Implement & evolve
Bringing the model to life, and keeping it alive
So far, the defined and tailored Operating Model exists only on paper or in PowerPoint. Implementing the model presents a different challenge. Depending on how large the gap is between the current situation and the target situation defined in the (target) Operating Model, a dedicated approach is needed.
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Let it be clear: implementing small changes is much easier than large ones. Once the Operating Model is implemented, it requires continuous attention and maintenance to evolve over time, continuously adapting to its context and organisational needs. However, often we do not have the luxury of making small steps when we come from an outdated, maintained Operating Model or no Operating Model at all. Since the Operating Model is a holistic framework containing several viewpoints, as explained here, we must be careful not to implement just one building block without considering the others.​
Who is doing the Implementing?
Bringing the operating model into daily practice requires collaboration between different roles:
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Business and Functional Leaders, take responsibility for implementing changes within their building blocks.
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Change & Transformation Leads, design and guide the change approach, including communication, training, and stakeholder engagement.
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Ambassadors from the field, act as early adopters, test changes in practice, and help their peers adopt new ways of working.
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Together, they make sure the operating model is not just designed, but also successfully embedded in the organisation.
Who is doing the Evolve?
Keeping the operating model alive is a continuous responsibility:
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The Design Authority, oversees coherence, validates changes against principles, and challenges the model regularly.
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Enterprise Architect, acts as custodian of the integrated model, conducts impact analyses, and ensures consistency across building blocks.
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Business and Functional Leaders, provide feedback on what works and propose adjustments when context or strategy shifts.
These roles ensure the operating model is continuously evaluated, adapted, and improved, so it remains relevant in a changing environment.
Approach for implement
The first challenge is to bring the operating model into practice. This requires a structured yet pragmatic approach:
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Plan the change, define the scope, objectives, and stakeholders. Prepare a change approach that fits your organisation’s culture.
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Start small, pilot new elements of the operating model in a limited scope to learn what works.
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Communicate & engage, involve ambassadors, provide training, and ensure people understand both the “what” and the “why.”
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Support adoption, embed new ways of working into daily routines and provide coaching where needed.
Approach for evolve
Once implemented, the operating model must stay alive and adapt to a changing context. This requires continuous attention:
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Evaluate regularly, use reviews, retrospectives, and metrics to assess effectiveness and identify friction.
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Challenge the model, periodically test assumptions and check whether the operating model still fits strategy and environment.
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Do impact analysis, assess the effect of changes (e.g. in organisation, processes, or technology) before implementing them.
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Adapt incrementally, make small, testable adjustments, learn from them, and only then deploy more broadly.
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