Organizational Change and Transformation - Overcoming the "Mark Twain Dilemma"

Mark Twain lived through some of the most profound changes in America: from the Civil War; to the closing of the West; to the advent of Industrialization.  He summed up his feelings about change in his typical pithy fashion, "You know I'm all for progress.  It's change I object to."  Twain's dilemma is we all recognize the need for progress and innovation; and that involves change.  But change is risky and can hurt.  However, the best time to undertake organizational change is when you don't have to (Pietersen, 2002). 

This leads to FUD: Fear, uncertainty, and doubt.  To change involves loss of control, certainty, and the feelings of competency in the existing order of things as they are.  The driving forces in support of change must be greater than the restraining forces of fear, uncertainty, and doubt.

So, how do we overcome Mr. Twain's dilemma?  Pietersen offers 6 rules:

• Rule 1 – Create a simple and compelling case for change
• Rule 2 – Communicate Constantly and Honestly

• Rule 3 – Maximize Participation

• Rule 4 – Remove those who resist

• Rule 5 – Generate Short Term Successes

• Rule 6 – Set a shining Example

If we accept Edgar Schein's (1990) definition of organizational culture, we can see the challenge in affecting change:

“A pattern of shared basic assumptions that the group learned as it solved its problems of external adaptation and internal integration that has worked well enough to be considered valid and therefore to be taught to new members as the correct way to perceive, think, and feel in relation to those problems."

In my recent experience, I have witnessed the application of these six rules. 

Rule 1 -  A CTO of a federal agency declared several years ago that he wanted to create a "World Class IT Organization."  One does not specifically know what that means, but it is "simple and compelling."

Rule 2 - Organizations must start using information to make fact-based decisions.  Process improvements and organizational change should be measured for value and not just because Service Management is "good."  We should know we are doing better because we can measure it against how bad we were before.  The data and information doesn't lie; it is honest.

Rule 3 - Sometimes process improvements collapse under their own weight.  Let them proceed organically.  Guide strategically and not tactically at first.  The organic growth will maximize participation and the organization will begin to own the change rather than change because senior leaders "said so."

Rule 4 - Part of the strategic guidance is to build process improvements into senior leadership goals and commitments.  Removing those who resist will become a natural outcome of performance.  Take a look at "Reinforcement Systems" in the Channel's The "psychology" of organizational culture entry from a couple of weeks ago.

Rule 5 - Using the information from Rule 2, short term successes can be realized because there is objective evidence of their existence.  Of equal importance, one starts to see more "process-oriented" successes rather than "organizational-oriented" successes. 

Rule 6 - Successful organizations pick a project or initiative that is working and nuture it and use it as a the bedrock of the change effort.  Advocates reside here and momentum can be built.  It becomes the "Shining Example."  Over time, those who resist gradually become part of the organization that is not in step with the changing culture. 

We also must guard against improving and being satisfied with just the improvement.  We must add value and show the customer that value.  Otherwise, they are not going to buy your stuff simply because you are CMMI Level 3 Certified.  This is the difference between "terminal value" and "functional value."  Look for this discussion in an upcoming Channel entry.

FG

Pietersen, W. (2002). The Mark Twain dilemma: The theory and practice of change leadership. The Journal of Business Strategy, 23(5), 32-37. (Document ID: 179186281).