How to Change, Transform, Develop and Improve Your Organisation (Yes, All at Once)

If you want something different from what you’ve got right now, you’re going to need Change. Or maybe Improvement. Or Transformation. Or is it Development? 

Pick your favourite buzzword. They all point to the same thing: difference. And not just any difference—meaningful difference. The kind that shows up in the work that matters. The kind that makes you feel like you’re actually thriving.

Meaningful Change Versus the System Doing Its Thing

We live in systems. Messy, dynamic, often frustrating systems. And those systems are always moving. That means change is happening all the time. But not all change is meaningful.

A tree grows a full green canopy, turns golden, drops its leaves, and does it all again next year. Looks dramatic. But it’s just doing what trees do. You wouldn’t set up a crisis response team every autumn to manage the “leaf loss situation.” And you definitely wouldn’t give the team an award in Spring for “managing successful return of foliage.”

And yet… how many times have you seen organisations do exactly that? Annual panic over predictable seasonal demand. Task-and-finish groups formed to “solve” what is essentially a calendar event. It’s not transformation. It’s theatre.

So how do we get to the good stuff? The kind of change that actually shifts something?

Step 1: Get Clear on What You’re Actually Trying to Do… Together

People come to us because they want something (or someone) to be different. Outcomes, coordination, culture—whatever it is, they want it to feel better. More effective. Less soul-sapping.

Before launching into action, pause and make space. Create a space where everyone affected can think clearly, speak freely, and ask the questions that usually get eye-rolls. What are we actually trying to do here? What would be different if we nailed it? Who else needs to be part of this ‘we’?

It’s easy to get stuck admiring the problem. Especially if you’ve been trained to believe that dissatisfaction is the only way to build momentum. But meaningful change comes from being more interested in purpose. What’s the thing we’re all here to work towards—even if we’ve got different reasons for caring? Even if we have different job functions? Even if we have different levels of responsibility? Even if some of us are lifetime employees, new hires, clients or external stakeholders?

Create space where the loudest voices don’t dominate. Where the “stupid” questions get asked. Where assumptions get challenged. And when conflict shows up (because it will) tackle it as a shared, solvable challenge and not a personal drama.

Step 2: Pay Attention to The Differences That Matter

Once you’ve got a sense of purpose, the next question is: how will you know if you’re getting anywhere?

Most organisations have KPIs. Some of them are even useful. But most are too slow. By the time the data lands, the moment’s passed. You can’t steer a ship by looking at last quarter’s tide charts.

So its time to get curious. What would you notice day to day if things were improving? What would feel different in your meetings, your inbox, your energy levels?

It’s not just about measurement. It’s about attention. What you pay attention to gets the chance to change. Get curious and creative about how to track the shifts in how you meet, who you talk to, and what you notice on your way to difference.

Step 3: Find the Future That’s Already Happening

Here’s the bit most people miss: the change you want is probably already happening. Somewhere in your organisation, someone is already doing things differently. Go find those people. Support them. Clear the path in front of them. Give them the platform they need. Ask them for feedback and take a good, honest look at what is currently quietly killing creativity, autonomy, or momentum. 

This is how difference emerges. Not with a big bang, but with small, deliberate moves that make space for something better.

Step 4: Don’t ask our advice

At Building20 we don’t do advice. Not because we don’t have opinions (we do). Because advice-giving might make us look smart, it might even give you a reassuring feeling that big complex things are simple and manageable… but frankly advice rarely leads to meaningful change.

We could give you a 50-slide deck full of recommendations. But we’ve all seen how that ends. The deck gets filed. The change doesn’t happen. And someone ends up picking up the pieces six months later.

You and your team already know more than any consultant ever will. You’ve lived the history. You’ve already tried the workarounds. So instead of looking for silver-bullets, look for ways to figure it out—together, inclusively, creatively and with a bit more honesty than you usually get in a boardroom. And if that’s what you need help with then we’d be happy to oblige.

So, Can You Really Change, Transform, Develop and Improve All at Once?

Yes. But not by launching four or more separate initiatives all at once. And definitely not by pretending that every seasonal shift is a crisis. You do it by getting clear on what matters. Paying attention to the right things for you to be able to learn. Backing the people who are already doing it differently.

Get in touch if you want to learn more.