Become obsessed with outcomes

Transformative leaders and enterprises create the right foundation for continual reinvention and modernization.

Uncertainty may be a constant these days, but so is the power of successful business transformation. Companies that outperform the competition recognize the need for ongoing, end-to-end transformation of their business, operating and growth models. And they’re relentless in their focus.

When considering why and how top performers outpace others, PwC found that the top 20% of companies captured a “performance premium” — the combined effect of profit margin and revenue growth in industry-adjusted terms — greater than 13 times that of the bottom 80%. Those are measurable results that demonstrate how transformational leaders actually create lasting value in a competitive business environment.

These top companies thrive through business transformation, and they’re not about to stop. How can you join them to drive performance and extract significant short- and long-term value in a persistently uncertain business environment? It starts with becoming obsessed with outcomes.

“How can you be a transformative enterprise primed for continual reinvention, innovation and modernization? With an obsession with outcomes.”

Transformational leadership

Transformational leaders encourage collaboration, camaraderie and conviction. They build and rely on teams that can translate vision into action, create value for customers and keep employees engaged and energized. To succeed, you should take time to invest in relationships and give your employees the support they need — both professionally and personally — to navigate uncertainty and help drive your business innovation efforts.

Demanding ROI

Don’t overlook these three powerful letters. As pressure grows on many companies, leaders should consider each team and department and the value it brings to the larger enterprise. Many companies think they need to pull back on investments during turbulent times, but you should pull back only on investments that don’t deliver ROI. Top performers are 3.8 times more likely to have increased their investments in enterprise-wide transformation by 30% or more.

Taking advantage of M&A and other deal opportunities

As recession fears grow, companies often pull back to reduce risk, maintain the status quo and weather the storm. Top performers know that acquisitions can be less expensive during downturns or that strategic divestitures can provide capital for reinvestment. If you retreat, competitors can gain market share. Instead, making deals a priority can open up future revenue streams and reveal new business models.

Outcomes Obsessed: Leading companies capture more than 13 times the performance premium* relative to the bottom 80% of companies through top-to-bottom, end-to-end transformation.

*Performance premium is the combined effect of profit margin and revenue growth in industry-adjusted terms.Source: PwC Global Advisory Survey, 2023

Investing in customer relationships

During tough times, it's easy to look at a customer as a means to an end – a way to help meet goals, drive revenue and improve your bottom line. That's the wrong approach. Instead, seek a deeper understanding of customers and integrate that into your business models, operations and decision making. Developing ecosystems can expand your access to new data, insights, customers and markets. Top-performing companies are 1.2 times more likely to leverage this approach to obsess about customer pain points and ask how they can be there for customers.

Taking back transformation

Many top-performing companies succeed by accomplishing "enterprise-level" reinvention. This means an end-to-end transformation across business models, operating models and technology models. As a result, top performers are 1.7 times more likely to be faster to market, 1.2 times more likely to be more flexible and agile, and 2.3 times more likely to have high levels of business innovation.

Contact us

Sean Viergutz

Banking Transformation Lead Partner, Consulting Solutions, PwC US

Matthew Comte

Operations Transformation Leader, PwC US

George Korizis

Customer Transformation Leader, PwC US

Anthony Abbatiello

Workforce Transformation Leader, Partner, PwC US

Sundar Subramanian

US & Mexico Strategy& Leader, PwC US

Mark Poulson

Finance Transformation Leader, PwC US

Sarah Daubenspeck

Healthcare Transformation Leader, PwC US

Alison Hoover

Financial Services Transformation Leader, PwC US

Jay Davis

Technology & Transformation Platform Chief Operating Officer, PwC US

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