This is the question that we all have to ask ourselves. The potential answers can be many, but deciding on the best approach, well that’s a bit trickier. Transition is a deliberative process and the context will be different for everyone. If we are an individual working through a transition, we tend to think more about how we will continue to pay the bills, keep families together and on track and land or keep a job that we like and want. In a business context we need to think about employees, existing, changed and new capabilities, whether customers are still going to want and need us, and are suppliers and supply-chains still intact. Whether it’s an individual or business that is thinking about how could and should the transition happen, there is one thing for sure, we are going to confront decisions that not everyone is going to be happy with.
If we look at transition as a deliberative process and the various steps and activities are defined and shared with those that are impacted and we are basing decisions on good quality data and information, the result will probably be that most people can agree and live with the outcome. But what we have to consider is, there is no one single solution and it’s about devising a way forward that people can live with. Having an effective deliberative process will prevent people from making assumptions and jumping to conclusions as it provides an opportunity for people to understand their role, the impact and what is expected once the transition starts to happen.
In the twenty-plus years I have been helping organisations, to get from where they are to where they need to be, I have found that having a framework and deliberative process provides the vehicle for different opinions, voices and thinking styles to be heard and considered.
Many times I have been asked to provide certainty on an outcome. Well, we all know certainty is almost impossible and especially given the combination of pandemic and global economic conditions, but with a good transformation framework, you bring together two aspects – build confidence in planning and having the expertise to design and make the transition. It allows us to take a proactive stance about the future. Time is one resource that as individuals and businesses we can’t afford to waste and we need to use it wisely, using a sound framework and having a deliberative process and the right expertise helps prevent a waste of time, effort and money.
Transition thinking, a good framework and deliberative process can provide your bridge to transition to the future.
