Part 3 of 3: Telltale Signs Your Transformation will Likely Fail (and what you can do about it)

Transformation has become the corporate buzzword of the decade. Everyone’s doing it—or claiming to. New strategies, new tools, operating models, and new-ish org design (often with the same old bureaucracy). Despite all the noise, the majority of transformations quietly fail. Not because people don’t care. Not because the idea is flawed, but because the conditions for real change, the ones that genuinely place value upon the human being, were never there to begin with.

If you’re knee-deep in a transformation and wondering why it feels like pushing a boulder up the hill (it’s never easy to begin with!), pay attention to the things happening around you. In the next series of articles, parts 1-3, I’m listing some signs that’s cueing you in on some of the signals that’s dragging your transformation efforts down and how you might pivot your strategy pragmatically:

• Part 1 covers Change and Communications aspects
• Part 2 covers Tooling and Ways of Working challenges
• Part 3 covers Organisational Structure, Leadership, and Autonomy considerations

THE ROLE OF ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE, LEADERSHIP AND AUTONOMY

In the first two parts of this series, we unpacked the importance of effective change and communication, as well as the challenges posed by tooling and ways of working during transformations. Now, we shift our attention to how organizational structure, leadership, and autonomy weave together to create a robust framework for transformational success.

A well-defined structure empowers teams to collaborate effectively while clear leadership fosters trust and guidance. Additionally, encouraging autonomy allows individuals to take ownership and drive initiatives forward. By aligning these elements, organizations not only navigate challenges but also cultivate an environment that supports sustainable change and innovation.

Management Decisions Overrule Team Decisions

Leaders say they are empowering people, but the real decisions still come from them. Guess what? Teams see it—and stop caring.

🔴 Red Flag: Employees spend weeks co-creating ideas, working together to bring them to life… only to be overruled by senior leadership, changing the direction and decision, without an adult-to-adult conversation. This signals that employee input and concerns are not valued and heard, which causes them to disengage.

✅ What Works: Treat employees as the experts that you hired them to be by inviting them to share insights and solutions. Letting them play a part in the solution design and decision-making extends ownership of the results - good or bad. The reality is that when teams aren’t trusted to lead the change, they won’t feel accountable for the outcome, which often results in mediocrity.

🧪 Litmus paper test: Give the team a small but challenging task to collaborate on, something that is outside of their usual work. Make explicit instructions to achieve the outcomes within a given time. Observe how they work together, how they take decisions (or not!) and who naturally takes the lead. If they are stuck in the decision-making process or a manager starts taking charge, this signals that you have some work to do in this area. Shifting ownership and accountability toward the team requires a paradigm shift that can be achieved with good coaching.

Unresolved Tensions Drive Talent Out

Remember quiet quitting? When unresolved tensions persist, talent begins to exit, quietly in the beginning. Employees don’t just leave challenging jobs; they depart from dysfunctional systems where issues remain unaddressed.

🔴 Red Flag: Internal conflicts simmer without resolution, and valuable feedback fails to reach decision-makers. People tend to dance around the issue, and no one seems to pick up on the signals.

✅ What Works: Normalizing tensions may seem difficult, but it always starts with a simple acknowledgement. Confront conflicts directly rather than tiptoe around them. This can only happen when there is enough psychological safety to give individuals courage; it’s not a luxury, but a fundamental requirement for retaining talent and fostering an engaged workplace.

🧪 Litmus Test: Reflect on these questions:

1. Are team members comfortable bringing up issues or sharing their honest opinions?
2. Is there a clear process in place for conflict resolution that everyone understands?
3. How often does the team openly discuss tensions, and are barriers addressed collaboratively?

Unclear Roles and Decision Domains

When roles and decision-making authority are unclear, confusion reigns and progress stagnates. If no one knows who’s in charge—or, worse, everyone believes they are—you’re cultivating chaos, not facilitating change.

🔴 Red Flag: Bystander Effect is a common observation when there is role unclarity. Teams hesitate to take action due to uncertainty about who is responsible for decisions. Initiatives stall, and blame begins to circulate among team members.

✅ What Works: Clearly define which role is responsible for specific decisions. It's important to dissociate this decision-domain from the individual, to ensure that there is a natural transition when the individual leaves. Making decision domains explicit empowers autonomy within those boundaries, but eliminate any lingering ambiguity regarding roles and responsibilities.

🧪 Litmus Test: Consider these questions:

1. Can every team member accurately identify who makes key decisions for specific activities?
2. Is there a documented framework that outlines individual roles and decision domains?
3. How frequently do decision-making delays occur, and what feedback do team members have regarding their understanding of their responsibilities?

If the answers indicate confusion or frequent delays, it’s essential to take steps to clarify roles and establish a solid decision-making framework. By providing clarity, you enable teams to move confidently forward and drive effective transformation.

Operating in Silos

When teams operate in isolation, communication breaks down, and the prospect of cross-functional transformation becomes a distant dream. If your functions don’t communicate, how can you expect to drive cohesive change?

🔴 Red Flag: Departments initiate overlapping initiatives without any coordination, leading to confusion and inefficiency. Even worse, turf wars arise over resources, stifling collaboration and innovation.

✅ What Works: Tear down the walls separating the teams. Foster collaboration by establishing cross-functional teams that unite diverse skills and perspectives. Shift the organizational culture to reward collaboration over empire-building, encouraging members to work together towards shared goals.

🧪 Litmus Test: Reflect on these questions:

1. Is the organization designed to enable collaboration?
2. Are there established processes for sharing information and resources across functions?
3. Do your performance metrics recognize and reward team-based achievements, or do they focus solely on individual accomplishments?

If the feedback reveals ongoing silos or a lack of collaboration, it’s essential to implement strategies that promote open communication and teamwork.

Trust in Leadership is Eroding (or Already Gone)

When trust in leadership diminishes, employee engagement plummets. No transformation can succeed in an atmosphere devoid of trust.

🔴 Red Flag: Employees smile and nod in meetings, but behind the façade, they are planning their exit, disconnected from meaningful commitment. A dissonance towards the leader often shows in tardiness, lack of motivation, resulting in burnout and mental health challenges, when not treated with care.

✅ What Works: Cultivate trust through consistency, vulnerability, and open communication. Speak the truth and deliver on promises. Be the type of leader who inspires confidence, someone people genuinely want to follow.

🧪 Litmus Test: Consider these questions:

1. Do team members feel comfortable sharing their honest opinions and concerns with leadership?
2. Is there a demonstrated pattern of transparency in decision-making and communication?
3. How often do leaders engage in authentic conversations that reflect both successes and challenges?

If the responses indicate a lack of trust or openness, it’s vital to address these shortcomings.

POINTS FOR REFLECTION

What have you observed in the tooling aspect of your transformation that signals a recalibration is needed? What about your ways of working?

Which signals would you add to this list?

What actions are you able to drive? Who do you need?

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