| Building a Change Ready Organization |
|
|
|
“Faced with the choice between changing one’s mind and proving that there is no need to do so, almost everybody gets busy on the proof. ” —John Kenneth Galbraith Let us introduce you to Bill
Bill arrives at the office an hour early on Monday. Over the
weekend he finally accepted the fact that the organization where he has worked
comfortably for fifteen years is really going through with a radical change
one that does not just mean a new logo and slogans, new job titles for the same
work, and a shuffling of names on the corporate letterhead. It means real
change. He knows that the way he does his job will impact everyone he
works with —subordinates, colleagues, and even upper level management. He
thinks of the little “Change is Good! ” note he stuck onto his computer monitor.
“No, ” he says to himself, “I don’t like changes. I never have. ” Uncertainties overwhelm him. His unit is to report to another
part of the organization. How is that going to work? He is probably going to
have a new boss, but he doesn’t know who that is going to be. Will he have to
prove himself again, for someone new? What is the new evaluation system going
to be? Please, he thinks, please let me keep Linda as my secretary! Bill doesn’t feel any better when he realizes that everyone
on his team is feeling the same way. “And I’m supposed to lead them, ” he says.
“First thing is to get a grip on my own attitude. I’m a team leader, right? So
let me manage myself. Maybe the best way to do that is to figure out how to
lead my team through this change. ” Sound familiar? How many times have you been in Bill’s shoes and can you do anything about it? Yes you can and we know how!!! Change has always been with us, but its effects seem more widespread, continuous and deep today than ever before. Companies of all sizes are looking for new opportunities to compete, grow, and to survive. Because of this, change is a fact of life in organizations today. The fact is most organizations would not describe themselves as “change ready ”. Being ready to embrace continuous change as a requirement of doing business is not easy. It requires constant vigilance with respect to your customers, your competitors, your own business indeed, everything about the world in which you operate is subject to constant change, and the interactions between those variables can seem overwhelming. Being "change ready" is demonstrating flexibility and willingness to embrace change, along with communicating candidly the impact of the proposed change on the people involved. Do you want to:
AdVantage Consulting offers customized interventions and training workshops that can make change readiness part of your company’s normal operating practices and part of your strategic assets. The path to change readiness begins here!! |