How do you nudge a large organisation to change without triggering defensive leadership instincts? That question sits at the heart of every product transformation I’ve seen. A recent piece on John Cutlefish’s Substack makes a compelling claim: Marty Cagan and the Silicon Valley Product Group (SVPG) have found the framing that gets executives moving. Reading that analysis reminded me that, more often than not, the door to change opens not because the idea is perfect but because the story is deliverable to the people who must approve it.
Why framing matters more than you think
Good ideas fail when the messenger or the moment is wrong. SVPG’s strength is not only in codifying the product operating model—there are plenty of good frameworks—but in packaging that model so leaders can adopt it without losing face. The Cutlefish piece (credit: see the article) outlines this precisely: present transformation as an identity-affirming step for executives, emphasise competence and vision, and make the path to change seem achievable.
Three behavioural levers SVPG uses well
- Peer legitimacy: Point to respected companies and leaders who have made similar moves—executives copy peers more readily than they copy theory.
- Hero-friendly narratives: Frame change so leaders remain stewards rather than villains of the story—this reduces resistance.
- Practical loss-minimisation: Make the first steps low-risk and demonstrable; executives want to avoid catastrophe more than they want novelty.
What change agents should stop doing (and start instead)
Many internal advocates make three predictable mistakes: they lead with complexity, ignore organisational constraints, or assume good arguments are enough. In practice, you need a different toolkit.
- Map the executive signal landscape. Whose opinion matters to your CEO? Which conferences, consultants or peer moves are they tracking? Use those signals to time and frame your ask.
- Start with ‘proof zones’. A small, revenue-adjacent team that can demonstrate measurable outcomes buys you time and credibility. It’s easier to scale from a visible win than to sell a sweeping reorganisation up front.
- Remove constraints fast. Few transformations die because people lack desire; they die because deployment pipelines are brittle, instrumentation is missing, or approvals are slow. Prioritise operational fixes alongside capability-building.
Real-world example: ING’s agile experiment
Look at ING’s move to multidisciplinary squads: it worked because the change was framed around customer outcomes and speed-to-market, and because it produced early, visible wins. External accounts—like the McKinsey case study on ING’s agile transformation—show that executives responded when the narrative linked to business metrics and competitive positioning. That combination of storytelling plus measurable impact is what turns executive curiosity into commitment.
A practical six-step playbook for leaders and internal advocates
- 1. Audit executive cues: Identify the narratives, peers and pressures your leadership already listens to.
- 2. Pick a focused proof zone: Choose a team or product where outcomes are visible and where you can safely experiment.
- 3. Create a hero script: Draft the internal story so leaders are presented as stewards who enable growth, not as scapegoats.
- 4. Smash operational constraints: Target deployment, instrumentation and access-to-customer blockers—these are the slow leaks of transformation.
- 5. Measure what matters: Tie discoveries and experiments to metrics the business cares about (revenue, retention, conversion) and report them clearly.
- 6. Expand deliberately: Use the credibility from your proof zone to fund the next ring of teams; keep the governance light but visible.
Where SVPG’s approach fits and where it doesn’t
SVPG’s messaging is a powerful door-opener. It gives leaders a narrative they can repeat to their peers and boards. That matters. But there’s no single model for deep, systemic change. The messy work—reshaping incentives, dealing with legacy platforms, rebuilding developer experience—takes patience and a range of perspectives: stewardship, systems thinking, sensemaking and even organisational psychology. Expect to use several of these lenses at different stages.
The pragmatic lesson for product leaders is simple: marry the SVPG-style, executive-friendly framing with relentless operational work. The story gets the door open; the engineering and ops work keeps it open.
Next steps for product and technology leaders
If you’re leading change, do two immediate things this week: identify one proof zone where you can show outcomes within 60–90 days, and map the three external signals that would make your executive more receptive (trusted peers, analyst reports, or vendor endorsements). Then craft your script so it lets the leader keep their dignity while visibly improving the business.
Credit: this article draws on the insights in the Cutlefish analysis of SVPG’s approach and the SVPG book Transformed.
Ready for the hard, quiet work? Great. Start by opening the smallest door you can—then keep clearing the corridor behind it.
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