How Do You Execute Transformation Faster?

Most organisations don't fail transformation because of bad strategy.

And it's rarely the technology.

What actually determines success is far less visible, that is, the leadership and operating dynamics surrounding execution.

This matters. Particularly in PE-backed and high pressure environments where ERP programmes, operating model redesign, integrations, IPO readiness, and AI-driven change are all competing for attention at once.

The real barriers to progress rarely live in the programme plan. They live in the conditions the programme is expected to operate in.

Leadership alignment - the real kind

Surface alignment is not alignment.

Many leadership teams formally agree in governance forums while unresolved disagreements continue beneath the surface. The result: slower decisions, competing priorities, fragmented execution.

Walk (2023) found that visible, consistent leadership support significantly reduces resistance to change and improves commitment to transformation outcomes. Without it, momentum erodes quietly, long before anyone calls it a problem.

Accountability drift kills velocity

Transformation programmes frequently slow not because teams lack capability. They slow because ownership is unclear.

In matrixed or two-in-a-box structures, accountability becomes diffused. Duplication increases. Escalation slows. Delivery discipline weakens.

Ferede (2024) identifies accountability clarity as one of the strongest predictors of execution effectiveness in organisational change environments. It's also one of the most consistently underinvested areas.

Silos slow everything

Modern transformations cut across technology, operations, finance, HR, and commercial simultaneously.

Where silos remain strong, teams optimise locally rather than collectively. Problems circulate instead of getting resolved. Progress in one area creates friction in another.

Bushe and Lewis (2022) show that execution speed improves when organisations build structures that support transparency, trust, and shared problem-solving. That sounds straightforward. In practice, it requires deliberate structural change.

Hidden tension is a delivery risk

Political tension. Leaders who disagree but won't say so. Teams that can't challenge openly.

Oxford Saïd Business School and EY (2024) found that hidden disagreement and lack of open challenge frequently undermine execution momentum, not technical complexity, not resource gaps.

Organisations spend significant energy managing the appearance of alignment. Far less on addressing the tensions actually slowing them down.

Capability transfer isn't optional

Most large programmes rely heavily on external consultants. That can accelerate early delivery. But without deliberate knowledge transfer, organisations don't build the internal capability to sustain what's been implemented.

Hussain et al. (2021) found that knowledge sharing and capability transfer are strongly associated with long term transformation success. As such, dependency on external support is a strategic risk.

What this means for leaders

Transformation success depends not just on what you're trying to implement. It depends on whether your organisation is set up to execute.

That shifts the conversation from programme management to organisational effectiveness:

• Are leaders genuinely aligned?
• Is accountability truly clear?
• Are decisions being made fast enough?
• Can teams challenge openly?
• Is capability being built internally?
• Are leadership behaviours supporting or slowing execution?

These aren't soft issues. They're execution issues.

What good looks like

Organisations that improve transformation performance focus less on adding process and more on removing what's slowing them down.

Clearer ownership. Simpler governance. Stronger leadership alignment. More transparency. Deliberate internal capability development over long term dependency.

The organisations that do this well aren't always the ones with the most sophisticated methodologies.

They're the ones that create the conditions in which execution can succeed.

References

1. Walk, M. (2023). The importance of leadership in organizational transformation and change management.
2. Ferede, Z. (2024). Leadership accountability and organizational change effectiveness.
3. Bushe, G. & Lewis, S. (2022). Three change strategies in organization development.
4. Oxford Saïd Business School & EY (2024). Transformation turning points: leadership, emotion and execution dynamics.
5. Hussain, S. et al. (2021). Transformational leadership and organizational change: examining the mediating role of knowledge sharing.