A Time for Everything, Including Change
"There is a time for everything, and a season for every purpose under heaven."
On its face, this well-known King Solomon wisdom, from the 3rd chapter of Ecclesiastes, delivers hopeful encouragement. But implicit in this passage is a somewhat hidden and often troublesome paradox: A time for everything also implies nothing can be forever, and therefore, change is inevitable.
In the abstract, we accept the reality of change. But in practice, we often regard it like the medicine we know we need, but don't want to take. And knowing change is inevitable doesn't make the pill sweeter.
In the marketplace, it was challenging enough to implement change when we had the expectation of not having to do it again anytime soon. But in the 21st century, the bitter pill of change has acquired an unfortunate new characteristic: a frighteningly short duration.
Organizations that will enjoy consistent success in the future will make change an abiding element in their business model, rather than an intrusion to the way we've always done things." They'll create a culture and environment where change can occur whenever necessary, without creating a casualty list.
Rick Maurer, author of Beyond the Wall of Resistance, conducted a survey of organizations that have implemented change. He identified four things they did to create a culture compatible with change.
1. Make a strong case.
Maurer found that "when change was successful, 95% of the stakeholders saw a compelling need to change."
Change must be accompanied by evidence of its importance. If you can't make the case, either you haven't communicated effectively, haven't done your homework, or it's not the right thing to do -- yet.
2. Establish the vision.
Maurer's research indicates 71% of successful changes happened "when people understood the vision of the project."
Clearly, stakeholders will support a new direction better if they can understand the long-term benefits of the change.
3. Sustain the changes.
Failed changes reported to Maurer indicated the primary reason was "leadership's inability to sustain the change."
Leading a successful change isn't a sprint; it's a marathon. It takes time and must endure pressure from many sources. Sustaining change may be the greatest test of leadership.
4. Anticipate maintenance.
Maurer found that managers who attended to the first three areas had the least concerns with the fourth. But all managers must recognize that it's not the nature of change to be self-perpetuating.
Finally, hundreds of human behavioral studies have established that when something positive (or negative) is expected, that's what is likely to happen. It's called the Pygmalion Effect and it can be very powerful -- either way.
If we can help our people expect something positive in the changes we're proposing, the outcome probably will be.
Write this on a rock... The inevitability and velocity of change makes the ability to lead and maintain it an essential management skill.
Jim Blasingame
Small Business Expert and host of The Small Business Advocate Show
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