interaction between people.

Successful transformation goes hand in hand with motivating all stakeholders.

It all boils down to this: successful transformation goes hand in hand with motivating all stakeholders. No innovation without enthusiasm, no transformation without buy-in. I have always found the pinnacle of this kind of intrinsic motivation with entrepreneurs. They constantly go through rollercoasters of success and failure, often on their own, and yet they continue to search for the best solutions for their customers. It is that kind of entrepreneurial drive that we need in all organizations. Especially now that more and more people are working from home and are, to some extent, isolated from the momentum that used carry them in the office environment.

I found that intrinsic motivation for change reflected in the statement of a customer of ours. After the final presentation of the strategic transformation process that we had developed with them he said: “It was a very pleasant and qualitative process, and we are especially excited to get started.”. That’s what we do it for, because with a motivated team, innovation and transformation get all the chances it deserves.