At a Glance
Pink Elephants®
Transformation rarely fails because of ideas. It fails because of decisions that are not made, or not made where they take effect.
The one decision that is blocking everything right now is rarely the one everyone is talking about.
Pink Elephants creates orientation under decision pressure: with decision architecture for transformation, in sparring with CEOs and leadership teams.
Eight situations we see again and again
Different on the surface, similar at the core: decisions that are not made or do not hold.
- New Business Model, Old OrganizationWorkshops and pilots exist. Day-to-day business absorbs them anyway.
- The Agile Transformation Has StalledWe work in sprints, but we still wait for approvals.
- Decision GridlockEvery meeting ends with “we need another analysis”.
- Too Many InitiativesSomething new starts all the time, little gets finished.
- The Organization Is OverheatingCoordination and escalations drain the energy the market needs.
- Strategy-Execution GapThe strategy has been approved. Day-to-day work barely changes.
- Tensions in the Top TeamThe leadership team decides, but each member decides differently.
- Transformation Lacks Organizational Buy-InThe more the transformation is talked about, the less is heard.
Transformation is a matter of decisions
Most programs treat transformation as a project: analysis, plan, execution. Under uncertainty, that plan does not hold for long.
What is missing then is rarely a method. What is missing is clarity about which decision is due now, who makes it, and how you can tell whether it holds.
Creating that clarity is what we call decision architecture.
Map or compass
A map assumes the terrain is known. In transformation it rarely is.
The Transformation Discovery Compass
The instrument for it. At the center is the WHY, the problem that really needs solving. The five fields show where decisions get stuck.
From symptom to the real problem
Example: engineering, family-owned, world market leader in a niche
- 1 Symptom Margins are falling. A start-up is winning over key customers.
- 2 Why? Every new idea is measured against machine sales and loses.
- 3 Real problem There is only one logic of success.
- 4 Decision question Which business gets its own logic of success?
From canvas to decision
Discover, decide, anchor. Each step has a matching format. Where you start depends on how clear the situation already is.
- 01Discover
Make tensions visible, clarify the real decision question.
Sparring · Compact Workshop · Blindspot Report - 02Decide
Make the decision that moves the most, and own the uncertainty.
Intensive Workshop · Decision Sprint - 03Anchor
Translate the decision into rules, decision rights and budget.
Compass Engagement · Top Team Alignment
What changes
Decision-making capability is the impact, not the workshop.
- Clarity about which decision is due now
- Decision rights that hold in daily work
- Fewer initiatives, more impact
- A leadership team that decides together
- A direction that can be corrected without starting over
Facts & figures
Ways of working together at a glance
Five fields. The situation decides where to start, not the catalogue.
01
Creating Orientation
- Transformation Discovery Workshop
- Problem-Solving Workshop
+3 more formats
02
Enabling Decisions
- Decision Sprint
+4 more formats
03
Implementing Transformation
- Compass Engagement
+4 more formats
04
Strengthening Leadership
- Top Team Alignment
- Strategic Advisory Board
+3 more formats
05
Building Capabilities
- Agile Project Management
- Agile Methods with AI
+7 more formats
More ways to work together
Beyond working with leadership teams, there are formats for specific questions and tools to use on your own.
Personally with Alexander Sattler
- Strategic advisory boardDigital, innovation and transformation advisory board for management and shareholders (German).strategischer-beirat.de →
- Strategic successionA thinking space before the succession decision (German).strategische-nachfolge.de →
- Agile coachingCoaching for teams and leaders who work in an agile way.agile-impact.de →
Topics and tools
- The book “Die eine Entscheidung”A field guide to decision capability in transformation. In preparation, German.pinkelephants.de/buch →
- Acquisitions and integrationOrganizational Immune Design for acquisitions, with Ralph Hübner (German).akquisitionsparadox.de →
- ToolboxDiagnostic tools to use on your own, from the Self-Check to the stress test.pinkelephants.de/en/tools →
- transformationstools.deOpen and curated: tools and practical knowledge for transformation (German).transformationstools.de →
Where to start
In a sparring session we clarify in 30 minutes which decision is blocking everything for you right now.
Schedule a conversation30 min · confidential · free of charge