Change is the Hardest Thing You'll Ever Do
Change is the Hardest Thing You'll Ever Do
Change is the hardest thing you'll ever do. What's the hardest thing you'll ever do? CHANGE!
WHY IS CHANGE SO DIFFICULT?
People and organizations (combinations of people) strive for homeostasis. Living organisms strive for a balance, and equilibrium. This is a survival mechanism and a protective strategy. Change involves risk and loss. You risk implementing a unsuccessful strategy and have to give up one that works. Of course the current behaviors might not work so well, but they may be preferable to change.
We are creatures of habit who employ practices, methodologies, and lifestyles which suffice. For confirmation of this, just look around at people you know. Some stay in abusive or unsatisfying relationships because they are fearful or unwilling to make a major change. Others stay in menial jobs or live in places they can't stand. It's uncomfortable and risky to leave our "comfort zones."
Apply this change-resistant mentality to the business world and you find businesses that are risk-aversive, unwilling or unable to adapt, and those that refuse to evolve. Evolution, progress and adaptation are necessary for the success, even survival of businesses. A prime example is U.S. automobile manufacturers like Ford and General Motors. These firms have resisted change, clung to out-of-date practices and failed to adapt to changes in the buying preferences of American customers. They shelved new technologies, such as electric automobiles, and persisted in their self-defeating practices. While gas prices escalated they continued to manufacture gas hogging SUV's, trucks and luxury cars. This persisted for years while consumers increasingly purchased smaller, more fuel-efficient foreign brands.
THE ENVIRONMENT
What is the target, and primary force, for change? It's the environment. People and businesses need to adapt to the environment. In order to adapt they must understand the environment and know what changes are required to be compatible, synchronized, and synergistic. A poor fit with the environment will cause all sorts of problems. You must know the requirements to survive, even thrive, in the general environment, and even more, the specific environment in which you find yourself. It would be even more helpful if you could see the direction of the environment, detect little changes, anticipate environmental changes and determine adaptive strategies.
Some organizations are large enough to impact the environment. Countries and large conglomerates come to mind. Because of their size, influence and power they can actually, to a limited degree, influence the environment, and induce environmental change. The U.S. Government, for example, can impact the credit markets by making money available, reducing interest rates, and implementing more favorable tax laws. Companies can impact buyer preferences and purchasing practices by expending huge amounts of money on marketing and advertising campaigns. However, these interventions typically have little long term effects, and may prove futile when confronted with the enormity of the general environment And the business environment has expanded exponentially over the past several decades as markets, economies, and corporations have increasingly become internationalized.
ADAPTATION AND CHANGE
The change process is not easy. Every graduate student knows that "resistance to change" must be addressed in their theses and dissertations involving human subjects. And, every manager has experienced resistance when changing subordinates' duties, responsibilities or work processes.
It frequently takes something dramatic for us to change established habits and ways of behaving. Being diagnosed with diabetes or heart disease may provoke dietary changes. Losing a job may result in budget-tightening or lifestyle changes. But if it is so difficult for a person to change you can multiply this difficulty for corporations. You're not just changing one person, but perhaps scores, hundreds or even thousands of people. Their roles, job requirements, evaluation, performance, expectations, etc. Sure you will encounter resistance, so be prepared. Because of this, many companies like to "spring" major changes on their employees. They wait too long, don't want employees to become discouraged, or less productive, and fail to keep employees in the "loop."
The change models and theories don't help too much either. But one practice seems to prove effective in most change situations. That is: Communication and Participation. Effectively communicating challenges, problems and opportunities helps. Employees feel dis-empowered and betrayed when they are not informed. They may even feel worse if they are not invited to participate in the change process.
STRATEGIES FOR CHANGE
Since change is ubiquitous, constant, inexorable, pervasive and frightening, what are the best practices for managers and executives?
FIRST, understand that change is inevitable.
SECOND, continually "sense" the environment so that you will be aware of trends, opportunities and threats.
THIRD, embrace change (as it is inevitable anyway) and look for ways to anticipate, adapt and benefit.
FOURTH, ascertain the "match" between your organization, it's industry-specific environment, the general environment, and your organization's internal environment. How's the "fit"? Is it compatible and complementary or are improvements required?
FIFTH, work on your organization to capitalize on and develop its strengths, and reduce its weak areas.
SIXTH, determine your strategy. Do you need to act immediately, or can you implement a well-planned change process? Remember that immediacy can often provide the "spark" to gain workforce support.
SEVENTH, involve your leadership team, middle and first-line managers, and the workforce by effectively communicating with them and inviting their participation in the change process. Remember: "Everyone is smarter than anyone." And, you will need their support and involvement to successfully change.
EIGHTH, be a leader. This will be your prime opportunity to demonstrate your leadership skills. Leaders provide encouragement and motivation.
NINTH, managers often use consultants to give them credibility, an excuse, or as a "foil" to provide them with leverage to make change. Use this if it helps.
TENTH, try to incorporate the change(s) into the corporate culture. Do this through meetings, policies, change "slogans," revised procedures and continual reinforcement.
ELEVENTH, enlist "change agents" among your employees and managers to make sure your change "sticks"-- but not too much. You should be aiming for semi-permanent change as you will never make the perfect adaptation and you will always have a need or desire to make more change. Try to continually improve and adapt.
TWELFTH, become more expert at change, so that you can recognize the need early on and become more proficient at the process. This way your organization will become more forward-thinking, adaptive and successful.
Copyright © 2008, Dr. Ben A. Carlsen, MBA. All Rights Reserved Worldwide for all Media.
