By Natalie Johnson
Enterprise transformations can look aligned and on track while different functions prioritize their own function.
Roland U. Hoffmann, Founder of SODA, has built an approach to close that gap.
His answer is the System of Disciplined Adaptability (SODA) operating model for major initiatives, connecting execution, operations, and technology around measurable business results. “I built SODA after repeatedly stepping into enterprise programs where everything looked right on paper, but execution still drifted.” Its premise is that enterprise complexity overwhelms formal authority, so leaders need a shared mechanism for turning competing functional priorities into one coherent outcome.
Enterprise Transformations Drift
Hoffmann challenges a common assumption about executive alignment. Agreement about an approach at the top does not automatically translate into alignment throughout an organization. “Chief executive officers (CEOs) often mistake agreement for alignment,” he says. “Each function agrees on the strategy, and then stays aligned to their own different pressures, incentives, and established ways of working.”
Those differences don’t become a problem while an organization improves existing ways of working. They become problematic when a transformation requires new capabilities, behaviors, or ways of working across functions. Those initiatives are also forced into established processes, creating an execution gap that conventional program reporting isn’t calibrated to detect.
This is why transformations report “on track” while failing to deliver their promised outcome. Activity is visible, but business impact is harder to measure. Transformation drift can hide behind completed milestones, governance meetings, and green dashboards.
SODA addresses the problem by connecting each function’s contribution to the same business outcome rather than managing them as separate workstreams. The objective is not to impose another layer of process, but to create the conditions for disciplined adaptability.
One Outcome, Three Executive Agendas
At the center of the approach is a shift from functional definitions of success to an ongoing cadence of shared, near-term results. “Start with one shared business result you can achieve in the next 90 days, one that everyone agrees actually matters, not three functional definitions of success 18 months from now,” Hoffmann says.
The CEO defines the business result, the chief operating officer (COO) understands what must change in the work, and the chief information officer (CIO) enables that change through technology. SODA connects those agendas without requiring the executives to have identical responsibilities or priorities.
Each team identifies what it must contribute to make the shared result real. Progress is then evaluated by asking whether the outcome itself is changing, rather than simply whether tasks are being completed. That creates a practical model of cross-functional alignment. It also gives leaders a common language for decisions when tradeoffs emerge, reducing the likelihood that strategy, operations, and technology begin pulling in different directions.
Measuring What Changes, Not What Gets Done
SODA relies on a faster operating rhythm and frequent tests of whether work is producing value. Hoffmann calls these checkpoints “Moments of Truth.” The principle is simple: reality should speak louder than the plan. Signs of actual alignment beyond simple agreement show up in decision speed, throughput between functions, and progress against the agreed business outcome. Faster decisions and cleaner handoffs are not the ultimate objective, but they are useful indicators that the system is functioning with less friction.
This distinction becomes particularly relevant as organizations pursue AI initiatives. “For AI, cost control is critical because usage and expense can explode before business value is proven,” he says. AI programs should begin with the business outcome the technology is expected to improve, not a target for the number of use cases launched. The discipline is to control costs and measure progress against the underlying business result, rather than confusing adoption or activity with return on investment.
From Strategy On Paper To Measurable Results
Hoffmann has applied these principles across large-scale environments, including five global transformation programs for global consumer products spanning 70 markets and more than 50 brands, as well as transformation initiatives in the entertainment and utilities industries. Bold leadership matters, but positional authority alone is insufficient when enterprise complexity is high. “Real alignment shows up when functional differences are combined to still produce one coherent outcome in practice.”
That is what SODA is designed to do: keep different functional priorities connected, execute toward the shared business outcome, and turn strategy into how the organization operates.
