Transformation projects :
An oft repeated phrase (perhaps abused phrase is a better description !), this animal called transformation is often coupled with another equally abused word called 'project' and used as a deadly combination to impress higher-ups about the immense potential of some obscure, worthless effort that will bring in funds, effort, resources (and ultimately incentives of some sort ! ) to the person propounding the idea..
This thorough abuse, as unwarranted and displeasing as it may be, dulls the true content and import of the phrase.
Transformational projects by definition should be an effort that brings sizeable, measurable and drastic improvements i some important parameter of work or efficiency. More words !!!
Project managers and leaders alike often debate on these lofty words and manage to come to some sort of accomodative arrangement with each other to agree with each other's concept and measure of 'transormativeness' of their idea and start milking the enterprise with their ideas.
So, what's the answer to this ? Does a leader with a small budget stand correct when he refers to a project with $100 saving as a transformative project, or the head of a $5 million project be deemed as a trnsformational leader for his project that saves $5000 a year !
I think the idea of tranformativeness needs more than a quantitative measure ( not to discount the quantitative part of course..). It needs to be a % age figure rather than an absolute no. for sure, and a high enough % at that ! but it also needs to show some innovative thought behind it. There needs to be a specific guideline within a vertical, or a company or even an industry that defines this very specifically and clearly separates it run-of-the-mill projects.
As an example, I remember an old company that employed me which, in all earnest brought up an Employee's suggestion scheme to encourage provoking thoughts from a very intelligent set of people. The guy going through the ideas once gave me a glimpse of the 'transformative ideas' he often came across !
One went like this : The employee suggested that flower pots be placed in the employees's bays to encourage positive thoughts, break the monotony, feel closer to nature and improve the ambience and impact on visitors.
Within a month of it's acceptance ( a fine idea it was ! ), another employee gave a transformative, extremely thought provoking idea to remove it !!
Why ?? - because it was in the interest of employees' safety that such potential 'tripping points' like flower pots be removed. The chances of spillage of water, and the idea of employees skidding through the hall like ice skaters was a morbid thought for the management ! Swish, and they were missing the next day...
Though this may be a humorous example of many such schemes which all of us know of, this is very similar to the more serious transformation projects meted out on employees and shareholders by serious, straight-faced , well-meaning leader of organizations !
Only that the $1 flowerpot is replaced by some very serious dough, and the explanations are far more convincing, backed by some solid number crunching, eye catching graphs and the works ...
Change the leader, an see the new leader create another transformation, which will be 180 degrees reverse of the previous transformation :-) A confused leadership, a cynical set of workers, laughing competitors and company about to go to hell ! Some transformation indeed !!
After all the bashing, one good point to note is that today's corporations at least understand the concept of transformation, the idea that such a massive, positive change can be done ? and many of them actually do accomplish them a lot of times..
To understand the power of this thought, just increase the scale of this thought to the level of a country,
specially like India, and see what one small transformative project can do.
I would call the Maruti 800 one hell of a transformative thought, the focus on IT as another one, liberalization as yet another.. If these few "real", transformative ideas took the country so far, what can a dozen of these do for our people...
I hope Montek+Manmohan Singh realize this :-) I hope there is a serious thought to setting up a 'public' think tank that can really focus of creating the pipeline for positive, forward looking ideas to be collected, vetted and most importantly put into action with no political baggage attached. We being a country of the wise, learned saints, a dozen religions, a hundred cultures, should not have a dearth of ideas for sure ! If only there was a way to channelize this 'force'...
An oft repeated phrase (perhaps abused phrase is a better description !), this animal called transformation is often coupled with another equally abused word called 'project' and used as a deadly combination to impress higher-ups about the immense potential of some obscure, worthless effort that will bring in funds, effort, resources (and ultimately incentives of some sort ! ) to the person propounding the idea..
This thorough abuse, as unwarranted and displeasing as it may be, dulls the true content and import of the phrase.
Transformational projects by definition should be an effort that brings sizeable, measurable and drastic improvements i some important parameter of work or efficiency. More words !!!
Project managers and leaders alike often debate on these lofty words and manage to come to some sort of accomodative arrangement with each other to agree with each other's concept and measure of 'transormativeness' of their idea and start milking the enterprise with their ideas.
So, what's the answer to this ? Does a leader with a small budget stand correct when he refers to a project with $100 saving as a transformative project, or the head of a $5 million project be deemed as a trnsformational leader for his project that saves $5000 a year !
I think the idea of tranformativeness needs more than a quantitative measure ( not to discount the quantitative part of course..). It needs to be a % age figure rather than an absolute no. for sure, and a high enough % at that ! but it also needs to show some innovative thought behind it. There needs to be a specific guideline within a vertical, or a company or even an industry that defines this very specifically and clearly separates it run-of-the-mill projects.
As an example, I remember an old company that employed me which, in all earnest brought up an Employee's suggestion scheme to encourage provoking thoughts from a very intelligent set of people. The guy going through the ideas once gave me a glimpse of the 'transformative ideas' he often came across !
One went like this : The employee suggested that flower pots be placed in the employees's bays to encourage positive thoughts, break the monotony, feel closer to nature and improve the ambience and impact on visitors.
Within a month of it's acceptance ( a fine idea it was ! ), another employee gave a transformative, extremely thought provoking idea to remove it !!
Why ?? - because it was in the interest of employees' safety that such potential 'tripping points' like flower pots be removed. The chances of spillage of water, and the idea of employees skidding through the hall like ice skaters was a morbid thought for the management ! Swish, and they were missing the next day...
Though this may be a humorous example of many such schemes which all of us know of, this is very similar to the more serious transformation projects meted out on employees and shareholders by serious, straight-faced , well-meaning leader of organizations !
Only that the $1 flowerpot is replaced by some very serious dough, and the explanations are far more convincing, backed by some solid number crunching, eye catching graphs and the works ...
Change the leader, an see the new leader create another transformation, which will be 180 degrees reverse of the previous transformation :-) A confused leadership, a cynical set of workers, laughing competitors and company about to go to hell ! Some transformation indeed !!
After all the bashing, one good point to note is that today's corporations at least understand the concept of transformation, the idea that such a massive, positive change can be done ? and many of them actually do accomplish them a lot of times..
To understand the power of this thought, just increase the scale of this thought to the level of a country,
specially like India, and see what one small transformative project can do.
I would call the Maruti 800 one hell of a transformative thought, the focus on IT as another one, liberalization as yet another.. If these few "real", transformative ideas took the country so far, what can a dozen of these do for our people...
I hope Montek+Manmohan Singh realize this :-) I hope there is a serious thought to setting up a 'public' think tank that can really focus of creating the pipeline for positive, forward looking ideas to be collected, vetted and most importantly put into action with no political baggage attached. We being a country of the wise, learned saints, a dozen religions, a hundred cultures, should not have a dearth of ideas for sure ! If only there was a way to channelize this 'force'...
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