The Role of a Transformation Specialist
A new generation of change…
Job Vacancies in transformation are on the increase. As part of the ongoing dialogue when recruiting for our customers, we are seeing a purposeful switch in desired skills asked of our candidates. Other than the overused words and phrases such as pivotability, agility, actioneer, storyscaping, square the circle, Imagineering, reinvent the wheel type phrases being appended to descriptions, to name but a few, the real desired skill and ability is that of change Capability or Transformation Ability not only for specialist transformations jobs.
Change roles have evolved over the years but in the latter year, it has become a significant requirement and dedicated activity or job function in most firms, many of whom have hired their own teams. The vision for most companies is to drive the best service and reliability. This can only come about with a true commitment to constant care and innovation and continuous investment in transformation.
Organisation transformation specialists challenge the status quo, improve efficiencies and performance and drive culture in line with that, creating huge business value. Some organisations have dedicated teams within Transformation as full-time employees, others have contractors hired to drive ambitious plans around Strategy, Vision, Target Operating Models, Digital Transformation and/or Excellence in people. There are people skilled in transformation design and others skilled at execution. No matter what you are most skilled at, ‘looking under the bonnet’ of any organisation and their business model and processes that drive that, is a fundamental part of the role.
Transformation is an attractive career! It is a complex skill and suits an individual with high emotional intelligence, a backpack of tools, a deep commitment to curiosity and real influencing capability! In all seriousness, though it is a role that truly allows you to focus on business outcomes and design compelling experiences for one and all – which is a rich reward. You get to engage with the decision-makers across the business and drive change through all employees… You get to engage with the ‘culture influencers’ within the business and they support you on the journey. (it may, however, take a little while to seek them out firstly!) The trick is getting buy-in, understanding the role of the employee, and ensuring they feel valued whilst also influencing them to on board with changes in their day-to-day activities that will benefit them and the division and the company. It is about changing behaviours and above all about changing mindsets.
Some people feel a transformation role is all about technology – this is not true. You can have all the tech in the world in fact you can have all the people in the world, but robust processes and teamwork are what make a company whole.
We have seen companies in the last year look at their resources, capabilities, cost structures, channels, customer landscape and revenue streams versus cost and have used all of the above but in a different way… this has been fascinating for us to experience and support. The innovation and creation of new pathways for the businesses or the addition of a new brand or business model as a result of reflection and vision have been breath-taking…
What are the different types of transformation jobs? The jobs we see our clients hiring for range from Business Analysts, Attribution Specialists, Program Managers, Project Managers, Transformation Design Specialists and Transformation Execution Specialists, Digital Specialists, Business Process experts, to many, many more. You may be a specialist working in a specific sector such as Fintech, Financial Services, FMCG, Professional Services/ Management Consulting… you may be an expert in People, Tech, Digital, Business Process or TOM (total operating models) … You will understand the core principals of business operations as a whole. Problem solving is a must in skills. You will be curious and analytical and a high-level communicator. `People within this space are usually well versed and trained on Lean, Six Sigma, Agile, and are PM certified.
The job of a Transformation Expert brings high reward not just financially. It allows you to work closely with invested leadership teams, challenge your assumptions, deliver on an unmet need within a firm and gain huge perspective on cross-functional teams.
A transformation role enables you to embrace the future of a firm without compromising on purpose… It’s a challenging role but highly rewarding and an area where we are seeing a steady increase in job vacancies.
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