Change. Scary or Exciting?

Ever heard of ChangeThis? They distribute manifestos, including their own manifesto, in an effort to share thoughtful, useful arguments that actually teach us something.

"We’re betting that a significant portion of the population wants to hear thoughtful, rational, constructive arguments about important issues."

One of their most recent manifestos (Issue 48) is by Michael T. Kanazawa on the topic of Corporate Change. The title tells most of the story.

"People Don’t Hate Change, They Hate How You’re Trying to Change Them."

Well said. In most of the examples cited there is little doubt at all levels of the workforce that change was required. When sales are plummeting and everyone's job is at stake, affecting positive change is within everyone's best interests. And yet only some groups were able to overcome these challenges. Why?

What separates the success stories from the rest is the level of participation in creating and implementing the solution at all levels within the organization.

When people are engaged up front and are a part of generating the tactical plans, there is no need to get “buy-in” at any point. The ideas are already theirs.

When you read the story about the concrete manufacturing company it seems incredibly obvious that the best fuel saving measures would come from those closest to the problem. That said, like so many other organizations with similar problems, not only did the management team not engage the drivers in their efforts to find a solution, they remained skeptical of their CEO who did. Needless to say the drivers came up with a variety of ideas that ended up yielding big savings.

So, was it the good ideas or level of commitment from the work force in implementing these ideas that ensured their success? As Michael points out, in all the examples where leaders and managers successfully implement change, participation from all levels at the early stages of the discussion was critical to a positive outcome. In the case of the concrete manufacturing company, implementation required all their drivers to change their daily work habits. Even if the management team had suggested such a fix, without work force 'buy-in' it's unlikely the solution would have worked. Instead, not only did the work force participate in the change, they worked hard to ensure a lasting success story.

"..the employees wanted to prove to management that their ideas would generate results."

Ownership of the solution was a critical ingredient.

This story sums up everything that is exciting about Voisin. Whether your company has 10 or 10000 employees, working together as a group to solve problems is the best way to ensure your success. Our success comes from seeing our clients realize positive change through group collaboration.

Here's to your continued success!