Organisational Change

The rise of the chameleon…why adaptation matters in organisations

/ Lisa Bondesio / Leave a comment

Image: Dreamstime

What do Chameleons, Stick Insects and Squid have in common?  They are all creatures that change colour depending on their surroundings, enemies, temperature or mood. In the natural world this ability is known as signalling, and has evolved as an evolutionary means to communicate or camouflage.

You are probably wondering what bearing this has on the modern business habitat?

Well, it may not be a jungle out there, but to survive – and thrive – corporate leaders and managers need to be comfortable with change.  Adaptability is key.  The financial pages are littered with stories of organisations who were looking the other way when the winds of change blew in.  In 2009, UK retailer Woolworths went bust after 100 years of trading history. 30,000 people lost their jobs. While there are many reasons for the decline, the contributing fail factor was a lack of focus on their core retail strengths (you could buy anything and everything) and an inability to respond fast enough to inclement market conditions. In these credit-crunching times it any wonder that these premises are now occupied by discount retailers such as Poundland – squarely aimed at budget-constrained consumers?

Savvy organisations recognise that change is a constant – and are able to respond to their environment.  Super-savvy organisations actually build this type of reflex into their strategy.  I’m reminded of the latest TV campaign for Amazon, who claim they ‘make the revolutionary, routine’– the premise being that innovating for change is the new normal.  For such businesses, change is not merely something that happens, but something  that the leaders of these organisations actively shape.

Sharks may be the ultimate predator, but their corporate repertoire is somewhat limited. Far better to be a chameleon. Not only can they change their spots in 20 seconds flat, they can focus on two objects at the same time. They also catch prey at about 30 thousandths of a second. Now that’s what I call a reflex! Managerial mimicry, anyone?

What do you think?  Can being a corporate chameleon help you adapt? Comments on the blog, please.

Change is a team sport…

/ Lisa Bondesio / Leave a comment

Sportsmen and women from 204 nations will compete in the London 2012 games. For many of these athletes, the 2012 games represent the ultimate testing ground. Pitting themselves against the best of the best – and (in many cases) themselves –  they will run, jump, wrestle, swim and swat their way to glory in over 302 medal events.

Watching Friday night’s Olympic opening ceremony, I found myself really moved by the collective esprit d’corps as the first of the 10,490 athletes entered the main stadium, cheered on by 80,000 local well-wishers, and a global audience of billions.  It felt good to be part of the celebration.

Of course, the 30th Olympiad is the culmination of years of preparation and the hard work of many, many people. Which got me thinking…the whole event has parallels with business change and transformation.  Specifically, moving from a current state (planning to host a global event in a deprived borough in London) to a desired state of play (delivering the games successfully). And like business change – whether it’s to do with culture, process or strategy – planning, sacrifice and sweat are part of the deal!

While you need strong leaders to champion and drive transformational change, the reality is that it doesn’t happen without the team. Even solo athletes have a cadre of coaches, nutritionists, psychologists and friends who spur them on to realise great things – achieving gold at the London Olympics or exceeding their personal best!  To my mind, this is where many organisations falter.  Leaders get so focused on the future state, that they forget about the present one. Change doesn’t happen just because the CEO says so.  Business transformation is a journey, and clearly you need to prepare well. However,truly successful transformation comes for those who recognise that their people are pivotal in making it happen. Involving your home team in the process can make the difference between being a corporate catastrophe or a true contender.

What do you think?  Do leaders, or employees make change happen?  Comments on the blog, pls.

Why change management is like being a Ninja…

/ Lisa Bondesio / Leave a comment

James Bond: ‘Do you have commandos?’

Tiger Tanaka: ‘I have much, much better. Ninja’s. Top-secret, Bond-san. This is my ninja training school’.

– You Only Live Twice (1967)

 

As a consultant who helps organisations in times of transition, I’m minded to see what I do as an art, rather than a science. In simple terms, change management is about moving organisations and individuals from a current state to a desired future state, the implication being that the future state is somehow an improvement.

Yet we know that 70 per cent of transformation programmes fail.  This is the science bit! The statistic is based on research done by John P. Kotter, change management guru. It underscores the difficulty of catalysing change in large, complex organisations. From experience I can tell you that major change programmes demand a combo of pragmatic perseverance and managerial martial arts. Which is where the Ninja enter the room!

 Ninja (or shinobi) were covert agents, stealth soldiers or mercenaries in feudal Japan. They specialised in unorthodox warfare.  The functions of the ninja included espionage, sabotage, infiltration, assassination and open combat in certain situations. Sound like any organisations you know? Yep. Me too!

 Despite the negative perception of ninja’s as spies, deceivers, saboteurs and arsonists, there are several positive aspects to their methods and training:

  • They were resourceful, versatile and unorthodox.  Ninja made use of a variety of different objects tools and weapons in numerous interesting ways to help complete their missions and achieve their goals.
  • They were clever and prescient, honing their ability to predict outcomes and out-think enemies.
  • They created ‘Ninjutsu’ – the art of ‘stealth and perseverance’ – in practice, a range of tactics and strategies for problem solving on both a physical and mental level.

As a change agent, I’m very often expected to draw on similar resources. I have to be resourceful – using what shows up at any given moment, whether that’s in a management meeting or my in-box! I have to demonstrate mental agility – change creates ambiguity in organisations, and not everyone is good at dealing with it. It’s vital to be able to suss out possible outcomes and unintended consequences so you can head them off before they become a burning issue. It’s what my clients pay me for. And yes, sometimes I do have to practice my art with subtlety – it’s what I call ‘sneaky change management’.