In business transformations and strategy execution, achieving a certain level of business performance or results is a primary objective. Yet, it’s easy to overlook one critical element: ensuring that people are aligned with the vision and the path to achieve it. In our quest for movement towards business results, we often get overly focused on numbers — KPIs, OKRs, and other metrics — at the expense of the people doing the actual work.
To explore what truly drives business transformation success, we sat down with two experts: Henrietta Haavisto, seasoned transformation leader at Huhtamäki, and Janne Tienari, strategy professor at the Hanken School of Economics.
In this blog post we share vital insights and tips from our discussion which zoomed in on a foundational aspect of successful transformations: alignment and engagement.
Getting alignment through engagement: The key to lasting transformation
Henrietta offered us a thought-provoking reminder: “It is easy for many leaders to focus on the numbers and outcomes rather than people, because numbers are quite straightforward but people are complex.” She highlighted how crucial it is to start by genuinely engaging with people — asking for their perspectives on where the organisation is heading and how to get there. This type of involvement doesn’t just build clarity; it fosters alignment by showing employees that their voices really matter.
To illustrate, she shared an example from her time at one of the global companies she worked for, where she reached out directly to customer facing employees to gather their insights. This hands-on approach created a shared understanding of goals and fuelled commitment across the organisation. “When people feel heard, they’re far more likely to align with and invest in the vision,” she said.
Up to 90% of transformations fail to achieve their goals*
Janne echoed this sentiment, adding: “People-centred leadership is worlds apart from traditional approaches where leaders frustrate and annoy employees with management jargon and rigid frameworks, without truly understanding their needs.” He explained how excluding people from the process not only stifles their contributions but also blocks opportunities for innovation and progress.
The message is clear: engaging employees isn’t just a box to tick — it’s a catalyst for business transformation success. When people are brought into the fold, alignment becomes natural, and the organisation is better positioned to achieve meaningful, lasting change.
Three tips to build a foundation for successful business transformations
From our conversation with Henrietta and Janne, three key factors emerged for avoiding a metrics-driven trap and successfully engaging people in business transformations:
- Engage people early and often
Start by creating clarity around the transformation goals and involving people at all levels in discussions about the vision. Help employees see how the destination connects to their daily roles. When people find personal meaning in an inspiring vision, it drives alignment and purpose.
- Empower contribution
Ensure that everyone can play a role in the collective journey. Engagement fosters ownership, leading to greater commitment. In larger organisations, it’s okay to break the process into smaller, more manageable conversations within relevant teams.
- Leverage aspirational pride
Most people want to feel proud of their workplace and the goals they’re working towards. Build on this natural sense of pride by creating a unified purposeful vision that resonates across the organisation.
These steps cultivate commitment, clarify the destination, and chart a shared path forward.
Make numbers work with people, not against them
We’ve all heard phrases like “people are our greatest asset” or “people are power.” But under pressure to deliver business results, it’s tempting to sideline engagement and let metrics dominate the conversation. After all, what gets measured gets done, right?
The truth is that while metrics are essential for tracking progress, they can hinder transformation if they overshadow people’s roles in the process. By putting people at the centre of transformation efforts, numbers become tools for refinement rather than barriers to change.
When people and numbers work together, organisations gain clarity and momentum. Instead of numbers “eating people for breakfast,” people can share breakfast with the numbers, aligning efforts and fine-tuning strategies to achieve the best outcomes. The destination becomes crystal clear, and employees are energised to work towards it. That’s when the favourable winds of transformation truly start to blow.
What do you think, what would help you to engage your team to ensure they feel heard and aligned with your organisation’s vision?
*For more information, please see:
4 Common Reasons Strategies Fail', Harvard Business Review.
Transformations That Work, Harvard Business Review.
The Truth About Corporate Transformation, MIT Sloan Management Review.