I had a conversation the other day with a product development head at a major corporation. In the words of the exec, his company just didn’t innovate. He added that if anyone at the company thought otherwise, they probably should look for work elsewhere.
I’m paraphrasing, of course, but the conversation really brought home for me the fact that some people would prefer to simply deal with the status quo than to try and create value through change.
That’s because change ain’t easy. It takes work. Pat Zigarmi says change fails for very predictable reasons; 6 of them, actually.
- Information concerns – What is this change about? Don’t sell me; tell me why we need to change.
- Personal concerns – What’s in it for me? Will I win or lose? Will I look good?
- Implementation concerns – how is this really going to work?
- Impact concerns – Does the change make any difference?
- Collaboration – How do we get everyone involved?
- Refinement - Ongoing refinement is absolutely necessary for success.
Zigarmi says people want to influence what happens to them. Thus, getting everyone highly involved helps them feel more like the change isn’t happening to them, it’s happening with them.
Thanks to Luc Gallopin for this post idea.
{ 1 trackback }
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
Key point is collaboration, coupled with a true understanding of the nature of the organization. The most successful leaders bring about change by making it meaningful within the context of the organization and individuals’ experience within the organization. Personal style, crediblity, passion and yes, an ability to connect on a personal level with individuals are critical. But without a sensitivity to the cultural and mental models of an organization, any change mission will misfire. The emphasis must be on enabling, not hectoring and complaining. In many cases, a spoonful of sugar and a mountain of patience go a lot further than a dogged committment to change for changes sake at the expense of building lasting, meaningful buy-in over the long haul.
Well said, Miranda. I think the key here is ‘leaders.’ You have to start there. In the absence of real leadership and vision, you have nothing but broken models, failed attempts at any type of relationship, and no credibility at all with the people who matter – those who are counted on to drive the success of the organization in the first place. They’re unhappy, uninformed, have no respect for their ‘leaders’ and are completely disconnected from their peers and organizational goals (when there are actually real, meaningful, organizational goals that mean something to anyone else beyond the people who define them.)
Riding a rocking horse won’t get you where you want to go. You expend plenty of energy, enjoy some movement, but never really make any forward progress. Real change means riding a horse with legs. There’s bound to be some chaffing and a few blisters. It’s all in a day’s work.
Talk is cheap. Real change is never easy. It takes proven leadership, vision, commitment and the ability to say and do things that may not match the status quo…and yes, more than occasionally, this is sure to piss a few people off. That’s why change agents invest heavily in body armor; the rule of those who cannot change is to shoot the messenger!
As Niccolo Machiavelli said (The Prince, 1532), “There is nothing more difficult to take in hand, more perilous to conduct, or more uncertain in its success, than to take the lead in the introduction of a new order of things.” Amen, brother.
Hi Pat,
Great post. I’ve seen far too many change models that leave out No. 5, Collaboration, and No. 6, Refinement. I find that the most effective changes are by design, with collaboration from others, and then paying attention to refine the necessary changes. I have yet to see a change that was spot on the first time around. Sometimes the best course is to deliver the change with the full intent to refine as you go. Thanks again.
Melissa
Melissa,
Thanks for the comment. I agree that so many times, collaboration and feedback (refinement) are omitted from change initiatives. Refining as you go is fine (like agile software development) but the master plan MUST include a place for this critical task.
-Gene