When Change Beckons
Organizations like organisms evolve continuously; the success of an organization depends on this evolution and the effectiveness with which it can manage the change that comes with it. Change may be looming on the horizon due to business transitions impacted by strategic mergers, joint ventures, divestitures, expansions, new business solutions, infusion of technology, market changes, financial downturns, compelling competitive scenarios, new opportunities or even a new dimension of growth. “It is not the strongest of the species that survives, or the most intelligent, but the most responsive to change” observed Charles Robert Darwin way back in 1859 in his seminal book “Origin of the Species”.
Our body, composed of trillions of cells, is a classic metaphor of change constantly engaged in a dynamic never ceasing process where cells die, repair, renew, and rebuild. Change is indeed the way of life and being able to transcend disruptions must become a way of life for organizations too. “It is not success that makes good genes. It is good genes that make success” remarked Richard Dawkins. Humans, unlike other organisms, are blessed with the ability to reason, and in turn can endeavor to predict or envision possibilities and prepare for it. When we can anticipate what may happen tomorrow, we enable the ability to commit ourselves to action today. Organizations normally endeavor to react and respond when compelled with a crisis at hand. A real and ongoing transformational ability, on the other hand, may serve as a powerful and differentiating core competence.
Applying the Occam’s razor, when a business is at cross roads, the imperative is implicit; change the environment or the business itself must attempt to change. Metamorphosis is imminent when disruptions happen. As Shakespeare’s Hamlet contemplated, “Whether it is nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, or to take arms against a sea of troubles, and by opposing end them?” How a business responds by accelerating change, minimizing possible resistance, and achieving organization’s desired outcomes will define its success and determine its future.
On the road to transformation, Kurt Lewin encapsulated the three critical steps required as unfreezing (where you unwind the current state), changing (where you enable and implement) and refreezing (where the new model of business is institutionalized). The levers of enabling sustainable and effective change include appreciating the very need for change, creating a shared vision, continuous and effective communication, addressing the critical culture gaps, carrying stakeholders along, building coalitions, forming a supporting infrastructure, sustaining the urgency for change and facilitating quick wins. The prerequisite, no doubt, is the need for a committed leadership that ensures organizational congruence and execution focus to the task on hand.
Change that endures at a fundamental level, even when desired to be affected across the entire organization, has to be invigorated at the individual level as it necessitates a behavioral transformation. As CK Prahlad observed, the power of n=1, where the real change is brought about through transforming one employee at a time, with the focus on the centrality of the individual. Transpersonal psychology highlights the fact that we, as individuals, are suffused with energy owing to our desire to grow and develop ourselves. When employees see a resonance between the compelling need to change and how it can impact their lives for the better, it creates a reservoir of energy that fuels the transformation sought. As custodian of the intellectual capital in the organization, the Human Resources function must take primacy and play the vital role of a transforming catalyst towards enabling sustainable change.
Extremely relevant! While the pivotal role of HR in identifying, driving & sustaining change goes without saying, there is a stronger need to nurture the capability required for doing so in HR Managers. The biggest gap we see in HR Managers is their lack of ability to connect with the business vision & goals of the organization.
The reference to Hamlet’s soliloquy is excellent, but the relevance is more perhaps in determining which signs of change to resist and which to accept - not all change (eg erosion in values) must be accepted. Further, the change is to be explored first before acceptance.
Nice article Mr. Rajan. Change is the law of nature and it totally applies to organizations is equally true.
Change has become a part of a causal relationship where in one has to change to survive independent of one’s inclination to change…
But just a question - In all of this change, dont you think there is an element which is not changing? Take the TATAs for example. So much has changed but still there is something which has not changed?
What is ‘it’? Any comments???
The main theme of Mr. Rajan’s article emanates from the last paragraph of his article ” …Change has to be invigorated at the individual level as it necessitates a behavioral transformation.” Well said. For in a real sense, Organisations do not exist. What are Organisations, but people in social relationships and contracts? When we consider changing organizations, we in fact change the behaviour and mind-sets of people, and the people-related and people-perpetuated systems that are involved in work relationships.
It is here that Everett Rogers’ categorization of people from innovators to laggards through a bell-shaped curve should come handy, for we need to identify the innovators, the early adopters, the early and late majority and the laggards, before we devise a change management strategy for each one of them.
