COURSE AND DIRECTION - Managers and Change: An Oxymoron?

Managers and Change: An Oxymoron?
by John F. Frank

It seems as though businesses are always talking about change; creating a culture of change, change agents, managing change, etc.. If everyone is talking about how critical it is to indoctrinate the concept of continuous change into organizations, why do you suppose so few companies are able to achieve this noble goal? Many companies are finding that the problem sits squarely on the shoulders of line management.

Just what is 'change'? In today's business climate, change has become status quo! There was a time a few years ago when business leaders contended that every organization needed change agents, but it clearly was not an expected attribute of all employees or managers. That is no longer the case. Any members of the workforce who are uninterested or unwilling to embrace change are putting their company, career, reputation, and earnings at risk.

Change has literally taken over or even overcome some companies. It is increasingly more swift and radical, often instigated by a completely unknown competitor, or the utterance of a single sentence by a market analyst, or by the influence of a Hollywood film or song lyric. Change is not an attribute that can be adopted by a company. It is a personal responsibility that — when accepted by a majority of the people within an organization — takes on a life of its own.

The business landscape is littered with companies who introduced flavor-of-the-month change programs. Every once in a while, a few of those ideas produced some favorable results; however, even the companies with the best of results have had difficulty sustaining progress. On-going change requires passion, and passion is a contagious personality trait that must be nurtured by managers and supervisors. If your change programs can't get off the ground or lack staying power, your managers have not bought in to the program.

Getting Uncomfortable 101

Western business practices since 1950 are largely responsible for the dearth of real cultural change. Over the past 40+ years, we have rewarded hard working employees by making them managers. With each successive step in the chain of management, we provided comforts: nicer furniture, bigger office, better window view, larger staff, more administrative support, company cars, expense accounts, trophies and plaques, etc.. The message has been very clear — Do a good job and we'll make you comfortable!

Change is about being uncomfortable all of the time. It means you don't know from which direction the next opportunity or crisis will come. The degree of risk and failure goes up exponentially. Near total ambiguity requires leaders to take a leap of faith. Those that are willing to play in this game will be the winners over the next decade. Because of the magnitude of this impact, you can expect companies with household names to disappear from the business landscape.

So how do you prepare yourself and your company to embrace and sustain real change?

Commit for the long haul: Companies that have successfully created a culture of change took 5 or more years to achieve the desired level of buy-in.
Link change to business performance: Get everyone in the company on an appraisal or measurement system which links compensation or continued employment to the success of the company.
Make visible changes: Destroy the old ivory tower management philosophy by getting managers to focus on being part of the team, rolling up their sleeves, and abandoning the traditional trappings of their titles.
Make invisible changes: Once the cosmetic issues are addressed, decision-making processes must be re-engineered from the bottom up.
Lead by example: Change cannot be inflicted on people. Management must show employees that they are not afraid to make decisions or make mistakes.
Communicate: Don't assume someone knows anything — make sure they know. Share all business decisions and strategies with employees, such as how financial and marketing decisions are made, or how company strategy is derived.

Knowing You've Made It

So many leaders of change get to this point and are exasperated by the lack of tangible results. Here are some pointers for fine tuning your initiative.

Don't look at resistance to change as an invalid feeling on the part of the one resisting. Part of this reaction is force of habit, but more of it is related to unclear strategy and goals. If people understand why change is important and they see themselves contributing something valuable to that effort, they will embrace change. Open and regular communication is key!
Ensure everyone in the organization has a personal role in the change effort. Avoid appointing some 'Director of Change Management' or other nebulous administrative czar. Managers need to get out and network with the troops in order to understand and address concerns and ideas.
Don't get shot! If you are the primary driver of change, avoid kamikaze tactics. The path to change requires thousands of sorties and skirmishes; but knowing what to really fight for and what not to will ensure you are still around to win the war.
Avoid celebrating too soon. Set the proper expectations for people that this will take a long time, often be painful, and may even fail. If success is achieved, the rewards will be noticeable and tangible.

Aggressive, forward thinking, and humble managers are the silver bullet for companies who desire to create a permanent environment of continuous change. Achieving the desired results will require real sacrifice, but the rewards are plain and simple. At a minimum, you or your company might survive, but more likely you will thrive well into the next century.

John F. Frank is a former Managing Partner at Actoras Consulting Group. The Chicago-based firm specializes in E-Business strategy & planning, IT mergers & acquisitions, and systems/data architecture design. Further inquiries can be made by calling 888-ACTORAS.

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