Michael Lissack
linguistic change while maintaining sufficient coherence for effective collaboration? Organizations that successfully navigate these linguistic transitions typically implement several complementary approaches. The following case studies illustrate specific strategies that enabled successful linguistic navigation during profound digital transformations:
Adobe: Linguistic Transition Management During Cloud Migration
When Adobe shifted from selling packaged creative software to of- fering cloud-based subscription services, they faced a massive linguistic transition. Terminology for products, features, pricing, customer relation- ships, and internal processes all needed to evolve simultaneously. Rather than allowing this transition to happen organically, they implemented a structured approach to linguistic change management. Key Strategies: • Terminology Transition Maps : Adobe created visual guides showing relationships between legacy and new terminology, help- ing stakeholders understand how language was evolving rather than just presenting new terms in isolation. • Phased Implementation : Instead of attempting complete lin- guistic transformation overnight, they mapped a 24-month tran- sition during which legacy and new terminology explicitly coex- isted, with clear guidance about which terms were being phased out and which were becoming standard. • Explanation Not Just Definition : For each significant terminol- ogy change, they provided not just definitions but explanations of why the language was evolving—connecting linguistic shifts to the broader business transformation. • Stakeholder Terminology Councils : They created representa- tive groups from different stakeholder communities (developers,
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