Today's organizations are actors in much larger ecosystems. These systems are much less stable than they were only a few years ago...

Globalization has shifted competition to a planetary scale as companies offshore work to drive down costs and remain competitive.

The Internet has destroyed old business models and created new ones.

Relationships are changing constantly as actors in the business ecosystem continually reinvent themselves.

New threats and opportunities emerge without warning; competition is not limited to traditional competitors and can come from anywhere.

In government there are high expectations to improve services, and do more with less.

Organizations have no choice but to be agile and adaptive in this turbulent environment. But that is much more challenging than ever before...

Change is cross-functional, requiring the skills and commitment of diverse interest groups.

Change is systemic -- affecting many parts of an organization -- and simultaneous changes in many areas are required for success.

Change is a team effort, requiring alignment and collaboration at all levels.

Strategic change requires innovation, challenging organizations to continuously reinvent their products, processes, structure and relationships.

Implementing systemic change rapidly, effectively and repeatedly is today's leadership challenge.