MAKING CHANGE THE REALITY

Omar Khan illustrates how management can transform hot air into solid work

How to ignite change given the overwhelming wreckage and failure rate of related programmes is a common dilemma. These expensive and often expansive adventures rarely deliver, and the resulting cynicism and disbelief are damaging in terms of future credibility. The five cardinal sins of misleading change efforts are as follows…

TOO MUCH HYPE Many change efforts begin with a major internal PR campaign, which often eerily resembles a political convention. There is pomp, ceremony, empty speeches, lots of photo ops and evocative music. All these accompaniments can indeed be powerful as long as they elucidate the substance instead of substituting for it.

A client once came to us for help after having taken this route, spent millions on it and gotten nothing more than an overproduced corporate rock concert that fuelled more cynicism. So it’s important to hype progress as it happens rather than any glorious intentions and plans.

OVERADVERTISE Another company kept terrifying everyone by claiming that the upcoming change would ‘revolutionize’ everything.

Structures would change, policies would be transformed, everything was up for grabs, and a value based evaluation of all and sundry would occur.

After jolting people to wake up, there was a collapse of energy and belief in the undertaking when people saw that the same old things were happening with perhaps some incremental shifts. They mentally shut down and dug into their status quo behavior with even greater zeal! Not surprisingly, this well-known brand name ended up merging with another company.

That’s why it’s important to find the imagination and will to take real swings, and sponsor dramatic breakthroughs – at least in a few key areas.

WASTING TIME After all the drum beating and chest pounding, it’s natural that we create a frenzy. People are now whipped up and expecting action, decisiveness, speed and urgency. Instead, they encounter endless meetings, audiovisual presentations, committees debating the wording of various banners and so on.

Confusion rises and frustration flourishes as these committees invariably create sessions, and give the appearance of action – but leave all the really challenging issues alone. This is because such committees have not been empowered and nor are they being held accountable.