The Operational Excellence (OPEX) Reference Group – North America Chapter, powered by PRIME BPM, hosted its February 2026 Live Meetup, gathering transformation professionals to share practical insights on driving transformation success through cross-collaboration and ownership.
The virtual session featured Hardeep Kaur, Director of Business Transformation, Agility and Change Leadership at Merck, who brought over two decades of experience in business strategy, and digital transformation. Hardeep shared actionable lessons on accelerating transformation by fostering collaborative environments and instilling ownership across teams.
Key Discussion Highlights Included:
- Build and sustain cross-collaborative environments to accelerate transformation and innovation
- Drive ownership by cascading responsibility and fostering distributed accountability beyond task completion
- Align diverse stakeholders through shared purpose, trust-building, and clear governance frameworks
- Develop leadership capabilities at all levels, especially middle management, through peer coaching and capability accelerators
- Balance the art and science of change management by connecting data-driven insights with human psychology
- Emphasize continuous learning, psychological safety, and celebrating successes to sustain momentum
Hardeep emphasized that transformation is a collective journey requiring resilient leadership, transparent communication, and a culture that empowers teams to own outcomes. She highlighted the importance of connecting operational excellence with change leadership to build agile, adaptive organizations.
The interactive session sparked rich dialogue among OPEX professionals across North America, reinforcing the power of community-driven improvement and shared learning.
About the Operational Excellence Reference Group
Powered by PRIME BPM, the OPEX Reference Group is a cross-industry community connecting transformation professionals to collaborate, share insights, and accelerate operational success. Designed for those involved in process improvement, digital transformation, compliance, risk management, and continuous improvement, the group offers a platform to stay ahead of trends, gain practical knowledge, and engage with industry leaders through exclusive meetups and sessions.