{"id":6858,"date":"2026-04-16T15:30:00","date_gmt":"2026-04-16T13:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.adexpartners.com\/?p=6858"},"modified":"2026-04-17T15:41:05","modified_gmt":"2026-04-17T13:41:05","slug":"insights-transformation-leadership-instead-of-programmes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.adexpartners.com\/en\/services\/insights-transformation-fuehrung-statt-programme\/","title":{"rendered":"Transformation fails not because of programmes, but because of leadership\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n\t\t\tAdEx Partners News, Services\t<\/h6>\n

\n\t\t\tTransformations fail not because of programmes, but because of leadership\t<\/h2>\n

\n\t\t\tTanja Herzig explains why real change emerges in the day-to-day of the organization\t<\/h4>\n\t

Transformations are professionally organized these days: programmes, roadmaps, steering committees, project teams. And yet, change often remains surprisingly ineffective. <\/strong><\/p>\n

Why? <\/strong><\/p>\n

Because transformation is controlled but not guided. <\/strong><\/p>\n

In a conversation, Tanja Herzig, Associate Partner at AdEx Partners and an expert in organizational development and transformation, explains why the crucial lever lies precisely here. <\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\"Portrait\n\t<\/figure>\n\t

Organizational manager and transformation expert Tanja Herzig talks about the crucial role of leadership in transformations.<\/p>\n\t

AdEx Partners: Tanja, a provocative question: Why do so many transformations fail despite perfect programmes?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Tanja Herzig:<\/strong> Because we delegate transformation to project teams. Programmes can provide structure, measure progress and manage dependencies, but they cannot force change in day-to-day operations. Change does not happen in the project, but within the units, in meetings, in decisions, in priorities. And it's leadership that works there, not project plans.<\/p>\n

AdEx Partners: Does this mean project and programme teams are overrated?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Tanja Herzig:<\/strong> No \u2013 but they are often misunderstood. Project teams steer transformation, but they do not lead it. They can set frameworks, provide inspiration, and create transparency. The actual change \u2013 new ways of working, different decisions, altered responsibility \u2013 arises exclusively from leaders in the operational units. Those who believe transformation can be \u201erolled out\u201c have confused leadership with communication.<\/p>\n

AdEx Partners: Many executives say, \u201eI'm not part of the transformation project.\u201c How do you respond?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Tanja Herzig:<\/strong> Transformation fragt nicht nach Projektrollen. F\u00fchrungskr\u00e4fte sind Teil der Transformation, ob sie wollen oder nicht. Jede Entscheidung, jede Priorit\u00e4t, jedes Verhalten wirkt entweder stabilisierend oder ver\u00e4ndernd. Wer sich nicht als aktiver Gestalter versteht, entscheidet trotzdem – nur eben f\u00fcr den Status quo.<\/p>\n

AdEx Partners: What does this mean in concrete terms for leadership in transformations?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Tanja Herzig:<\/strong> The first step is the conscious involvement of leaders \u2013 not as \u201estakeholders\u201c, but as those accountable. Leaders must understand where the organization is changing, why, and what scope they have. The second, crucial step is enablement: they must be empowered to decide on and consistently implement the transformation direction within their own units. Transformation is not a follow-the-plan exercise, but a leadership mandate.<\/p>\n

AdEx Partners: Where do you currently see the biggest gap?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Tanja Herzig:<\/strong> Between ambition and the everyday. Many organizations formulate grand transformation goals, invest in programmes \u2013 and then leave their leaders to their own devices. Without clarity, without room for manoeuvre, without a genuine mandate. This breeds frustration, cynicism, and stagnation. Transformation requires leaders who are not just involved, but empowered.<\/p>\n

AdEx Partners: What, from your perspective, is the most common misconception in transformations?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Tanja Herzig:<\/strong> Alignment is enough. It isn't. Unity is nice, but impact comes from decisions. Leadership in transformation means setting direction, managing conflict, and taking responsibility \u2013 even when it gets uncomfortable. Leaders who aren't placed in this role will, at best, achieve movement but not change. Leadership is already difficult in everyday situations, and this difficulty is compounded in transformations. We often believe that leaders automatically possess the skills for transformation. At AdEx Partners, we also support leaders throughout the transformation process and empower them within ongoing projects. This creates impact!<\/p>\n

AdEx Partners: Your personal conclusion?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Tanja Herzig:<\/strong> Transformation is not a project task. It is a leadership reality. Programmes can support, but leadership happens in daily operations. That's where the decision is made whether transformation remains a PowerPoint presentation or actually has an impact.<\/p>\n

The interview was conducted by Christin Rau.<\/em><\/p>\n\t

Contact<\/h3>\n

Are you ready to not only steer transformation, but effectively lead it? 
<\/p>\n

Sprechen Sie mit unseren Experten f\u00fcr Transformation und Leadership bei AdEx Partners. <\/p>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\tContact us now\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t

Your Contact<\/h4>\n \n Tanja Herzig \n

Associate Partner<\/p>\n <\/a>\n <\/a>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Why many transformations fail despite perfect programmes \u2013 and why leadership makes the decisive difference. Tanja Herzig shows why real change happens in everyday life, not in a project plan.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":6972,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_title":"Transformation scheitert an F\u00fchrung \u2013 nicht an Programmen","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"Transformation ist kein Projekt: Warum viele Initiativen scheitern \u2013 und warum F\u00fchrung den Unterschied macht. Insights von Transformationsexpertin Tanja Herzig, AdEx Partners.","_pipeline_managed":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[41],"tags":[233,155,118,232,234,235,236,130],"class_list":["post-6858","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-services","tag-change-management","tag-digital-transformation","tag-interview","tag-leadership","tag-organizational-development","tag-tanja-herzig","tag-thought-leadership","tag-transformation"],"blocksy_meta":[],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.adexpartners.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6858","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.adexpartners.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.adexpartners.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.adexpartners.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.adexpartners.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6858"}],"version-history":[{"count":23,"href":"https:\/\/www.adexpartners.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6858\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6977,"href":"https:\/\/www.adexpartners.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6858\/revisions\/6977"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.adexpartners.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6972"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.adexpartners.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6858"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.adexpartners.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6858"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.adexpartners.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6858"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}