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The
main ingredient of success is the ability resilient people have to
understand and use to their advantage the principles underlying basic
human patterns that operate during change.
--Daryl R.
Conner, author of Managing at the Speed of Change
My parents purchased one of those new
fangled television sets in 1953. It was a huge piece of furniture that
stood in the living room corner, adjacent to the fireplace. Today,
my computer screen seems larger than the rounded black and white TV
screen we once had. Our small town, located in northern California, had
daily programming that began at 5:00p.m. and concluded at 11:00p.m.
We received two local stations through the futuristic antenna that rose
high above the roof. At some point, Saturday afternoon programming
began. Usually it was a rerun of a rerun, or an old Laurel and
Hardy movie.
One rainy afternoon I sat, transfixed,
by a documentary predicting the inventions of the future. One
particular invention stands out in my mind. The program predicted
an invention that would allow us to record television program on a timer
so we would never have to miss our favorite shows. The rendition
of the invention showed a rather large, obtrusive movie projector aimed
at, and connected to, a television set. VCRs ultimately were
invented and, over the next twenty-five years were commonplace. But, in
less than 20 years, we have experienced Beta, Cassettes and the latest
fad--DVD. The next breakthrough is already in the works.
What was once a concept in thought, and on paper, has become reality.
Change is inevitable.
It occurs every moment of every day in the business world. Bill Gates
once predicted: "In three years, every product my company makes
will be obsolete. The only question is whether we'll make them
obsolete or somebody else will." Technology has forced
organizations to restructure the way they do business. Business
professionals and their values have also drastically changed, forcing
additional adjustments in our business methods. More employees are
telecommuting from home. Nineteen year old multi-millionaires are
guiding major companies that provide technological products or services.
Partnerships are created with experts halfway around the world rather
than individuals down the street. Employee tenure is shrinking as people
move from job to job for promotions or better paying offers.
If current projections hold true, technology will change every year,
world knowledge will double every 900 days, an English dictionary will
be outdated within 2-3 years, and a generation gap will occur every 4-5
years. Changes in the last 10 years will seem minor compared to the
future we must embrace. Many of the products and services the business
world will provide have yet to be been created. Will your business
survive the next five years? The choice is yours and will largely
be predicted by your ability to adapt and change in a business world
requiring constant flexibility,
adaptability, creativity and optimum customer service--even on the web.
Daryl Conner states that the highest ranking organizational stressors
include product quality improvements, creating more responsive customer
service and introducing new information and technology. Successful
businesses understand change is constant and work hard to transform it
into a positive partner rather than a negative foe. Steps to help
manage change within your organizations may include:
View change as an opportunity,
not a threat. Change then becomes a constructive growth
process. Our tendency to become defensive and territorial is
lessened by choosing a positive perspective in any situation. Accept
change and flow with it--change is difficult and painful when resisted.
Embrace change and harness its energy to your benefit. One of the
principles of Aikido, a martial art, is to give or go with the opposing
force rather than to resist it. This helps to overcome the
strength of an opponent. If a similar principle is used when
working with constantly changing business, we become more receptive to
creative ideas, expanding our service base and methods of providing
service.
Treat your staff like your
customers. If your staff is unhappy or morale is low, it will
show in customer interactions. Focus on staff issues and concerns
and treat each employee with the utmost respect and concern during the
change process.
Involve others in the decision
making process as much as possible. When given choices,
coworkers and employees are less resistant to change and feel their
opinion counts. Create committees, have an outside facilitator work with
focus groups or conduct a business-wide retreat to air concerns,
formulate plans and reorganize in order to work effectively with the
changes. Forced change develops greater conflict and resistance.
Allow adequate time for people to adapt to change. Everyone learns
at varying rates and with a different perspective based on their
background, experience, perceptions and belief systems. Allow time and
money for extra training. Be flexible with deadlines when possible and
make changes progressively, rather than all at once. Above all--be
patient.
Say it once, say it twice and say
it again. People will better adjust to changes if they believe
they are being told the truth and they have access to all the
information. Make sure your communications are in all directions
of the organization and that no one is left out of the information
chain. This will help create a team that is well connected and a
staff that is open to sharing information and knowledge.
Validate the feelings of
employees. When change occurs, people are frustrated, afraid and
angry. Reassure questions and concerns with honest answers. If you don't
know something, say you don't know, but will find out.
Anticipate tomorrow. As
you plan for tomorrow, ask lots of "what if?" questions.
"What if we did?" or "what would happen if we?" You
can study what the future may bring, based on current and past trends,
or use your imagination to envision what you want it to be and then
create it. Realize there is always more than one way to complete a
task or provide a service. Anticipating the future and what your
needs may be will help to make you and your organizations frontrunners
in your field.
Let go of the past. A
business may have been successful using a particular method or technique
a few years ago. However, with the constant change in technology,
customer attitudes, the economy and governmental regulations, businesses
can no longer afford the luxury of assuming what worked yesterday will
work tomorrow. In order to succeed tomorrow, organizations must
let go of yesterday's methods and discover tomorrow's methods.
Continue to focus on customer service. Just because your
organization is going through major changes is not a reason to stop
quality service. Continue to make customer service your top
priority and include customer concerns in the change process.
Train the staff. You
may discover that during the change process, your staff is being asked
to perform functions they have never done before. Staff will
confidently function at a much higher level if adequate and appropriate
training for new responsibilities is provided.
Be a behavior model. As a
member of the management team, you must constantly set an example.
Staff will do as you do, not as you say. The easier you adjust to the
changes that are constantly occurring, the better your staff will.
This includes your ability to be flexible during difficult times as well
as a willingness to give up your favorite task or project.
As Steven Kern, the historian, once stated, "the historical records
show that humans have never, ever opted for slower." Life in
our world is never going to slow down or stop changing. Technology
will continue to require adaptability and change, both personally
professionally. Your ability to adapt and manage the pressures
that arrive with change will determine the quality and success of your
business and you future. |
