When Change making becomes a recipe for Disaster
WHEN CHANGEMAKING BECOMES SUCCESSFUL.
In Indian Army we frequently moved on postings and met new teams every two years. It was akin to changing companies in civil world. Where ever we went it was expected that as new CEOs/ VP/s/GMs equivalent to Officer commanding we were expected to bring about a change as per our own vision of the organization long term and short term goals.
Now in Army when ever we also joined new set ups, we also faced resistance changes but how we nullified , it was not blindly rolling out rules and procedures
Spend maximum interaction with the subject persons required to be changed, infact when I had joined a company in corporate, my colleagues were surprised the amount of time I was spending in my office with each team member , listening and observing what was right and wrong.
Slowly start addressing issues first of team building identifying what issues makes them comfortable to be a team, don’t show your favorites or dislikes, keep everybody at suspense who is the man most liked, treat all equal with carrot and stick policy
There were overreactions but if you speak with them understand the concerns and make your remedial measures as a sell out product people will not react.
In every meeting constantly share information on profession to keep them oriented. A football team is best oriented in a ground and not in dressing room hence focus on ground work and realities what is bothering them. Win the trust that your position is not to finger them but mitigate their problems .
With hard nosed junior leaders there will be some negotiations and settlements also on performance, I had many gangsters in team , realized coercion will not work , reward will work , they are the one of the best technical today. Aim was to manipulate their negative energy to meaningful existence .
Once you have reached some level of acceptance by them in change making , then define clearly what is over and what is expected, they will accept and believe in you, it took me four months to start the process of implementing some logic of project culture, however I treated their past work with respect and used that expertise to bring up new acceptance within themselves what they were capable of doing.
The next stage come with having short term target of business every month and most important communicate the change effort of achievements by advertisement for them to feel useful and achievers
WHEN CHANGE MAKING BECOMES A RECIPE FOR DISASTER
There are new comers in every organization be it Indian army or civil world who are itching to make their presence and coming to a new set up count.
Now it is human tendency when a new entrant especially an inexperienced one joins a new department or organization, he is ought to prove that he/she is the change maker, people before him were useless, he/she will change the working.
Now each organization is dictated by values and ethics and team spirit shown by top and senior management. These factors cannot be translated into roll out policies and expect people to read those roll out polices and accept like door mats.
Such one sided roll out polices rules become a sure shot recipe for recipe for disaster when employees and leaders start thinking about leaving the organization knowing fully well that they are being subjected to power games by a new policy maker to grab as much space and power and become the real Puppet master behind the curtain under grab of rules and rules which are actually meaningless.
Now why change making fails by many others?
There is no effort to communicate the basic purposes of an outcome
Power grabbing efforts are seen
No involvement of people except they are expected to obey a white paper or email of a new policy and nothing else.
There is no communication with the ranks there is no assurance , not convincing, no link up with overall aim of rising energy and promoting actions
Effects of failed change makers?
- Employees form an overall subjective perception of the organization based on such factors as degree of risk tolerance, team emphasis, and support of people.
- This overall perception becomes, in effect, the organization’s culture or personality of dissent.
- These favorable or unfavorable perceptions then affect employee performance and satisfaction.
- Strike and exoduses
- Sabotage of work causing customer esclations
Responsibility of Top Management
Hire change makers who have grown in trenches, lived through each phase, not mere rule makers learned in class rooms but have also expereinced being on other side of fence to see its implications fully
Hire change maker whose sensitivities align with organization culture of growth of people , not those who are merely interested in rolloing out sepertion polices to tighten noose on diseent
Change must be managed and not enforced by a rule
