Why delivery maturity is essential for successful change?

Only 34% of change initiatives in financial services meet their business goals. This means that almost 70% of initiatives are only delivering partially or none of the intended return on investments. Why? Because delivery maturity is often overlooked. In today’s financial industry, change isn’t a project, it’s a permanent condition. From regulatory shifts to AI integration and ESG compliance, financial institutions are navigating more complexity than ever before.

But many transformations still fall short. The issue isn’t ambition, it’s adoption. Change programmes often focus on processes and systems, while overlooking the people and delivery teams expected to make it work.

The hidden pitfalls of traditional change management

Many organisations still approach change management through classical methods. Top-down communication plans, stakeholder engagement workshops, and check-the-box training. While these efforts are well-intentioned, they often miss two critical realities:

1. The organisation's ability to sustain continuous change is rarely assessed

2. The current competencies and readiness of key individuals are often overlooked

From our experience, overlooking these two key factors often leads to overwhelmed and undertrained teams who are disconnected from the fundamental purpose of the change. They are also not adequately prepared to collaborate at scale in a multi-functional environment that demands stronger self-leadership skills. Even with the strongest possible sponsorship, considering individual readiness for change is essential to ensuring its benefits are sustained.

A holistic approach to change in financial services

Successfully navigating complex transformations, especially in the financial industry, requires a holistic approach to change. Engaging all levels of the organisation helps ensure change is seen as an opportunity rather than a disruption. Take our Delivery Maturity Uplift (DMU) solution as an example. At the heart of this approach is a focus on strengthening the individual by supporting growth, adaptability and leadership in the key roles most affected by change. This helps embed change more effectively and builds the human capacity needed to sustain it over time.

Sustainable change starts with organisational health. One way to gain insight into this is through the 6 Batteries of Change framework which shows how well the core drivers of an organisation are functioning. We use this framework to help identify where energy is lacking and where it can be strengthened. By fuelling these organisational batteries, companies become more resilient to continuous change and start seeing it as an opportunity rather than a disruption.

But an organisation taking care of its Batteries of Change still need to pay attention that every programme or project has its own dynamics, target groups, and required behavioural shifts. Here, we embed the people side of change directly into delivery. Leveraging the Prosci ADKAR model, we help organisations to:

• Mobilise management and change agents
• Build readiness for change
• Strengthen communication and engagement strategies
• Reinforce new behaviours post-implementation

As Sebastien Mathieu, our Business Adoption Capability Lead, puts it: “Most change initiatives impact people in some way or another. It's how people change their behaviour which will drive the success of these change programmes and achieving ROI's. Properly managing the people side of the change delivers emotionally connected and sustained change.”

It's how people change their behaviour which will drive the success of these change programmes and achieving ROI's

Even with strong organisational alignment and well-managed initiatives, individuals may not yet demonstrate the behaviours required for the new situation. They may also lack awareness of the strengths and skills they need to activate and develop in order to stay relevant and perform effectively. Why?

• Evolving roles demand more autonomy and working together. In many organisations, people need to take more responsibility for their own work, plan their tasks, and collaborate with others. This can be a big change and not everyone is used to it.
• Fear and uncertainty make people resist change. When things change quickly, some people don’t feel ready or are afraid they won’t succeed. This can cause hesitation and reduce motivation.
• Not being part of the change design reduces interest and involvement. If people are not included in the thinking and planning behind the change, they don’t always understand its purpose. They also miss the chance to prepare or ask questions.
• Too many changes make people tired. When changes happen all the time, people can feel exhausted. They might stop trying to adapt, even if they want to.

This can lead to people feeling disconnected from the new ways of working and the direction the organisation is going.

Strengthening individual growth with delivery maturity uplift

This is where our Delivery Maturity Uplift (DMU) approach makes a difference. It focuses on strengthening the maturity, resilience, and performance of your delivery teams. The goal is to ensure they are not just ready for change but actively driving business value throughout every transformation with greater predictability, confidence, and impact.

This is put into practice through a tailored roadmap we co-create to:

• Generate self-awareness about where individuals are at regarding their core role competencies and leadership skills and forward-looking insight about how they want to grow their skillset
• Upskill individuals in delivery practices, communication, and personal effectiveness.
• Build delivery leadership by strengthening ownership, problem-solving, and coaching capabilities.
• Embed behavioural change into the way teams collaborate, adapt, and lead transformation.

This journey is also supported with coaching, peer learning, and practical tools to help people grow sustainably over time. Whether you're a delivery manager, project lead, or transformation team member, the DMU approach empowers you to take ownership of your role in change.

“This approach creates an environment where people feel more confident, engaged, and supported in their roles. It not only helps individuals grow but also enables teams to deliver their best work with clarity and purpose,” says Mai-Lam Vo, Transformation Practice Lead Belgium.

This approach creates an environment where people feel more confident, engaged, and supported in their roles

It matters now more than ever as regulatory expectations are increasing, AI is transforming operations, and ESG initiatives are no longer optional. Financial institutions need delivery teams and individuals who are equipped, empowered, and engaged. Not just with the right tools and processes, but also with the right mindset to handle ongoing change.

The Delivery Maturity Uplift helps financial institutions to:

• Build adaptive, high-performing teams
• Improve change adoption across all levels
• Realise the full value of strategic initiatives
• Minimise disruption and change fatigue

Want to find out how mature your delivery organisation really is? Connect with us to explore your tailored Delivery Maturity Uplift journey.