This Is Beyond Budgeting

Chapter 8Implementation

Here follows implementation advice drawn from Borealis, Equinor, and the many other organizations I have helped over the years. There is no rocket science, just simple insights about what worked and what didn't.

The Change Formula

Business literature is full of advanced change models. Every respectable consulting firm seem to have one. Most of them describe structured and orderly processes, typically sequential, and with a clear start and end.

In my experience, real change is different. It is often messy and iterative and has seldom a clear end. Afterwards, stories are often sanitized and presented as well planned and orderly successes.

There is, however, one model I do like. Not because it is called the Change Formula but because it has no steps. It only describes what must be in place for change to happen. The formula was developed by David Gleicher and later refined by Kathie Dannemiller. It simply says that

Any change requires a sufficient level of dissatisfaction with the current situation, a case for change as discussed next. But this is not enough; there must also be a compelling vision of something much better. Visions can sometimes feel like dreams, so there must also be some concrete first steps. The product of the three must be larger than the resistance. If any of the three are zero or close, resistance will always win.

We have addressed ...