The real challenge starts after the strategy is approved

Most organizations do not struggle with strategy. They struggle with what happens after the strategy deck is approved.

The ambition is clear. The roadmap exists. The transformation is announced. Leadership aligns, the kickoff happens, and for a brief moment everything seems to move in the right direction.

But the real challenge starts afterwards.

Because that is the moment where hundreds of daily behaviors suddenly need to shift simultaneously. Teams need to collaborate differently. Managers need to challenge different things. People need to prioritize differently, make different decisions and start reinforcing new expectations with one another in day-to-day work.

And that is exactly where many strategies begin to lose momentum.

Meetings stay the same. Decisions happen the same way. Old habits quietly return. The organization absorbs the change without fundamentally changing itself.

That is where transformation usually breaks down. Not in the strategy, but in the behavior.

Why many transformations lose momentum

You see it everywhere today, especially around AI. Companies are investing heavily in tools, pilots and innovation programs, yet many of those initiatives generate far less impact than expected. Not because the technology is weak, but because organizations underestimate what real adoption actually requires.

People do not automatically change because a new tool exists. They change when the environment around them changes too.

And that is where many change initiatives still miss the mark.

Too much focus goes to communication plans, presentations and frameworks. Too little attention goes to the system underneath: incentives, decision-making, priorities, habits and culture. In other words, the things that actually drive everyday behavior.

People follow signals, not presentations

Because people rarely follow presentations. They follow signals.

If collaboration is the ambition, but targets still reward silo behavior, people notice. If innovation is encouraged, but mistakes are punished, people notice that too. If agility becomes the message while approval structures remain unchanged, the organization quickly understands what is truly expected.

That is why change is never just about explaining the “why”. Most employees already understand that change is necessary. The harder question is whether the organization is genuinely willing to behave differently once pressure increases. And pressure always comes.

Why change is not linear

At the same time, change is far less linear than many traditional models suggest. Organizations do not move neatly from one phase to another. Transformation is messy, simultaneous and often contradictory. Different teams move at different speeds. Momentum appears, disappears and returns again.

Real change is much closer to continuous adaptation than to a perfectly managed rollout.

Creating movement

At Business Markers, we approach change as a continuous process of creating urgency, enabling movement and reinforcing new behavior over time. The objective is not simply to launch initiatives, but to make change sustainable under pressure and in daily reality.

That starts with clarity. People need to understand what is at stake and why change cannot wait. But urgency alone is not enough. Organizations also need to remove friction, create visible progress and make the desired behavior tangible in day-to-day work. Small wins matter, not because they look good in a presentation, but because they create belief, momentum and real change.

None of this works when the organization keeps rewarding the old behavior.

Change is repeated behavior under pressure

Because change is not a launch moment. It is repeated behavior under pressure.

You revisit. You reinforce. You adjust. You repeat.

Not because the organization is failing, but because this is how transformation actually works. People learn gradually. Teams relapse. Context changes. Resistance shifts shape. New habits need repetition before they become culture.

The organizations that will thrive in the years ahead will not be the ones that talk most about transformation. They will be the ones capable of changing how people think, decide and act consistently, under pressure and over time.

Because in the end, strategy only matters when behavior changes with it.

⸻

About the author

Robbe Dellaert is a Consultant at Business Markers with a passion for strategy and research. After studying economics at Ghent University, he has spent over five years leading more than 100 strategic exercises for a wide range of companies.

Outside work, Robbe is passionate about sports — especially football — and enjoys 1970s and 1980s music, with favorites including The Cure, The Smiths and Dire Straits.

⸻

Stay ahead with our latest insights

Get fresh perspectives, practical ideas, and industry updates delivered directly to your LinkedIn feed. Subscribe to our LinkedIn newsletter and never miss an insight.