We are behavior transformation experts.

We help you bridge between what you see and what you wish to see in individuals’, teams’ and organizations’ behaviors. In three words, we take care of People, Systems, and Culture.

The mindset that people adopt is the spark that unleashes every behavior. Systems are behind adoption and ownership is the invisible energy responsible for organizational kinetics.

The short answer is No - training is one tool we build into the transformation roadmap to make sure people are upskilled and able to adopt a new behavior.

The detailed answer is that we are Behavior Transformation Experts who help organizations build mindsets and systems that take care of individual and collective behaviors that build cultures, and we equip them with skills that help them win.

Whether you want to see another reality or dream of one that will give you the edge you long for, we are your partners in making that transformation happen.

We do that through tailored interventions that blend coaching, training, facilitation, mentoring and consulting, making change meaningful, personal, naturally systemic, and at scale.

Behavior Transformation is a fundamental and irreversible shift in the way an individual and/or team deliver results. It is enabled by a change in mindset, in capabilities, and in core practices.

It is a continuous journey for organizations who want to move from a current state to a near future state that is qualitatively different, more adaptive, and more profitable.

Here’s what this means in practice:

1. It’s rooted in a non-negotiable Shift in Mindset at the core. Without it, any change is merely superficial and resembles stretching an elastic rubber which would eventually break or return to its initial form. The mindset shift is what makes the transformation real, relevant and sticky.
2. It’s a Systems-level Intervention, not just a one point solution. To transform a team, you must mold the organizational systems (hence, Culture) that reward or punish its behaviors. To transform an individual, you must mold the team dynamics they operate within and the systems that nurture these dynamics. Transformation recognizes that these levels are interconnected.
3. It’s driven by iterative cycles, not linear paths. A traditional “change journey” implies a known destination and a map. A “transformation” acknowledges that a destination alteration may emerge as it happens. It relies on a Cycle of: Act > Measure > Learn > Adapt. The sprints are short and empowered by feedback loops that guide the way forward.

The ultimate outcome of transformation is a more vital, resilient, and responsive organization. For an individual, this is growth, engagement, and mastery. For a team, this is accountability, high performance, psychological safety, and flow.  For an organization, this is empowerment and ability to overcome challenges and win!

It sort of resembles launching a rocket:

A humongous volume of fuel is initially put in place to create a colossal power aimed at getting the rocket to the moon and back. That initial launching phase also produces an enormous cloud of smoke that virtually obscures the vision of what is really happening as minutes count towards the heights of safety of the vessel and its crew. When the rocket takes off, it doesn’t mean it did, until it overcomes the layers of potential failure, one at a time. And the mission is only called successful when astronauts are back home safe, ready for their next endeavor.

Coming back to you and your vision, the future you are inventing might be anticipatory, reactive or crisis related (Nick Fry and Peter Killing, Strategic Analysis and Action) and yet, your change initiative might fall within the range of the 30% to 80% statistic of changes that failed to launch. Thankfully, space rocket launches are much more successful than that.

An equally potential poor outcome of transformations is what Kostova and Roth (AMJ, 2002) call “ceremonial adoption of change.” That is the result of high levels of implementation and low levels of commitment to change. What happens many times is that change efforts lose thrust with the sparks and the bottle pops that ticked the boxes of adoption and yet made less consideration to the commitment built towards that change. That leads to a short-lived joy, and to behaviors and routines that oscillate back to the previous status-quo.

What we have learned along the way is that the success and sustainability of any transformation is all about organizational sociology.

These are as much about logical reasons to change, as they are about how people feel about the whole initiative, what they are capable of (i.e. their skills and competencies) and how much they trust the future within the leadership, the team and the organization.

When we talk about a successful transformation of any type, we talk about mindset shifts as well as shifts in individual and collective behaviors and habits.

And that is no walk in the park.

While there is no ultimate management model that fits all culture transformations and change initiatives, the one we use is influenced both by the most prominent as well as by our experience of what worked and what didn’t during the course of our careers as change managers and creators before 2008 and change facilitators since then.

If the sample/population is random, the answer is No.

