Keep Talking

Change is a constant factor for organizations these days. Employees need to be able to respond effectively in the face of change to ensure both their own and the organization's success.

Results of a Price Waterhouse and MORI survey show that of the top ten barriers to change, seven are related to people factors and the culture within the organization. That is to say, seven of the top ten are factors that could be addressed through effective communications, skill-building in managers and employees, and well-considered roll-out of changes.

One key message that organizations may want to consider is the underlying view of how to get to the 'new state'. Is it a HAVE-DO-BE approach?

Example: Once we HAVE a higher budget then we can ALLOCATE more funds to promotion/research/client services and we will BE leaders in our field.

While this approach is typical, it is also limiting. It relies on getting something, often over which we have little control, and provides a built-in excuse for maintaining status quo ("Well, we didn't get the increased budget so we couldn't achieve the desired results").

The solution? Turn this approach on its head to BE-DO-HAVE.

Example: We need to behave as though we ARE leaders in the field, we will ALLOCATE funds to areas which will keep us there and our increased exposure will ensure we continue to HAVE the funds we need to do this work.

This approach is proactive rather than reactive, however, is not an easy shift to make. The organization adopting this approach needs to be clear on the answer to the following: "What has to happen for all of us to make this shift?" The answers may include developing cross-functional teams, reallocating budgets, using existing resources more strategically, creating new partnerships, etc.

Whatever your specific answers are to this challenging question, remember that change is challenging and constant, and organizations need to handle it effectively to succeed today.