Industry Executive Speaks About Organizational Transformation

In September, Patricia Tracey, vice president, homeland security and defense, U.S. public sector, enterprise services, Hewlett-Packard, Tysons Corner, Virginia, spoke with the chapter about HP's involvement in organizational transformations. Tracey clarified that transformation alignment is fostered by a company's agility. As companies improve how they conduct development, they examine their processes and enter into a transitional phase. Examining new ways of doing things allows an organization to transform. She emphasized the importance of commercial and government organizations continuing to meet customer expectations during their transition and understanding that not every way they do business will transition easily. Tracey discussed a hybridized approach to transformation where companies make small changes while keeping existing processes in place. Tracey concluded by commenting that the Defense Department is blessed with having people who have a vast array of skills, which she believes is not as prevalent in private industry.