Not so long ago I was speaking with a colleague about my project at the time. I explained we’d completed the structure design and now just had to finish governance and activate it so the proposed design would work as planned. Her response? “It’s always about governance in the end.” She’s not wrong.

In many organisations, strategy is rarely the problem. The challenge is execution - specifically, how effectively an organisation’s design enables that strategy to become reality.

Major mergers and acquisitions are typically announced with a compelling value narrative: stronger market position, access to new capabilities, broader reach, and improved returns. Yet the track record remains uneven.