When we talk about process transformation, what comes to our mind are the obvious elements that include process, technology, people, methods and tools. These are indeed important. If you look at successful transformations closely, however, you will realize that these companies undergo a set of actions in the pre-transformation phase that create an enabling environment for the transformation to be successful.

Quite often, process excellence professionals do not look at them and jump straight into working on the processes. This is probably the reason why results are not achieved or even if they get the desired outcomes, the gains do not sustain for long.

While there are quite a few things that need to be done at the pre- transformation stage, I am listing here three areas that I believe are most important and have proven to be critical success factors for some of the most successful process transformations that I have led.

Understanding the context

Before embarking on a process transformation, it is important to step back and understand the context. This is because, beyond the process, it plays a big role in the success of the program and successful transformations always begin with a scan of the context.

Doing this helps to understand the building blocks beyond the process that enable or impede a transformation. This is a quick reconnaissance done by the core team to understand a whole host of elements such as strategic aspirations, the transformation alignment with the business strategy, the change readiness, the organizational structure, current culture, metrics that top management tracks and performance management.

Now why is this important? Let me give you an example. After doing the scan, if it is found that the existing culture has built a silo mind-set, the transformation team needs to embed new ways of working that facilitate collaboration, install metrics that drive the right behaviors and revisit the way the employees get incentivized.

Without these in place, the process transformation may not deliver sustainable outcomes. If you are already a part of the organization you should still do this exercise but with a fresh pair of eyes. I have often seen process transformation fail because we have not addressed issues around context.

Encouraging people to speak up

We frequently assume that those involved in transformation will share their ideas and contribute to it with the belief that putting together a high performing team will provide the desired outcome. The reality, however, could be different.

The team members may not speak freely for fear of being ridiculed, rejected or reprimanded. Hence, it is upon the transformation leader, the sponsor and sometimes even top management to make sure they make it psychologically safe for participants to speak without the risk of any sort of humiliation.

When the core team of the transformation meets for the first time, it has to be explicitly communicated that candor and dissent will be valued. This has to be backed up by the sponsor and the transformation leader demonstrating vulnerability and communicating that they do not have all the answers. The team has to contribute to the project’s success and they should even be open to getting insights from outside.

Once the core team feels psychologically safe, the effort should be to cascade the same to those impacted by the transformation and whose insights and buy-in are critical for success. The worst thing that can happen to a transformation is that people agree to avoid conflicts.

Encourage people to play devil’s advocate and ask questions. Before anything gets decided, make sure it is debated and discussed. Get worried if transformation meetings are full of harmony. On the pretext of urgency, never decide prematurely without seeking all views.

Linking with the larger purpose

Normally, participants in any transformation would know the objective ofthe project. But what is different about highly-effective transformations is that they also connect with the larger purpose.

They know that they are not just solving a problem but are a part of creating something much bigger. Think about the impact on people’s behavior when they know that they are working on automating a process versus they are working on creating the country’s first digitally-enabled healthcare institution.

To understand this, let’s refer to the phenomenon in psychology called construal level theory. According to this, the psychological distance that people have from a topic has a major impact on their decisions and behavior.

When we connect a process transformation to a larger purpose, people are more motivated and excited to contribute to the transformation. When we zoom in and take a look at the specific process that we are working on, it brings in concreteness and helps to solve the problem better.

Both levels of construal are required, but we often tend to forget to connect with the larger purpose. What highly-effective transformations do is to connect the transformation to the larger vision and purpose. Not only does it inspire and energize teams when they are are low during the arduous matches, connecting with the big picture helps to get the mojo back.