Change is a common word these days in consulting and it generally refers to the human element - the culture of the organisation. Getting that organisation's culture to change is a path fraught with challenges.
There are the four main enemies to changing an organisation.
Internal Expertise
Many companies struggle to improve because they are blindsided by their own brilliance. That is, they often believe that only they understand the business, only those within the sector can help and only those with long backgrounds in this industry can possibly add value.
Many companies struggle to improve because they are blindsided by their own brilliance. That is, they often believe that only they understand the business, only those within the sector can help and only those with long backgrounds in this industry can possibly add value.
Take a moment to ask yourself what the three main selling points of your company are.
Now imagine your company has suddenly gone under. But you are fortunate enough to secure a similar role with your main competitor.
Now, honestly, ask yourself what the three main selling points of your new company are.
See the similarities? It might be uncomfortable to realise but approximately 90% of all business issues are the same, whether it's selling onions or designing jumbo jets.
Quite often the answer can be found outside the sector, not because their is expertise in your product or service, but because the fresh set of eyes can be truly objective.
Complacency
Business school texts often speak of 'buy-in' being the essential first stage to any transformation programme. Engaging with the relevant stakeholders is a top down drive. Nothing new there, right?
But rather than try to encourage the buy-in, why not work towards providing a culture of innovation and restlessness? 3M are famous for providing time to innovate (it gave us Post It notes) and Google has had the 20% allowance.
Constantly looking to improve without destroying the dedication of staff is a skill that can always be worked upon.
The Peter Principle
How many managers have you worked with or under who, frankly, shouldn't have been there? It's frightening how much time a lot of these overpromoted people dedicate to avoiding being uncovered, often at the cost of others.
However, listening to those at the coal face can prove invaluable. They have the day to day knowledge of the business problems, often technical, which require solving. Often they feel unrecognised but offering the channels to communicate and listening to the constructive suggestions can often alter situations for the positive.
Aversion
Some senior staff are unwilling to make changes. They feel that stability is the bedrock for success. The trouble is, markets are constantly changing, channels to market are opening frequently, marketing techniques are altering - the list goes on. If a set of processes and procedures are working seamlessly, at what stage will they require reviewing?
Welcoming improvement is never a barrier to success. Just talking about is, though.
Xalen is a consultancy which specialises in executing strategy.
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