If, on the other hand, you are considering transforming one department/country/unit/whole entity, then definitely yes. It is worth noting in this case, that you should be ready for the spillage this transformation will have at one point in time on others outside of the chosen population.

For a culture transformation and any other change initiative to be sustainable, it must be embedded in, and enabled by, organizational systems.

In particular, as per Jay R. Galbraith, those related to its impact on:

• Strategy – includes the activities, be them product and/or market related, that create a competitive edge for the organization.
• Structure – has to do with how the organization chooses to play both its formal and informal structures.
• Processes – relates to the fluidity of information and knowledge, collaboration, and resources allocation throughout the organization.
• People – where mindsets, skills, capabilities, values, and behaviors reside.
• Measures and Rewards – decides on the metrics followed and the incentives set in place to control the organizational game In all those spaces.

Trace’s services cover the full cycle from evaluation to strengthening and accompanying any transformation into becoming naturally systemic.

We all know change happens from the top down. For that, securing leadership commitment is vital for the success of any project.

The most critical commitment we need from leadership isn't just budgetary approval or a kick-off speech. It's their consistent, genuine, and visible participation as learners and champions. This means actively role-modeling the new mindsets and behaviors themselves.

Their commitment is measured not by their words, but by their willingness to change their own routines, protect the space for this work in the face of operational pressures, and consistently celebrate the learning in failures as much as the successes.

When the team sees leaders personally invested and evolving, it transforms the initiative from a 'corporate program' into an evolution snow ball.

Our process starts with a diagnosis of the root causes of your challenges. Together, we will then architect a strategy that outlines the key steps, the milestones, defines what success looks like at each one of those, and ensures we are delivering tangible value on the journey toward your goals.

Yes – to the last detail.

There isn’t a one-size-fits-all timeline, as our engagements are built around your specific desired outcomes, not a preset package.

Transformations we work on typically unfold across three horizons:

• Immediate Impact (Weeks to Months): We begin with a focused initiative to tackle your most pressing challenge, delivering tangible value and a quick win. This is where we close the first major loop and prove the concept.
• Sustainment (Months to Years): Based on that initial success, we deepen the work, scaling the new mindsets and capabilities across teams to embed lasting change and achieve your core objectives.
• Partnership (Ongoing): where clients, thrilled with the results, engage us on new strategic frontiers. The partnership evolves from a 'project' to a continuous journey of elevating performance and achieving the next big thing.

We work with companies of different sizes, industries and geographical locations, be them multinational organizations, SMEs, NGOs, governments or government organizations; with a ripple impact that spreads over EMEA and sometimes even to parts of Asia, the US and Canada.

What matters to us is the value we bring and the celebrations we have with these partners at the end of every engagement.

We are a diverse team of 15 experts, each in a field that matters to our transformation work. We have offices in Dubai and Beirut and we deliver value across EMEA.

Our facilitators and behavior transformation experts come from different parts of the globe and senior tenures of the corporate world and combine tens of years of experience in planning, managing and leading People, Systems and Culture Transformations. They will act as your strategic partners who have "walked the talk" and "walk the talk" with you and your team to make sure all loops are closed and set KPIs are met!

Any transformation we embark on is benchmarked against KPIs and metrics our partners wish to achieve, and when our engagement is long enough, against financial impact.

Our work is an investment into molding the fundamental pillars of your organization – People, Systems & Culture – into more resourceful ones, and we measure its return in tangible collective outcomes, using both qualitative and quantitative methods depending on what works and when.

Our approach is designed to build sustainability into the very fabric of your organization. So, the shortest answer is yes!

Our Transformations constitute an investment towards a more collaborative, accountable, empowered, engaged and an overall better performing organization. Their return compounds over time as the new dynamics perpetuate themselves, leading to a sustained growth that far outweighs the initial investment.

Don't take our word for it!

Visit our testimonials page and learn more about the different successful transformations we have engaged in with partners from different industries.

It is like finding your long-missing strategic partners who ask to listen, learn, and take the dive with you and for you- all while making sure you WIN.

Book a call here and now with one of our Change Experts.