We’ve Been Fed A Bum Rap About Change
This short article explores the roots of negative change conditioning, which we think originated in medium and enterprise businesses implementing large and complex systems, usually great than one year. Communication is often cited as the primary reason for these failures, but we think that beliefs also play a major role.
Background
That bum rap comes mostly from business people who work in medium and enterprise businesses responsible for implementing systems and processes.
Uncomfortable with Change?
This has occurred because the effort required was large and complex, spanning more than one year. But it doesn’t have to be large and complex, quite the contrary – small and discrete projects fail just as often. In many failed projects, commonly cited reasons involve cultural, social, and economic challenges.
Moreover, the experience of the participants and the reporting of such failures linger with us: some projects were predestined for doom. The participants have been deeply affected, to the point of hesitation and stoppage when CHANGE is mentioned now. In fact, perspiration may be forming on your upper lip just recalling your own experiences.
Negative Conditioning
This negative conditioning isn’t restricted to business, since it exists inside many places: the family, clubs and groups, institutions, etc. Take your pick, because it shows up all over the place.
I have been a casualty and partnered on a few of these doomed projects myself, not fun, and sometimes career limiting. Yet, helpful in learning what not to do: instructive in some uncomfortable ways in what to do right.
For us, it comes down to a few simple things that didn’t go well from the start, most of which related to the level of communications (e.g., most often cited as the primary cause of failure) and the beliefs held by the participants (almost never cited). The principal deciding factor from our perspective will always be beliefs, sometimes individually and most often group-based.
So, please name out loud a few projects that you’ve been associated with that worked where change was very effective? Not coming to mind that quickly? It’s because we think of the failures first, which actually feeds the negative conditioning about change. It gets hardened in our belief of it which makes us very uncomfortable. Does this sound familiar to you?
A Common Ground for Discussing Change
If so, then we are on common ground to begin the discussion about change. We can change ourselves with effort and concentration, but the impacting change in others is much more challenging, if not near impossible: unless we can agree on something fundamentally crucial.
For starters, PURPOSE has to be so well articulated that the language enrolls us at a heart (emotional connection) level always.
That exquisitely defined “purpose” must be so compelling that we get out of bed each day willing to jump into it and take in on as-our-own STAND: it aligns perfectly with our reason for existing. It answers our “WHY” and usually calls us to it. This is where BELIEF is built.
When every stakeholder aligns with it, we have an opportunity to succeed. How many of you can claim that you are so engaged with what ou’re doing, you could tell the world about it? I am hearing whispers…
Can we actually design Belief?
Many of us want this because when we are living our purpose: this no longer feels like work.
But, that’s only part of it – there is more.
Please give us your detailed feedback.
