Rapid Transformation

Program Highlights

• Key steps common to companies who have succeeded in rapid transformation.
• What is the role of the leader, and how does an organization get started?
• Why is speed important, even if an organization is doing well?

Most companies that attempt fundamental transformation fail. From a ten-year study of over 500 firms, Professor Tabrizi found the successful ones share common practices: from creating an initial sense of urgency and top-down alignment, to building cross-functional teams with the stamina to “reassemble a flying plane,” to committing to ruthless operational execution and dramatic cultural change.

Hewlett-Packard and Oracle had unique transformation goals yet shared common practices. H-P’s top management set goals, timetables, and performance expectations for a multi-pronged overhaul of its operating model, capital structure, R&D investment, and IT infrastructure. Oracle’s transformation from an amalgam of seventy “little companies” to an integrated, cost-efficient structure was launched with a top-down sense of urgency, coupled with changes in performance incentives to get employees on board.

Dr. Tabrizi is a Professor of Management Science & Engineering, Stanford University, and the author of “Rapid Transformation.” He received his MS and PhD from Stanford University. Ann Livermore is Executive Vice President, Technology Solutions Group, Hewlett-Packard Co. She holds an MBA from Stanford University, and she serves on the board of UPS. Safra Catz is President of Oracle Corp, and has been a board member since 2001. She earned a JD from University of Pennsylvania Law School.