It is futile to seek a magic formula or a standard approach to successfully complete these kind of projects. There are numerous contingency factors: each organisation and project is unique and requires appropriate engineering.

The following case studies provide valuable insights and illustrate the maturity companies have achieved. Mitsubishi Chemical Group is aiming to become a global company; Edenred has been committed to digitising the value chain for nearly 15 years to enable rapid growth; Nexans has built a model that reconciles economic performance and societal challenges, and Suez has redefined its purpose and strategy and rethought its operating model.

There are several constants in these transformation processes, but each company defines its own “doctrine” to reflect the challenges of its sector, factoring in the organisation’s culture, strategic challenges and business or technological issues. One thing is certain: environmental dynamics and instability mean that organisations need to keep moving. Organisational transformation is becoming a permanent process, whether incremental changes or more complex transformations are involved.

1. Nexans: cable maieutics 2. Edenred: an appetite for change 3. Suez: dealing with time and reality 4. Mitsubishi Chemical Group: Becoming global while staying true to oneself