By Daniela Salvitti, innovation consultant and Financial Director. (Original publication in Spanish)

“Hello, how are you doing? How do you feel at this time of uncertainty? And how are things going in the organization you work for? Has your company had the flexibility to change to adapt to this context, or is the resistance to continuing to do things the same way consuming your energy?”. 

It is easy to read these questions and reflect on the current context we are going through with the COVID-19 pandemic. The vast majority of organizations and people (globally!) are aware of the changes we have had to make over these last few months. But the truth is that the moment you are reading these questions does not matter one bit. More and more we live in changing environments where uncertainty prevails, and where having the ability to stop, observe, recalibrate, and act in a short cycle makes the difference between organizations and individuals.

Our organizations experience moments of constant uncertainty: new technologies emerging, new companies, new ways of doing things, business models that are designed from their inception to be flexible, scalable, and disruptive... and the list could go on. 

We live at a speed that often overwhelms us and makes us feel as though we are running after the new things that have emerged or behind something that we do not quite understand. We go with the flow without knowing where it leads us. And often, without knowing clearly where we want to go.

In this context, the transformation of the organization's culture is no longer just seen as a desire or a way to attract talent. Today it is the fundamental piece for an organization to exist, sustain itself, and grow.

The environment does not evolve, it jumps

The first step for cultural transformation is understanding that the environment does not evolve; rather, changes occur in leaps, which is why we need a new way of seeing and doing that allows us to advance at the same pace. For that, it is essential to change the way we see things. We must be able to create a vision of where we want to go as an organization and as individuals. “What future do you want to create? What is the world you want to be part of? In which part of that design do you want to be key?”. The questions are valid at both the organizational and personal level.

When cultural transformation processes are experienced within an organization, two intertwined paths emerge: for the organization and for the individual in particular. The moment the future that the organization wants to create coincides with the world the individual wants to be part of, the match is the perfect cohesion where commitment, motivation, and attitude enhance all the talent of individuals and, therefore, of the organization.

“When you change the way you see things, the things you see change” - Max Planck

We must be able to generate our vision of the future, our North Star, our guiding light that will lead us throughout the process. Ask ourselves “What do I want to be?” versus “What can I be?”. If we transform this way of seeing things and positioning ourselves in the current context, we will have the guidance to know which wave to ride and which not to. We will understand whether we need to be attentive to everything happening in the environment, or if we should focus on those things that may contribute to the future we want to create.

The second step is to stop separating the concepts of organization and individuals when we talk about cultural changes. If you want to transform your organization, then the individuals in your organization must transform, and for that, we need to support them in developing the necessary capabilities to do so. Cultural transformation, professional development, and personal development go hand in hand more than we are used to hearing.

Lynda Gratton and Andrew Scott, in their book THE 100-YEAR LIFE, clearly present the social transformation we are part of caused by the extension of life expectancy. Assuming we will be able to live, on average, up to 100 years, we must begin to think about what decisions we will make (today) and how we will navigate our years to make the best use of the extension of our lives. It is then that two different life models come into play, of which we already see consequences today: the model we know well of a life of three stages (study, work, retire); and the life of multi-stages, where the constant is transformation and change. Stages with job changes, variety of professions. Stages of pauses, reconversion, and transitions are the new constant.

The book delves into each of the aspects. When we view it from the perspective of individuals, it seems to make a lot of sense and logic. But can we also afford to think of it from the perspective of organizations and understand the organization as a living organism that, composed of individuals (I insist on not separating it!), also lives multi-stages where change and flexibility for transitions are the rule and not the exception? If individuals are trained, supported, and developed, they can make it possible for this living organism to transform, reinvent itself, and enhance itself. All in all, it seems increasingly clear that investing in the development of individuals is the essence of achieving a solid cultural transformation in the organization.

The third step is to provide a safe environment for development and to contribute new ways of doing things. This environment, complemented with the necessary tools, whether internal or external, will create a space where cultural transformation will naturally emerge. It is astonishing the number of ideas and resources that come from the individuals within the organization when they are aligned with their purpose. When, as we saw in step one, they share the vision of the future. Commitment, creativity, energy, and ideas generated internally activate an unstoppable engine.

To do this, a space of trust and safety is necessary, where individuals are allowed to express themselves, create, reframe, and feed back. A co-creation space where collaborative work prevails. This will allow us to see things again from another angle, to reread what already exists and is available for use. To reconnect with the internal abundance already present in every organization.

From utopia to reality, how do we start?

To transform does not require making a 360º turn all at once. We can begin by turning about 15º and maintain this direction over time. Major changes are also achieved step by step.

At Ideas for Change, we work, through our innovation methodology Pentagrowth, with command groups of 5 to 35 people, depending on the size of the organization, over a period of 3 to 5 months. We start the change from within the organization but without compromising the business as usual of it. 

We specialize in designing disruptive business models, and during the innovation processes, teams generate a portfolio of innovative business ideas that are then selected for validation and testing with a prototype. Co-creation is amazing!

The results generated in this safe environment are truly incredible: individuals are trained and supported in their own development, while co-creating for the organization. And yet, the most valued aspect by the leaders of organizations that have already immersed themselves in our methodology is linked to the more soft side of the process: talent development, innovation training, changing the mindset of participants, collaborative work, shared vision, and thus working towards a common direction where the capacity for team self-management, the discovery of hidden talent within the organization, and the incorporation of a methodology that is then self-replicable are capital components. In short: the cultural transformation achieved.

Participants in the process become agents and ambassadors of change and transformation. They use what they have learned both in their professional and personal lives, and highlight the impact that learning to see things from another angle has on their lives.

And not only that, but we also transform in the process: we begin each project as expert consultants and trainers, continue as coaches, and finish as mentors. As the team develops and acquires capabilities, our role changes to make way for them as protagonists.

Our example is a way to start: you can start small and spread to the rest of the organization along the way, or you can find other ways to do it. What you cannot do is look the other way. For organizations to survive and grow, it is necessary for them to be flexible to change and to demonstrate the ability to reinvent themselves and rethink the way they do things.

Transform individuals. Transform your organization.