Organizational Barriers and Drivers In fluencing the Speed of Transformation

Abstract

Large organizations today face increasing pressure to transform at a pace their ex- isting structures and cultures were not designed to support. This study investigates the organizational barriers and drivers that managers experience as influencing the speed of transformation and how these perceptions differ between senior and mid- dle management. Using a qualitative single-case study design, data was collected through 21 semi-structured interviews with managers across two hierarchical levels within the logistics function of a large industrial organization. The findings reveal that the organization faces challenges spanning all three dimen- sions of transformation speed. Organizational silos and structure and Leadership and decision-making barriers generate friction at the level of decision speed and imple- mentation speed. This resulted in fragmented priorities, unclear mandates and lack of transformation structure delaying both coordinated commitment and sustained execution. Culture and legacy barriers, including an exploitation-oriented culture, comfort after past success, and limited outside-in orientation, constrain response speed by reducing the organization’s ability to recognize when existing ways of work ing are no longer sufficient. The primary drivers identified were: shared direction and continuous communication, and a credible "why". These address decision speed and implementation speed by reducing coordination overhead and strengthening the commitment to action. The secondary drivers, including enabling leadership, dis- tributed mandate, and psychological safety, reinforce these conditions by distributing the capacity to act across the organization.