Making Change

by Mark S. Fulton

“God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; the courage to change the things I can; and the wisdom to know the difference.” — The Serenity Prayer

A while back I wrote a column using this popular saying in a discussion about change. (You can revisit that column on my web site). I pointed out that this adage identifies three types of change:

• the change we should impose on our attitude toward things that cannot be altered.

• the change we can effect on things that may be modified.

• the change (increase in wisdom) we attempt to cultivate in our understanding of how the world works.

The previous column focused on the first kind of change, which is a change in our attitude toward immutable circumstances. This column examines the second type.

Change is as inevitable as the march of days that has brought us to the brink of a new year. In his wildly popular book “Who Moved My Cheese?” author Spencer Johnson argues that getting what we want in life—our “cheese”—requires us to anticipate, monitor and adapt to the reality of change.

When two of Johnson’s characters, Hem and Haw, become complacent and fail to explore new avenues in search of fresh cheese, they quickly learn that the world has left them behind. Their decision to cling to old habits and attitudes isolates them from other characters who are on the move and excludes them from the adventure that change brings with it. Soon Hem and Haw are in desperate straits, lacking the very necessities of life. You’ll have to read the book to find out what happens.

The moral of Johnson’s parable is clear: Change or die. That’s especially true in the world of business. Change is the energizing force that keeps your enterprise from slipping into stagnation, the twilight zone between success and insolvency.

All change is not growth, just as all movement is not forward. While progress and profitability demand change, it must not simply be change for the sake of novelty or trendiness. You should have a purpose and a plan for the changes you institute. Otherwise, you may only succeed at moving from stagnation to chaos. British philosopher Alfred North Whitehead once said, “The art of progress is to preserve order amid change, and to preserve change amid order.”

How do you find the right balance between preserving order and preserving change? Here are some guidelines:

Communicate about change clearly and regularly - The worst thing you can do is to let people find out about some change in policy or procedure by accident. A good way to preclude that possibility is to announce that changes are on the way and that details will follow. As soon as possible, begin reporting on the activities surrounding a change in progress—even though it may be in the formative stages. Better to let people see the decision-making process than wonder what’s happening.

Create a special communication vehicle (e-mail, bulletin, memo, etc.) that focuses on the change that is taking place. By separating this news from other corporate communiques, you’ll create a heightened awareness of your commitment to communicate.

Involve people in the change process - While it may be true that having too many cooks spoils the broth, failing to provide for input into significant change can alienate the very people that you are trying to get on board. To some degree, try to involve representatives from each group that will be affected by a change. Generally speaking, people are much more accepting of change when they have invested some time and energy in making the change happen.

Set up a system for collecting ideas related to the change, such as an ad hoc employee suggestion program. Most people understand that every idea may not be implemented, but at least you asked. Involvement makes it easier for people to shed old notions about how things ought to be. As the saying goes, trees drop their withered leaves more easily that we let go of dead ideas.

Keep the process of change fluid - As much as possible, don’t get locked into a rigid process from which you cannot stray. Be open to innovative alternatives that may come from the feedback you receive. A willingness to at least explore unanticipated paths demonstrates trust in your people’s judgement and assigns value to their ideas.

Be ready to abandon elements of a change in favor of better ones, even if someone else thought of them. Remember, admitting that you were wrong is just another way of saying that you are smarter today than you were yesterday.

It takes great courage to initiate positive, purposeful change. Failing to change when change is called for creates a vacuum that invites problems. Francis Bacon wrote, “Things alter for the worse spontaneously, if they be not altered for the better designedly.” If you have no will to change it, you have no right to criticize it.

Copyright 2001 © Mark S. Fulton