The Mpower Group has been working for some time now to help clients focus on what we refer to as “The Vowels” of Transformation.  As Dalip Raheja described them in his seminal blog, “Old MacDonald Was Right – It IS About E-I-E-I-O” the vowels we refer to are Adoption, Execution, Implementation,  Optimization, and  Utilization.  We believe that, without those vowels, transformation efforts are doomed to failure.  Of course, you can’t build a sentence without the consonants as well.  In fact, you need both in order to create a meaningful sentence, or at least one that everyone will interpret the way you intended.  In fact, even the punctuation and spaces carry meaning. 

For examples, whether I write “whtdymnbytht” or “aooueaa” the reader has to fill in a lot of blanks and make a lot of assumptions in order to get the drift of the sentence.  (My intended meaning above was, “What do you mean by that ?”)  The answer to that question is the focus of this blog so let’s get to it.

The consonants represent the tangible, practical, measureable components of the transformation.  They are the Processes, the Resources (Human and otherwise), the Technology (Hardware / Software), the Business Results, etc. that are, in most cases we have observed, the primary focus of transformation in most organizations.  Are they important?  Of course they are.  In fact, they are necessary components of any transformation.  But they are not sufficient to achieve any lasting change.  They are lacking the Vowels that embed the transformation and the spaces / punctuation that sustain it over time.

The Vowels (Adoption, Execution, Implementation, Optimization, and Utilization) are what empower the consonants, that is, what tell you how to give meaning to the measureable components and create a real transformation effort.  Unfortunately, the vowels are frequently overlooked as organizations concentrate on the “what we can measure”.  Or, to be more accurate, organizations often assume that the vowels come along automatically if the consonants are put in place.  The importance of the vowels can be seen by considering what is meant by a relatively simple string of consonants, i.e., “slv”.  Don’t know what that means?  Here’s a hint.  It’s a five letter word.  Still no help? That’s understandable.  The options include: “solve”, “slave”, “salve”, “slive”, and probably a few more. 

The point is that, if you ensure that the consonants are right and do not address the vowels, everyone will probably be able to create a meaning for the letters.  It just won’t be the same meaning and, in the context of a transformation, that means that there will be, on average, zero movement as individuals and groups pursue their own unique understanding of what the transformation is all about.

Finally, consider the spaces and the punctuation.  In an organizational transformation effort, these amount to the culture of the organization and the context of the transformation.  They are what frame the consonants and vowels so that the meaning is readily apparent and the focus can be on the message itself, not on deciphering it.  Here’s a simple example: evenifiwritesomethingthatisrelativelysimpleandleaveoutallthespacesandpunctuationthesentenceisachoretointerpret.  Put it in context (add the spaces and punctuation) and it is a lot easier to focus on what is meant and not on what it says, i.e., “Even if you write something that is relatively simple and leave out the spaces and punctuation, the sentence is a chore to interpret.” 

The same is true for a transformation.  Even if you put both the vowels and the consonants in place, without the spaces and punctuation, the organization will struggle as it expends extra efforts on getting past the “what did they say” to the real issue, “what did they mean”.

What’ s the point?  For a transformation to be truly effective, you need to have all three parts, the consonants, the vowels, and the spaces / punctuation in place.  Far too often, organizations focus on one and leave the other two to chance.  Next Practices focus on getting all three right, i.e., the components of the transformation, the carriers of meaning, and the context / culture.  All three have to be in place or the likelihood of success is somewhere between the proverbial slim and none. 

The next time you ponder why a transformation effort failed, think about these three features of written language.  You should be able to spot which of the three was the focus of the transformation effort and which others were given short shrift.  When (if) you see a successful transformation, it’s a near certainty that all three were not only addressed, they were all focused on the same goals and outcomes.

If you have any thoughts about how the consonants, the vowels, and the punctuation and spaces work together, let me know.  I’ll be glad to extend the discussion.