How much do people change organizations or organizations change people?

Scenario 1

In some organisations people (politicians, board, management or leadership) make a profound effect to strategy, style skills, systems and services. Ostensibly one change (of people) is a catalyst for significant transformational change (of the organisation)

Scenario 2

In other organisations people even 100% change of people (politicians, board, management or leadership) on many different occasions seems to make no impact on the organisation and the system / culture prevails, despite each successive heroic effort and well intended change programme.

What are the factors that contrast scenario 1 and scenario 2

SCENARIO 1: TRANSFORMATIONAL CHANGE FOLLOWING LEADERSHIP CHANGE

Agility: Organizations that are agile can adapt more quickly to new leadership directives.

Alignment: Leadership changes are more impactful when there is alignment between the new leader's vision and the organization's mission.

Readiness for Change: If an organization is already primed for change due to internal or external pressures, new leadership can catalyze rapid transformation.

Resources: The ability of an organization to allocate resources to support changes can make a significant difference.

Crisis Situation: Organizations in crisis might be more receptive to drastic changes.

High Involvement: A high degree of involvement and buy-in from staff can enable more effective change.

Leader Charisma: A highly charismatic leader can sometimes single-handedly drive change by inspiring the workforce.

Clear Communication: Effective and transparent communication from the leadership can facilitate smoother transitions.

SCENARIO 2: NO IMPACT DESPITE LEADERSHIP CHANGE

Institutional Inertia: Long-standing traditions, systems, and attitudes can inhibit change.

Complex Bureaucracy: A complex chain of command may dilute the impact of leadership change.

Lack of Alignment: If the organization's mission and the leader's vision are not aligned, changes may be ineffective or even counterproductive.

Employee Resistance: If the existing staff is resistant to change, it can be difficult to implement new strategies.

Limited Resources: Lack of resources can stymie even the most ambitious plans for change.

Mismanagement of Change: Poorly executed change management strategies can undermine leadership changes.

External Constraints: Regulatory, market, or other external factors may limit what changes an organization can actually implement.

High Turnover: If leadership changes are frequent, there may be too much instability to enact meaningful change.

SHARED FACTORS

Organizational Culture: The pre-existing culture can either facilitate or inhibit change, irrespective of leadership.

Stakeholder Pressure: Both internal and external stakeholders can have a significant impact on the pace and extent of organizational change.

Timing: The time at which changes are introduced can affect how they are received and implemented.