Why Transformation Efforts Fail

The Heart of Change In some eras, stability matters. Businesses are preoccupied with consolidating their positions. But today’s economic environment is turbulent, and companies of all kinds must either change or die. Yet, people still fi nd change diffi cult. Most people don’t do it well because they have never had a successful change experience. Too often, managers try to instigate change with appeals to reason – with reports, spreadsheets, budgets, plans or mission statements. But these tactics cannot create the widespread sense of urgency organizations need to alter their course. Instead, the “heart of change” resides in the heart itself – the emotions of individual employees. Only deep feelings can motivate people to change familiar behavior, and only individual behavioral changes can drive organizational change. Changes in vision, systems, products and culture all have their roots in behavioral change. Step One: “Increase Urgency” So, how do you reach the heart to create a sense of urgency? A story or artifact that demonstrates the problem works better than endless explanation. One vivid, creative and inexpensive demonstration constructed by a frustrated manufacturing company manager provides a good illustration. The company had no central purchasing system or policy; instead, each factory bought its own supplies. Convinced that this was a waste of money, the manager asked a summer intern to fi nd out what kinds of gloves each factory used and how much they cost. The manager knew things were bad, but he was astonished to discover that the factories used 424 different kinds of gloves, which they purchased for prices ranging from less than $5 to more than $15 per pair. Next, the intern obtained a sample of each glove and sorted the samples into categories by price and division. “The heart of change is in the emotions. The fl ow of see-feelchange is more powerful than that of analysisthink-change.” “The emotions that undermine change include anger, false pride, pessimism, arrogance, cynicism, panic, exhaustion, insecurity and anxiety. The facilitating emotions include faith, trust, optimism, urgency, reality-based pride, passion, excitement, hope and enthusiasm.”