It’s nothing new: Entire branches of industry change, become globalised; product cycles are made shorter; competition between established companies and start-ups increases – change is a permanent condition. Companies therefore need to prioritise adaptability. Defining the necessary changes at a strategic level is one side of the coin; implementing these changes while affording the organisation security in transition is the goal of effective initiatives for change. But how do we design this adjustment? Best practice change programmes facilitate answers to burning questions, but regularly fail in the implementation, particularly if change is imposed “top down”. Our approach aims to increase the adaptability and vitality of companies for the long-term, and to provide the people in those organisations with both security and prospects. This demands understanding, relevance, irreversibility, competence, incentives and consistent action. Instead of a linear process, we have identified a set of components that can be used to achieve adaptability: #1 Management skills secure orientation and stability #2 “Killing the dragon” or “winning the princess” – a comprehensible and nonetheless ambitious story of change facilitates understanding and acts as an incentive #3 Autonomous, cross-functional Adaptability-Teams provide “entrepreneurial proximity” and, thus, relevance at the employee level #4 Gradually supplementing the existing organisational architecture with a next practice organisation prevents organisational overwhelm #5 Programme Management plans, oversees and ensures consistent implementation