Classical tradition: Transmutation

Org Design & Process Change

Classical tradition: Transmutation

Field notes on Transmutation as practiced here: turning one thing into another — reorgs, pivots, “digital transformation,” contractor-to-FTE conversions, process overhauls. The substance doesn’t always change as much as the label does, a distinction this discipline appears constitutionally incapable of acknowledging.

Field tone: disruptive, faux-visionary, allergic to admitting nothing changed. The caster transforms the shape of things, with mixed effects on the substance.

Vocabulary recorded in the field: reorg, pivot, digital transformation, org chart, dotted line, matrixed reporting, change management, rightsizing, synergy, restructure, agile transformation, “new operating model,” return to office, in-person collaboration, business- friendly state, radical candor, flavor-of-the-month management.