Have you ever poured money, time and talent into a transformation programme only to watch the benefits fade into the background? You’re not alone. In many organisations the effort is huge, yet the promised value never quite lands. The missing link is accountability for value realisation, and that’s where a Value Creation Office (VCO) makes the difference. By embedding ownership and oversight of value delivery, a VCO ensures that transformation efforts translate into tangible, lasting outcomes.
At Davies, our cross-sector work shows a clear pattern. When no one owns value centrally, it slips through the cracks. Decisions turn reactive, resources drift and strategic focus blurs.
A well-designed Value Creation Office (VCO) stops the leakage. This second blog in our series lifts the lid on what happens when you try to transform without one.
The Real Costs of Operating Without a VCO
While it may not appear on a balance sheet, the absence of a Value Creation Office creates serious drag. Here’s where the losses stack up:
1. Siloed Thinking Becomes the Norm
When programmes are managed in isolation, teams duplicate work, clash on messaging and deliver a patchy customer experience.
2. Business Cases Are Built, But Rarely Realised
Ambitious targets look good on paper, yet no one tracks whether the benefits reach the bottom line.
3. Executive Time Is Consumed by Governance Gaps
Without a central point of coordination, senior leaders are diving into disputes and firefighting because there’s no single hub for coordination.
4. Morale Declines Across Delivery Teams
Pulled in multiple directions without clarity or alignment, teams hit change fatigue. As confidence in leadership erodes, engagement and performance dips.
5. Strategic Drift Sets In
Without regular value checkpoints, projects stray from the goals the business actually needs.
Five Signs Your Organisation Might Be at Risk
- Key stakeholders define “success” differently
- Resources are consistently stretched across too many initiatives
- Delivery teams report into different governance bodies
- The same projects resurface every planning cycle
- Benefits realisation is rarely, if ever, measured
These are minor irritants. They are early warning of value erosion. A Value Creation Office is built to tackle them head-on.
What a Value Creation Office Prevents
| Without a VCO | With a VCO |
| Multiple versions of the same initiative | A unified view of strategic delivery |
| Benefits tracked locally or not at all | Enterprise-level benefits tracked in real time |
| Slow decisions and unclear ownership | Rapid escalation with clear accountability |
| Transformation fatigue and lack of engagement | Focused delivery driven by a value-first culture |
| Investment decisions made in silos | Enterprise-wide prioritisation based on value |
Businesses that lack clear value ownership often hit an inflection point. Transformation morphs into an end in itself rather than a route to strategic gain.
This is where a Value Creation Office steps in. With a firm mandate and cross-enterprise reach, a VCO isn’t just another layer of red tape. It’s a value-focused capability that keeps every initiative aligned with real-world priorities.
Want a particular blueprint for launching your own VCO? In week three of our series we’ll map out the mandate to the skillsets required for the first steps.
If you’d like to talk it though now, please get in touch, our experts are ready to help.
