The Transformation Economy Is Here: What Three Years of Research Reveals About Helping People Change
"You're leaving value on the table."
That's how Joe Pine opens his upcoming book on the Transformation Economy, and we couldn't agree more. We're thrilled to celebrate the launch of Joe's new work, for which Stone Mantel has had the privilege of supporting over the past three years through our Transformation Economy Collaborative.
The question is: what value are companies missing, and how can they capture it?
The Human Paradox of Transformation
While half of people consider themselves capable of transforming their lives on their own, transformation action is often limited by a lack of empowerment—specifically, ability, willpower, and capacity. This gap between confidence and capability reveals a critical opportunity for companies willing to meet people where they truly are.
Through surveys with nearly 1,500 participants each year, we found that transformation readiness is typically triggered by life challenges. People are most motivated to seek growth or change when it impacts their finances, life satisfaction, physical body, or emotional state. Interestingly, while finances emerged as the number one motivating transformation goal, people feel less empowered to transform their financial wellbeing than almost any other area of their lives.
What People Really Want When They Hire a Company for Transformation
When people engage a company to guide them through transformation, they're seeking to become more knowledgeable, confident, healthy, and productive. These aren't passive aspirations—they reflect active, outwardly demonstrated goals that require tangible support.
Our research revealed a clear pattern in what enables successful transformation: people need actionable support like goal setting, planning, time management, and skill development. Taking small steps, setting goals that work within their current lives, and developing new routines emerged as the most important strategies for overcoming barriers to change.
The Unexpected Truth About Supporting Transformations
In our increasingly digital world, you might expect people to prefer technology-driven transformation experiences. The data tells a different story.
Consistently over our research years, 44% of people want primarily human guidance from companies when working on personal transformation, while only 8% prefer digital-only guidance. This doesn't mean technology isn't important—it means the blend matters enormously.
The implication is profound: companies must deliver transformation through effective digital tools paired with empathetic human support. Technology can scale and enable, but human connection—whether live or thoughtfully woven into digital experiences—remains essential for meaningful change. Companies need to embody the very qualities people are seeking to develop: being knowledgeable, efficient, skilled, and confident in how they show up.
What This Means for Experience Strategy
As we move deeper into the Transformation Economy, transformation companies (and many more companies are in the transformation space than you would think) will thrive when they understand transformation isn't just about delivering a service or experience—it's about fostering real, lasting change in people's lives.
This requires:
Meeting people at their moment of readiness, often triggered by life challenges
Providing both knowledge and confidence to enable change
Delivering actionable, practical tools for empowerment through effective digital tools and empathetic human support
Recognizing that small steps and early results matter tremendously
Embodying the very qualities people seek to develop: being knowledgeable, efficient, skilled, and confident
The Transformation Economy isn't coming—it's already here. Our research shows that success requires a fundamentally different approach to how we design experiences and support for the people we serve. Companies that recognize this opportunity and avoid leaving value on the table will be the ones that help people bridge the gap between confidence and capability.
Let's Continue the Conversation
At Stone Mantel, we're passionate about helping organizations design transformation experiences that truly work. Whether you're looking to better understand your customers' transformation journeys, develop more effective support strategies, or design experiences that drive lasting change, we're here to help.
Reach out to us HERE
The question Joe Pine poses is the right one: Are you leaving value on the table?
Reach out to learn more about how our experience strategy and research capabilities can support your transformation goals. And watch for the launch of Joe's book in the coming weeks. You can also Pre-order it here.