The CEO's change agenda

CEOs increasingly face the need to foster radical change in their organizations. The makeover may require them to invent a culture that is pervasive, comprehensive, and sharply divergent from the behavior and values of the past. Lacking experience as transformational leaders, most CEOs resort to traditional techniques. They alter structure, modify some systems, and move a few key people. However, simply manipulating these “hard” systems is not enough. In order to bring about the changes necessary for success, the CEO must also alter “soft” systems—including beliefs about the firm and its future, and the style of its key managers.