In preparing to teach an upcoming course on Organization Development & Change, I was again reminded of how so many textbooks present a tidy pattern for change that starts with X and follows a specific matrix on through the final stages. This rarely happens; no matter how much preparation, organizations are rarely well prepared for major change that is dumped upon them. The literature on change projects a very unrealistic view of sequential change and unless those hoping for change understand the challenges of change, they are likely to fail. By making change seem like a rigid, defined, controlled, and discrete process with very set guidelines for success, the writing on change misleads managers who will find the reality far more daunting than they expected. Rather than a controllable process, we find chaos.
Here are some of the common realities that managers say about change:
- change took more time than allocated
- many unforeseen problems surfaced
- coordination of implementation activities was ineffective
- competing crises distracted attention (bigger fish to fry)
- insufficient capabilities and skills of those involved in the implementation
- inadequate training was provided
- uncontrollable external factors had a major adverse impact (e.g. competition, government, economic)
- inadequate support for change
- failure to define expectations and goals clearly
- failure to involve all those who will be affected by change
- purpose for change was unclear, therefore resulting in the lack of buy-in
As you think about this list of chaos-producing issues, ask yourself what is missing. It usually boils down to three critical factors; and these factors are the responsibility of management to provide. They are Structure, Stability, and Direction. If you unroll change and assure these three are present – while allowing for some flexibility – you are going to increase your chance of succeeding ten-fold!
Major side note: People don’t want to change; They want to grow!
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