Five Myths About Change: How to Make Change Work for You
Today's global business environment changes constantly. Yet too
often companies develop their processes and procedures as if
change will never affect them. Managers and employees work in
habitual patterns and will resist change unless they buy into it.
For many years the telephone never changed. It had a rotary dial
on a black base. About fifty years ago, beige colors were added.
Push buttons arrived. Now phone features change every few
months.
For years the investment castings industry, which makes large
heavy engineered products, faced no competition from imports.
Yet Asian imports are now attacking their top line. We see this
phenomenon repeatedly.
Transform Your Business
Rapidly changing technology and information transmission speed
has shortened the business cycle. Faced with these changes,
leaders take on a difficult task when they try to drive their
companies to realize their vision and deliver sustainable
results. They may find the very existence of the organization in
jeopardy.
Leaders must incorporate transformational not just directional
changes. Companies get the results -- good or bad -- that they
are designed to get. If your vision for the future differs from
your current situation, if you want different results, then you
must change the way you do things. If you don't, how can you
expect results that are any different from those you have
already achieved?
Change, though pervasive, is often misunderstood. Many myths
affect our attitudes toward change and limit our ability to
proactively accomplish positive change. Too often we react
defensively to circumstances that appear beyond our control.
Let's take a closer look at five myths about change.
Myth 1 -- Change must be imposed. People don't like change. We
must coerce them to make changes.
Real change is self motivated. It's not that we do not like
change, what we do not like is to be changed. When we don't
involve our employees in discovering the need for change and
don't involve them in the change plan, they become "change plan
critics."
Fred, the owner of his company, decided to centralize customer
service. His managers resisted with many reasons why this was a
bad decision. Fred delayed implementation and brought his
managers together to discuss why and how to improve customer
service. Not too long after, the managers were pushing Fred to
speed the customer service improvements!
An effective leader understands that sharing power is the most
effective way to build personal motivation. Participants must
take intellectual and emotional ownership of the change
initiative. When they are part of the change process and
solution they develop personal commitment to the outcome.
Myth 2 -- You gradually wear down resisters. Eventually everyone
will embrace change.
As we learned in Myth 1, you can work with the people who openly
resist your plans. They will slowly respond to your leadership.
However, you cannot ignore those who do not openly protest.
These problem employees, the "amen brother" types, appear to
accept changes. In reality the more changes you incorporate, the
more these silent resisters sabotage them in subtle ways.
While they may openly play your game, they are working for the
status quo. They think that they can, "wait this out for a
while, and soon everything will be back to normal."
Myth 3 -- Change is a one-time thing. Once we make the changes
we need, everything will be OK.
The world changes continuously and companies must change with
it. If you suspect that change will be difficult, plan for it.
After all, the time to repair your roof is when the sun is
shining.
Effective leaders build a culture that embraces regular change
through the use of continual planning. A culture that emphasizes
planning develops management agreement, personal commitment and
team focus. With these conditions present, you proactively lead
change with the support of your team.
Focus is key. Planning focuses the management team. Focus then
drives performance and performance drives results. Management
focus, therefore, becomes a competitive advantage.
Myth 4 -- Change is radical.
Real change happens in small steps. Large changes overwhelm
people, defeating them before they even start.
When we break the change initiative into small steps, people
maintain enthusiasm because they see positive progress in short
time periods. Prioritize these steps so the results lead to
success of the overall initiative.
Leaders that track and measure the success of each step of their
initiatives most often accomplish their goals -- and as the
leader of your company, you must hold yourself accountable. When
you make the steps small, it is easier to redirect effort as
necessary. People responsible for change remain positive. They
can quickly see the results of their efforts.
Myth 5 -- Others have to change, not me.
Too often the attitude of the leader is "My people need to
change, not me." In reality change begins at the top. You must
lead change if you want your organization to change. The most
effective change initiatives are proactively led by top
management.
As an effective leader, you play a key role as a positive role
model. People respond positively to shared initiatives and team
effort. When top management is actively involved, you and the
company are better able to respond to the inevitable twists and
turns that arise.
Be Comfortable with Change.
In summary, these five myths impact our ability to make
necessary and effective changes in the time frames that allow us
to proactively impact our marketplace. Accept these myths as
fact, and you are likely to fail. Debunk these myths by acting
proactively, and your chances of success increase exponentially.
Globalization, rapid technological advances and speed of
information have permanently altered our business cycle. When
you understand that real change is slow and difficult you will
find ways to help you and your organization become more
comfortable with change rather than resist it.
The Change Credo
People are "change plan critics" unless they become part of the
change process and solution.
Share power by involving managers in the planning process;
develop personal commitment and team effort in order to build
agreement and focus; break change initiatives into manageable
pieces; be proactive; hold yourself accountable, knowing that
what gets tracked and measured gets accomplished -- this is the
credo of the successful leader.
By staying in control, you weather the difficult periods. By
being proactive, you build a "lets beat our best" change
philosophy into the culture of your organization.
Positive change brings positive results. Real change should be
satisfying . . . and fun!