Reimagining Work: How Change Fluency Can Transform Finance

We’re at a pivotal juncture in finance. While many CFOs acknowledge that AI will fundamentally transform their functions in the coming years, a significant number admit that their teams lack the necessary skills to navigate this transformation effectively.

It’s not merely a question of adopting new technology—it’s about cultivating the adaptive capacity that distinguishes finance leaders who not only manage the present, but also shape the future. Through my experience as a change navigation strategist, I came to identify this capacity as Change Fluency™, and I believe it’s the key to the future of finance.

What it means for finance leaders

Change Fluency is akin to mastering a new language. Fluent business teams don’t scramble for new procedures with every regulatory shift or technological advancement; they’ve developed the organizational “grammar” to respond smoothly and confidently.

The stakes are high. According to the consulting firm BCG, for example, its efforts to create a more agile finance function for a global health-care company successfully freed up 20% to 30% of the capacity of the client’s finance teams.¹

For CFOs and finance leaders, being fluent means anticipating market changes, rapidly assimilating new compliance requirements, and leveraging disruptions as catalysts for process innovation. These individuals see change as an opportunity to strengthen financial controls, rather than a threat. For instance, Takeda, a leading pharmaceutical company, collaborated with EY (starting in 2020) to accelerate its financial close process by nearly two weeks.² By embracing digital tools and fostering a culture of continuous improvement, Takeda enhanced its finance operation’s efficiency and adaptability.

The hidden traps that sabotage transformation

Many finance leaders recognize the need for transformation but fall into the following predictable traps:

• Spreadsheet syndrome: Being overly reliant/focused on modelling variables can lead to analysis-paralysis;
• A proliferation of initiatives: Simultaneously managing numerous transformation projects without retiring outdated processes can spread teams too thin; and
• The compliance comfort zone: Emphasizing risk mitigation above all else can hinder the experimentation necessary for innovation.

Three mindset shifts for finance leaders

Finance leaders can avoid these and other potential traps by:

1. Embracing possibility over precision: In rapidly changing environments, demanding perfect information before taking action often means acting too late. That’s why change-fluent CFOs have shifted to approving three-month experiments (with clear success criteria) for automation pilots, rather than requiring 18-month business cases. One example of this in action is JPMorgan Chase, which invested $18 billion in technology over the past year, integrating AI across its operations.³ This move boosted productivity and reduced the time spent on low-value tasks, demonstrating the benefits of embracing innovation without waiting for perfection first.
2. Practising strategic deletion, not just addition: For finance leaders, the opportunity lies not just in focusing on what you can do, but also in exploring what you choose not to do. Without consciously retiring outdated processes, finance functions become layers of accumulated procedures. For a great case study, consider the global company Reckitt, which implemented a finance transformation that spanned 85 countries, 200 brands, and 40,000 products. The company focused on eliminating redundant processes to help streamline its finance operations, which, in turn, is helping it make rapid and accurate decisions.⁴
3. Co-creating change instead of mandating it: Lasting change in finance requires engagement, not enforcement. In designing your next change, don’t forget to get input from the teams first! Implementing new financial planning software, for example? Include accounts payable clerks and financial analysts in the project. By obtaining relevant expertise and taking a collaborative approach, you’ll create a better process output that is stickier (in a good way) too.

Practical steps for becoming change fluent in finance

You can’t learn a new language overnight, but there are ways to accelerate your journey to Change Fluency. For finance leaders, these include:

• Creating metabolic capacity: Build “slack” into your budgets and schedules to allow for experimentation and improvement;
• Modelling experimental thinking: Experiment with new tools and signal that learning matters more than immediate perfection (this will be particularly impactful if you’re a senior finance leader);
• Engaging the front lines: Invite the team members who will be directly affected by the changes to help shape transformation initiatives;
• Celebrating intelligent failures: Foster a culture of continuous improvement by recognizing teams who identify problems early and adjust course; and
• Focusing on leading indicators: Track and celebrate early signs of Change Fluency, such as proactive process improvement suggestions and demonstrated adaptability to new requirements.

The decisive advantage

I know there are a lot of buzzwords and trends in business and finance. But Change Fluency isn’t an abstract or flash-in-the-pan concept. It’s how I refer to the CFO who realigns budget processes when business models shift or to the controller who turns new regulatory requirements into opportunities to strengthen controls. It’s how I define the finance team that doesn’t just survive digital transformation but emerges stronger, more strategic, and more valuable to their organization.

Finance professionals have mastered the language of numbers, but now it’s time to become equally fluent in the language of change. The organizations that develop this dual fluency in financial precision and adaptive capacity will define the future of finance.

The most successful finance leaders understand that in our rapidly evolving business environment, the greatest risk isn’t changing too quickly—it’s changing too slowly. Those who master this adaptive capacity won’t just weather the disruption ahead; they’ll help their organizations navigate toward new opportunities that their less fluent competitors don’t even see coming.

Want more on this topic?

Catch the author live at the CPABC Infinite Conference in November! Jay will be presenting the opening keynote “Evolve and Flourish” on day two of the conference, as well as the workshop “Evolve and Flourish: Change Fluency in Action.” To register, visit pd.bccpa.ca/conferences-series/infinite.

Early-bird pricing is available until October 15.

Jay Kiew is a change navigation strategist and keynote speaker with 15 years of innovation experience. He created the concept of Change Fluency™ and has delivered more than $2 billion in market value to 400+ executives by designing, developing, and delivering organizational transformation. To learn more about this concept and access free resources, visit changefluency.com.

This article was originally published in the September/October 2025 issue of CPABC in Focus.

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