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The researchers identified six behaviors that consistently improved the odds of transformation success.ĭisruption used to be an exceptional event that hit an unlucky few companies - think of the likes of Kodak, Polaroid, and Blackberry. Leaders lost faith and looked to distance themselves from the project, which led employees to do the same. When their teams hit the inevitable challenges, negative emotions spiked, and the team entered a downward spiral.
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By contrast, leaders of the unsuccessful transformations didn’t make the same emotional investment. This meant that when the going inevitably got tough, employees felt appropriately challenged and ultimately energized by the stress. These leaders offered a compelling rationale driving the transformation, and they ensured employees had the emotional support they needed to execute. A team of researchers found that in successful transformations, leaders not only made sure their teams had the processes, resources, and technology they needed - they also built the right emotional conditions. Organizational transformations are extremely difficult on a personal level for everyone involved.
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