But the bigger issue would be to analyse why the bulk of the people refuse to give up outmoded beliefs, practices, and processes or the very things that block the Company’s path to success. How do we bring out this metamorphosis in people to the point where they are enthusiastically turning even their ‘favorite sacred cows into burgers’- to use Kriegel and Brandt’s terminology. I believe it should be through the power of n=1, as espoused by Mr. Rajan in the last paragraph of his article.
It is true that only a ‘committed leadership’ with strong ‘execution focus’ can ensure ‘organisational congruence.’ But bringing about an organizational commitment by ensuring a buy-in from the leaders is as much a function of that ‘transformational ability’ Mr. Rajan is talking about.
In essence, the journey is not simple, nor romantic. It is as painful as the metaphor of ‘a caterpillar transforming into a butterfly’.
I cannot agree with you more.
I read your article more than once and what has really stayed with me is the thought “the real change is brought about through transforming one employee at a time…………”
So true, here I would like to share my personal experience where we experimented with identifying at what level this chosen individual can create the maximum multiplier impact.
Interestingly we tried at the senior level. The thinking was ‘the rest will follow; rest be assured’. It failed for the simple reason, they had heavy anchors, view and counter views and were highly opinioned and were bordering on rigidity. The change just did not happen. We were trying the break the rock that will not crack.
We now went to the bottom of the hierarchy and thought, let’s bring the change at the base level and they will create a momentum of the movement. Well, there was private conviction but the behavior remained the same and we again failed miserably to bring about the change.
Now, we were in search of that epicenter where if we strike it will create the waves and cause the desired ripple effects. We spent a week observing the various work groups in the organization to examine where the pocket of influence lies in the social fabric of command and control.
YES, soon we realized that the n=1 will work wonders if we start and strike at the first level supervisors. It was tough convincing them, but once we cracked these hard nuts …………
Believe me the rest was just like those pack of cards falling in alignment and we could sense the aura of change happening at and across all levels. This class of people could exert influence on their seniors through wiser counsel and on the foot soldiers through their command and direction.
The transformation was just magical. I learnt how to identify the “human Lever” for change and realized that the “early adopters were the front line supervisors and they can be impactful messiah too for many who are waiting for the right signal to follow ….for the mutual trust and confidence level perhaps is the highest amongst this fraternity in any organization.
Well, as regards belling the cat, as rightly pointed out by you, HR has to be the custodian and the catalyst and the back room boy effectively showcasing the Leadership commitment to change.
I have tried to give an operational perspective based on my experiment with change and will welcome comments from my fellow members
Very good article and interesting concepts presented in a lucid way . HR can and should play an important role in an change process. There could be so many latent needs around managing the change process in the organization . HR can be a bit proactive understand those needs and build practices/ roll out initiatives to enhance change readiness…
regards
Aparna Vishwasrao
Dear Sir
It was just great, upon readiung your article, on change indication, Really with every case, taking great example and quotes from Shakespeare’s Hamlet and then Lewin’s -Unfreezing, changing and Re-freezing……
I really liked and learnt a lot, The words had great meanings explaining about the change and Transformations in an Organsisations.
I liked it verymuch and request you to provide further more articles.
So that it will be more of learning for us or a sort of re-learnings,
Your thought-process was amazing and your way of expressing it in words and para’s ,, was just great.
Thanking you
Regards
SHARAD CHANDRA
HYD
M: 9866479173
Emial: sharadchandra2007@gmail.com
Dear Mr. Rajan,
What you wrote about change is very relevant.
Change must happen first within me.
This leads to the change in my way to look at others
Others notice the change, whatch for its consistancy
Once it is proved that it is a natural change.
Others consider changing their way to look at me.
Over a period of time others really change the way they deal with me.
If I have patience I enjoy seeing others change their way to deal with me. If I am in a hurry, I again change!!!
Others then would never believe me.
In the entire process I would lose Time - the most precious of all in the world.
Hence resistance to change that is inevitable is killing time.
Change according to the needs is valuing time.
Time and change are inter-rellated and can never be separated.
The more I value time the more I am conducive to change
If I consider time is God this is what our Sanathana Dharma says.
I become the change.
–
IVNS Raju