“Business is not physics, and people are not fundamental particles whizzing around inside the LHC, subject to largely immutable laws. If anything, business is governed by psychology, because everything depends on the unpredictable behaviour of human beings.” Andrew Saunders, Management Today
Whether or not the need for transformational change is caused by disruptive innovation, or by other political, environmental, social or economic developments, leaders won’t necessarily know the full extent of their characters – for better or worse – until they are truly tested and transformational change is by it’s nature, Truly Testing.
A typical scenario in the preparation for change goes like this:
- A major development triggers the need for large-scale change.
- Senior management disappear to off-site meetings.
- Consultants in grey suits with brief cases may appear.
- Soon there is an announcement.
- The Communications team go into full flow to steady the troops and to create messages designed to cascade the need for, and the benefits of, the change.
Depending on how long it’s taken to get to this point, and how ‘leaky’ the organisational culture is, people may have heard rumours, have begun ‘catastrophising’ or seeing the opportunity for ‘land-grabbing’. Colleagues who may have worked peacefully together for years may find themselves on different sides of the fence. Gossiping around water coolers reaches a peak.
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