But it does raise another question? Is the age old proverb true that, “The more things change, the more they stay the same.” ?

Change Is Here To Stay.

Human beings have had a love/hate relationship with “change” through out history. The good news is we don’t burn the “change agents” at the stack anymore — well not literally. The bad news is that no one has come up with an effective way of designing & testing change programs before they waste money and alienate employees. . . or have they.

The single greatest threat to ISO/QS installations is the lack of attention to the cultural issues (1) Each year ten’s of billions of dollars are lost on failed change programs. From computer networks to safety training 65% of the time the results are miserable people, wasted time & resources and a failed attempt. This hasn’t gone unnoticed.

In the last four decades more has been written about change than in any other time in history. Recently, there has been an avalanche of    “Do-it-yourself/organizational/self improvement” programs.

Everyone seems to have an answer in the form of a new tape, book, seminar, talk show etc. Every one of these programs has its success stories. They all do well for some people sometimes. But, why aren’t they more consistent? Why are people frustrated one time and energized the next? The logic of some employees doing all they can to prevent change and others dreaming compulsively about it and a third group changing things without notice is never fully explained or explored. Often, it is never addressed. Wouldn’t it make sense to find the “root cause” for these failures/successes and try to find a common answer?

That is what this segment will try to do. Yes, friends and neighbors, this column will focus on “the one thing you can always count on” . . .

Why study change?

So, what’s the reason for all the hoopla about change? Well, according to business administrators and gurus alike, the ability to design change effectively is the single most critical factor for personal and corporate survival in the next age. [You see we are in the Postmodern Transitional Period -- well that's a different article -- more on that later.]

Tens of billions of dollars are wasted every year because a great idea didn’t catch on in the corporate lunchroom. The costs go well beyond the Art Novo corporate lobby that fails to impress your favorite customer. Companies fail because they don ‘t perceive the need to change even as they’re falling off the edge of the proverbial cliff. As a result people suffer.

Our goal is to help make the change process as painless and practical as possible while at the same time working to insure that it pays off on the bottom line. Yes, it must be practical.

What this means is that we will not only be looking for way to test change designs for the people pleasing aspects BUT we will also be testing to see if a change will last long enough to pay back the big bucks — before we rearrange the furniture in the lobby.

Perhaps those projects we’ve tried in the past are not failures but predictable demonstrations of how change works in people when those people are at varying stages of change. [Maybe they are all 100% successful within a broader context.]

We’ll ask if there isn’t a way to plot a course for change that offers a reasonable chance for success. Isn’t there some underlying pattern that points to an equation that defines this phenomenon as it appears in all things? And couldn’t that equation be used to build a methodology for engineering change in organizational cultures allowing reasonable administrators to integrate cultural change elements into quality and business plans?

We’ll start by identifying What this phenomenon is and the pattern of its effect on everything. Not as difficult as it may seem. We’ll try to explain how it operates in large organizations. How is it observed in people. Why we resist it and chase it with equal passion.

Finally, we’ll present the latest tools, technique, strategies and tactics to catalyst and institutionalize change in organizations. We’ll explore what learning is. How to measure understanding through observable behavior — so you can tell the real effectiveness of your program.

Who is “we”?

“We” is a Who’s Who group of eggheads who frequent the fringes of the known organizational, managerial, statistical, educational and quality universes. While we’re out there facilitating workshops, auditing management systems and explaining theorems we’re also looking for the next great insight into what makes people-kind tick.

I will be collecting all of the tantalizing tidbits that “we” find out there and introduce them to you. All the who, what, when, where, why’s and how’s of organizational and personal change that are humanly possible to tolerate and serve them up here in what I hope will be a tastefully digestible helping of usable information.

Together, we’ll sift through the hot coals of “Multiple Intelligence”, “Six Sigma” and “Value Based Business Planning” to see if there is an underlying order to change that can be defined and mastered — neural-physiological, sociological etc., etc., etc. The latest and the greatest tools for “engineering” change will be presented for your consideration.

Where do we start?

