Because up to 70% of transformations fall short of their goals, many organizations have come to rely on chief transformation officers (CTOs) to improve the odds of success. But simply having a CTO on staff isn’t a panacea. Since transformations are relatively rare, most people who lead them are likely to have managed only a handful, so their experience is limited. In fact, the CTO role is often seen as a development opportunity for junior-level corporate leaders. Moreover, th

When you spend time in and around organizations, you discover too many people dissatisfied and frustrated with the hierarchies and controls that impede people’s ability to voice views, and box people into roles that limit their abilities. They complain that they don’t see the big picture, don’t feel that they’re making an active contribution, and don’t get feedback on any regular basis. It is evident that the organization models are oriented more to efficiency and consistency

In difficult economic times, making employees more productive is crucial. But in many companies frontline managers are meant to communicate decisions, not to make them; to ensure compliance with policies, not to use judgment; and to oversee the implementation of improvements, not to contribute ideas. This system makes companies less productive, less agile, and less profitable. Typically, frontline managers spend 30 to 60 % of their time on administrative work and meetings, an

The impact of always-on communications, the growing complexity of global organizations and the economic uncertainty have all added to a feeling among executives that there are simply not enough hours in the day to get things done. What’s more, only 52 percent said that the way they spent their time largely matched their organizations’ strategic priorities. Nearly half admitted that they were not concentrating sufficiently on guiding the strategic direction of the business. Wh