Six ways to get your transformation rolling
If your transformation initiative isn’t getting traction, it’s tempting to blame people for being “resistant to change.” But here’s a better idea: design the change so it actually works. Not in theory. In real life.
Here’s how to make change … well, change.
Make change intentional
Be crystal clear about your ambition and what kind of change you want to see. No, that doesn’t mean spelling it all out in a 72-slide deck. People don’t change because you tell them to. They change because you’ve tweaked their context—nudged the system—so that different behaviors start to make more sense. A good ambition points in a direction, not a fixed end destination.
Make change contextual
Understand the messy, beautiful reality of how people actually work. What are they trying to get done—and why? What helps them? What gets in their way? And no, we’re not talking about some sanitized process in a document. We’re talking about real-world context, with all its lovely friction and contradiction.
Make change experimental and adaptable
Pick a slice of the org—a team, a project, a process—and experiment with small adjustments. Make it easier (and more rewarding) to do the new thing, and harder (or less rewarding) to do the old one. Don't aim for a revolution. Start with a nudge.
Make sense of the change
Pay close attention to what’s actually happening when you experiment? Look out for patterns and mine for insights! What sticks? What fizzles? Challenge your assumptions. The point isn’t to prove you were right—it’s to figure out what works where and why.
Amplify and spread
When the right behaviors show up, shine a spotlight on them. Share the success stories to let people in your organization see what’s possible. Because nothing says “this might actually work” like seeing it work for someone like them.
Adapt change
Now you’re rolling. Remember to build on what you’ve learned. Tweak and adapt your experiments. At first, things might shift just a little. That’s fine. But the more you learn, the sharper your moves get. The small wins will begin to stack up. And soon enough, you’ve got momentum. Hello, snowball effect!
Need help going from half-hearted rollout to actual momentum? We’ll get you there—one nudge, one aha, one “wait, this is working!” at a time.
Want to dive deeper into this topic first? Great! I recommend giving this a read:
The six most likely reasons people aren't changing already
Vadim Feldman
Founder and Management Consultant