Our starting point is to identify change designs that somehow are linked to the current organization’s cultural values. . . . if the program is in-line with the current focus of the organization, the chances are better that it will be a success. But I’m getting ahead of the story. For now let’s try to think about the always present phenomenon. Is it really the only constant in the universe?

Thanks for stopping by for a change. 

RJ

All around us there is the evidence of a changing world. Futurists like Ray Kurzweil calculate that within 10 years our lives will be changing 30 times faster than they do today. What does this mean? Well, imagine new professions being created and then disappearing all within a 10 year period. This presents some serious personal and organizational challenges.

How do businesses adjust and lead in this kind of environment? How do our schools prepare students for technologies that haven’t even been invented yet? How do students prepare for business career changes? Helping current employees through change more effectively is one low cost way to meet these challenges.

What’s the payoff for mastering change?

There have been well over 3000 studies attempting to define human change. There is one fact that emerges from these studies: most corporate change projects fail.

About 65% of change projects fail, according to owners and executives in 1600 companies polled by a major survey company. This accounts for billions of dollars in wasted time and resources. There is also a cost to morale.     

What have we learned?

Simply put, we’re not very good at changing. What we’ve learned is that failed change attempts contain three general mistakes:

1. Change agents don’t take the time to understand the people who will be affected by the change.
2. Change agents don’t take the time to understand how people change. 

3.     Company owners under appreciate their role in integrating the change into the company culture.

A Universal Phenomenon

Mistake number One

In the study mentioned above, owners and executive overwhelming said that the neglect of people issues was the reason for failure. The assumption in these cases is that understanding the values and needs of the population is secondary to the installation of the technology. “Install it and they will come,” becomes the mantra.

I’ve heard things like “Once they see it they’ll just get it.” The mistake is in believing that someone controls the work force, i.e., the organizational culture. And that we can direct the long term actions of an organization by pushing it in the direction we want it to go. The truth is that cultures build and direct themselves.

Valued systems

There are several useful models of cultures and change, but at the core we can all agree that employees build systems based on what has worked for them in the past. If they utilize the new technology, it will be as an extension of that history and the larger systems that they serve or are dependent on.  “New” has to be blended in by the culture in ways that match its existing “valued systems”.

The change agent assumes that change is simply a cost vs. benefit equation. The dialog goes something like this. “The “benefit” is “self evident.” As the “expert,” the change agent will “design” the appropriate system for all of us.” At first everything may seem to shift over nicely.

Mistake number Two

The illusion of Change

Manifesting change – the first stage of a three part process – can be produced by anyone for a short period of time. The formula is simple. Create the perception of value, inject enough energy from those in authority, and people will react. But real change requires more.

We’ve all reached for the phone to call for that $19.99 special on the infomercial, only to stop and wonder why we even thought we needed it. The perception of change was manifested for an instant but it didn’t last. When this happens in organizations it generates wasteful expense.

The precursor to change is evaluating the potential for change.  We have to determine if the value of the change will match the values of the population. To create this potential requires:

• A benefit/cost evaluation explaining why it might help and what the tradeoffs are.
• A clear understanding of the proposal, arrived at through discussion and questions generated in meetings with those affected by the change.
• An environment for learning in which mistakes are viewed as opportunities to learn and improve without repercussions.    

The culture’s valued systems may never be fully understood by the change agent because they are social historical experiences. But the change agent must respect them by attempting to understand their intent and the needs they satisfy. Before the culture can be redirected towards the new, we must evaluate potential for change.

“Mistake number Three”

The change mechanism is imbedded in all of us. But it’s not a switch that can be turned off and on. A major mistake is acting on the belief that all a leader needs to do is explain what she or he wants and the change will be accepted and integrated.

A culture is like a train not a plane. It has a track – a neural physiology in all of us – that has been laid down over millennia. The system that is being replaced or augmented is there because it was engraved there over a long period of time.  It was the shortest distance between two points.

The population perceives these two points as representing the “real” needs and desires of the company. Change won’t take hold without the expressed support of leaders and managers, as well as continued support by the “people of influence” who laid the original track.

People of Influence

These tracks don’t alter easily. Change can be mandated, but established norms will remain if the culture isn’t involved. A façade of compliance will be maintained whenever needed, but the change program will be undervalued and underutilized.

