We recently brought together a group of McKinsey partners to discuss the secrets of transformation in Brazil. In this Portuguese-language video, partner Rami Goldfajn shares eight management practices that are essential for success when launching a large-scale transformation program in Brazil. An edited version of his remarks in English follows.
During a transformation, leaders must incorporate eight essential management practices. The first is strategic clarity, meaning executives need to know where an organization is going and what it aspires to achieve.
Second, the leadership team must make this strategy transparent to the rest of the organization.
The third and fourth management practices are related to how executives engage employees and leaders throughout the transformation journey. Employees need clarity on their individual roles and the importance of their initiatives in the broader transformation.
The fifth and sixth practices involve renovation and innovation, meaning where is the company drawing ideas for the transformation? We believe it’s essential to not only use ideas from inside your company, but to bring in new ideas from outside the organization as well. Just as important, the organization must ensure it has a process that encourages the flow of good ideas from the inside, including all corners of the company, and translates them into initiatives that get implemented.
Lastly, leaders must follow two essential practices related to efficiency and execution. You can’t transform an organization effectively without operational discipline. We know that when transformations fail, it isn’t at the planning stage. Organizations fail during execution, often because of a lack of discipline. Finally, ensuring that senior leaders are aligned and engaged in the transformation journey is vital for bringing together all these management practices.
In Brazil, most CEOs recognize the importance of some of these elements for transformation success, such as clarity about the work that needs to be done, capturing ideas from outside the organization, and operational discipline. But, in our experience, there is room for Brazilian executives to improve employee engagement, as well as clarity about the role that employees will play. Brazilian leaders should make sure they think about these two essential practices to achieve transformational change in Brazil.