Why Organizations Are Rethinking Transformation

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Learn how leaders can build organizations that don’t just survive transformation but thrive on continuous change.
The statistics on organizational transformation are sobering. Depending on who you believe, between 70% and 90% of transformation initiatives fail to see the expected value delivered. As someone who has led major transformations and advised hundreds of executives attempting similar journeys, AWS Director of Enterprise Strategy Phil Le-Brun’s observations on success often hinge not on having the perfect plan, but on fundamentally rethinking the general approach to change itself.
Q: You’ve observed hundreds of transformation efforts across industries. What are the most common misconceptions CEOs have about organizational change, and how should they adjust their thinking?
Phil Le-Brun: The biggest misconception is viewing transformation as a finite project rather than a continuous journey. Leaders often approach change like a building demolition—wire the organization with an explosive, detonate, and expect a rebuilt structure to emerge from the dust. This “big bang” mentality typically delivers short-term disruption, but limited lasting impact.
Instead, successful transformations require creating the conditions for continuous evolution, or what we call a “day 1” culture in Amazon. This means developing organizational muscles for constant adaptation rather than treating change as a one-time event. It’s like training for a marathon rather than sprinting to a finish line. It’s about always being dissatisfied with the status quo and striving to create a better version of yourself and your organization every day.