A Systemic and Recursive Process Model of Implementing Strategic and Transformative Change

Implementing strategic and transformative change in contemporary organisations is increasingly complex, driven by technological advancement, Industry 5.0, and shifting societal expectations. These conditions intensify the challenge, with implementation widely regarded as difficult and marked by a limited understanding of how it is enacted in practice. In response, this study examines how implementation pathways are constructed and reshaped during transformative change within permanent organisational settings. Guided by a conceptual framework, the research adopts an inductive, qualitative approach. Data were collected through fifteen semi-structured interviews with experienced practitioners leading large-scale transformations, supplemented by an online survey (n = 402). Findings demonstrate that implementation does not unfold as a linear sequence of stages, but through the recursive interaction of three interdependent activities: goal definition, impact analysis, and planning, which continuously shape implementation pathways. The Target Operating Model functions as an anchoring artefact that defines the intended future-state organisational model and guides implementation. Ongoing impact assessment makes interdependencies and constraints visible, informing iterative planning through what is termed the Delta Effect. Governance, leadership, and people and culture shape the contextual conditions within which this process is enacted. The study contributes a conceptual process model and process-theoretical explanation of how implementation pathways are constructed and reshaped through interdependent organisational activities, positioning implementation as a systemic and recursive process and offering empirically grounded insight for navigating transformative change in complex organisational settings. • Implementing transformative change unfolds as a systemic and recursive process. • Goal definition, impact analysis, and planning operate as interdependent activities. • The Target Operating Model acts as a central artefact guiding implementation. • Managing the Delta Effect is critical for implementing transformative change.