Reply To: Job going at BA ….

[JDB]

The trouble with the role of ‘Director of Transformation’ is that this type of job is only needed at companies with a problem or a company that, for external reasons needs completely to change direction (eg a car manufacturer having to move from combustion engines to EVs).

Most good companies are in a constant state of evolution (that ultimately will result in transformation) a process that comes from the Board and is implemented by the CEO. A couple of UK FTSE companies that have recently been in a very poor state but have moved rapidly to transform their operations would include Rolls Royce and Sainsbury’s. M&S has also had a major renaissance, but it has taken much longer to get to where they are today. None of these companies have achieved this by appointing a ‘director of transformation’. Change has been imposed from the very top and pushed by the whole management team with a single transformation agenda and real urgency.

The BA role doesn’t appear to be a board level appointment (even with the job title advertised) so simply won’t have the authority or support to effect the change/transformation. These projects to wins hearts and minds and really change the way staff think about things can only come from the very top. In practice, the CEO needs to be in charge of transformation.