Adding additional stops along the railroad line usually requires work involving a number of employees who are well versed in the old systems. Without the support of these people of influence in the culture, the change agent is destined to fall short.

An example

How many of us have experienced this?

• The team leader/change agent(s) present their vision of the proposed change as a prescription for success.
• As training/involvement, they end up showing their slides to us with a few jokes slipped in.
• The president nods and thanks everyone.
• Everyone leaves confused and a little upset that they had to take time out of their day to listen to another mandate.
• No one talks to the end user for input and direction. The system is installed, and a year later it is dismantled because no one used it.

There Is a better way

Three rules to follow;

1. assimilate

First, understand:

That real change is a permanent transfer of energy to support a new skill or valued activity.

That all systems have limited energy to draw upon – the human body, an ecosystem and a company, so if you’re not putting energy into the change, then it’s likely that you’re draining energy out of the organization.

That energy must be used for everything we do, thinking, speaking, performing tasks, and that organizational energy transfer (change) is initiated by people based on perceived value.

Then let them see you changing.

The science of change

There are many studies right know that tell us that the brain is plastic. We can learn over the entire course of our lives, BUT our brains are not fluid. There are “neural nets” that save us from randomly shifting direction at the drop of a hat.

Change is difficult for a reason. We avoid change because we are rationing our personal energy on the things we believe are of value. Study the people who will be affected by change. Ask:

• “What is useful and valuable in the current systems we use?”
• “What outcomes would be of value to you?”  
• “Does this change have elements that serve our current needs and values?” 

Include as many affected employees as possible in the development of the answers.

Use surveys, interviews and feedback of all types – discussion groups, blogs and emails. Understand the learning styles of those with whom you are communicating.

 Figure out ways to reduce the energy they will need to adjust to change.

Your program has a much better chance of being adopted if you find the common values between the change you are proposing and the culture that will be using it. You can’t bully or dictate successful change. Invest the energy to make it work.

2. integrate

Second, help integrate the change. Even if we see the value of a thing, our brains are hard wired to stay “safe,” not to change. Humans rewire by repetition and engaging all the senses.

Let your people talk.

Talking is a sign that they are engaged in the process. The neurons that form the habits we exhibit are physically connected to one another.  When we do things over and over, the connections become stronger. Talking helps to make sense of the process.

Demonstrate real interest.

To create new pathways we need to repeatedly reinforce that new path and erase the old. Engaging all the senses at all levels can accelerate this process. Hold a meeting in a new place with a new format and encourage open discussion and questions just to clear the air. Introduce new people to the meeting. Try a new restaurant and a luncheon meeting. Use the new system yourself.

Create a Learning Environment

Positive emotional reinforcement helps. Give people credit for their adjustments and ideas. Build on their suggestions. Support their efforts, even if they make mistakes. Learning is a process of adjusting to the mistakes we make.

3. Demonstrate

Follow the rules yourself.  It’s amazing to me how many manager/owners I’ve seen exercise what I call the owner’s clause: “It’s my company so I can do what I want.” Or the “Oops clause:  “I forget, so you fix it for me.”

Another killer of causes is “We’ve talked about it. We’ve got the thing in place. Now let’s move on. It’s done.” This is the “You do it and leave me alone “clause.

If a thing is worth doing, then everyone should demonstrate an observable respect for it. Demonstrate the value by your actions.

If we don’t demonstrate the value of a thing then the message is “Wasting time on ego-centric projects is OK or expected.” Unless you have unlimited funds, time and resources and an unusual desire for counter productivity, this is not the message to send.

Conclusion

Look at yourself as a source of information about the way people change, but not as the perfect example of it. Your life experience maybe helpful to assist others in their transition but they have to make their own connections and unwind their own neural net. Often discussion and miming your example is how integration of a new idea will get done. Support it. Demonstrate it.

Follow the rules you set. Administer them fairly and across all sections of your business. Stay clear, available and concise. Give people credit for the adjustments and ideas it takes to make things work.

Thanks for stopping by for a change.

RJ