In a world of enterprise transformation, traditional wisdom shows that changes should be measured, progressively and meticulously tempo to avoid disrupting operations or overwhelming employees.
But Athalie Williams, director of transformation, who has more than three decades of experience in complex organizational change, believes this approach often leads to failure.
“I think it has to be years slow, it has to take years and decades,” Williams said. “I think it all applies to transformation in businesses and cultural change.”
Her experience in major transformations in global organizations such as BHP and BT Group (BT) led her to counterintuitive conclusions: Sometimes you need to speed up success.
The problem of measuring changes
Williams observed a consistent pattern in organizations trying to transform gradually. “Some organizations try to drip into feed changes, not too fast because it’s very disruptive,” she explained. “But I find that organizations that try to do this with rhythm and measurement do stumble and often stagnate.”
The problem is not that these organizations lack good intentions or reasonable strategies. Instead, they fall into what Williams calls a comfort trap—thinking that slower changes will reduce damage and be more sustainable. In fact, she believes that this approach often produces more problems than the ones solved.
“If you try to do very planned and measured measures and feel uncomfortable at the right pace, I think it’s usually a rational and logical way to look at changes,” Williams admits. “But where I see that the organization is really destructive, cut the band-aids, bold, big changes, and yes, it’s going to get bumpy, you admit it’s a time of time. It usually solves, and you’ll be surprised at the progress you’ve made in working that way.”
Why speed creates clarity
Williams’s perception of speed is not about rushing over it—it’s about creating conditions that can take root. Several key dynamics come into play when the organization moves quickly.
First, the speed is powerful and clarity. When compressing the conversion schedule, organizations must be ruthlessly focused on what matters most. “How do you prioritize ruthlessly?” Williams asked. “With all the good intentions in the world, you can have something that long to do, but having too big a laundry list and too thin to kill a transformation agenda.”
Secondly, fast moving changes are necessary to create alignment. Leadership and workforce around common priorities become easier when everyone knows that change is happening very quickly. Alternative changes over the years often lead to signal mixing and competitive priorities, thus undermining the transformation effort.
Cultural Change: Speed Surprise
There is nothing more obvious in cultural transformation than the speed paradox. “I think people think cultural change takes a long time,” Williams said. “And I do think it’s going on and inevitably takes a long time, but I also think you can get much faster than you think, and when leaders are consistent and the signal is really clear, you may achieve more.”
Her experience shows that culture can only change dramatically in a few months rather than years. “I’ve seen teams change in a few months, not because of grand plans, but because someone is willing to lead differently and set a new tone,” she noted from a broader experience.
The key is to create what Williams calls a “real, very clear” signal. Cultural change can happen at an alarming rate when leaders align and convey consistent messages about new behaviors and priorities.
Risk management balance
Williams noticed with caution that speed does not mean recklessness. “You need to be wise. You need to bring a risk lens,” she stressed. “You don’t want to do anything destructive that it fundamentally breaks down what’s crucial in the organization.”
The method requires identifying what she calls “a few things you need to protect” – critical business functions, critical relationships or basic functions that are not compromised. But everything else becomes a fair game for bold transformation.
“I think a few things you need to protect, the rest may be bolder in the changes you are going to make and support your own,” Williams explained.
Practical application
Williams’s approach to speed benefits has practical implications for how organizations can build transformation efforts. She advocates:
Compress timelines to force decisions and priorities
Before starting any transformational efforts, clear leadership alignment, coupled with regular check-in, to confirm alignment and correct when needed
Bold initial moves show serious commitment to change
Accept services that disrupt long-term transformation in the short term
This approach requires what Williams calls “courage”, the willingness of leadership to accept discomfort and uncertainty to serve meaningful change.
Human Elements
Importantly, Williams’ emphasis on speed has not diminished her focus on human-centered transformation. “The organization hired fabulous people and then they forgot to travel with them,” she observed.
The speed paradox actually enhances the artificial element of change. When the transformation occurs quickly through obvious signals, employees understand what is expected and can adapt accordingly. With the gradual change of substitution, long-term uncertainty often creates more anxiety and resistance.
“Organizations employ very smart people who care so much about their clients, work every day, and they want to do a great job,” Williams noted. “How do you create the North Stars and threads that everyone can follow so they understand how to contribute to where the organization is going?”
expect
Williams’ perception of the speed of transformation becomes increasingly relevant as organizations face increasing pressure to adapt quickly in response to technological disruption, market changes and competitive pressures. Traditional gradual, measurement of change may not be sufficient in a rapidly developing business environment.
Her experience shows that organizations willing to embrace the speed paradox – moving faster than protecting key functions may find themselves better in the success of sustainable transformation.
Williams concluded: “Sometimes you need to speed up,” a principle that challenges traditional wisdom but reflects the reality of modern organizational change.
