Sustaining Change

Sustaining Change

Change Article 5

It is important that the question of sustaining change be addressed at the very beginning of any change initiative. It would also be good to have a response plan (and not an answer) to the cry of the skeptics "how long will this last". Incidental change may be possible, but is sustainable change achievable? The key to successful change initiatives may lie in how we define change itself. Is change defined by mere change of state or is change a permanent condition of our existence? When do we notice or define change as change? Is change a continuum that only comes to our notice when it breaks the surface like a wave crashing against the beach? Is the change the tip of an iceberg that obstructs our way or is change the eruption of a dormant volcano?

 

Underlying these definitions are two approaches to change. One is to adapt (instant), the other is growth (continuous). To adapt to new environmental conditions is really retrospective, reactive and occasioned by incident. Such a change strategy cannot hope to be sustainable. Adaptation makes use of basic survival instincts. Antelope can evade imminent capture by an approaching lion by rapidly relocating (changing) its position. Once the lion is out of reach it is business as usual –until the next lion approach.

 

In organizational terms; managing change in short bursts and spirited drives may look impressive but will have little long-term impact. It is also rather tiring and energy sapping. The organization will eventually be caught off guard. Rather than jolt the organization periodically (much as that may be needed), a growth approach to change has the core ingredients of continuity. A successful change strategy should transform an institution from its present state into a future existence.

 

If indeed it is true that, "the only constant in the universe is change", then our job as managers is not so much to oppose or seek to control change, but to anticipate change and constantly modify our organizations to keep pace, if not outpace, a changing environment. The Antelope would live longer if it kept tabs on the lion's location and ensured that it remained well beyond the powerful "sprint distance" of a healthy lion at all times. But it would be of immense assistance if it kept an updated database of killer lions in the area and regularly checked the internet for information forecasts on anticipated predator behavior patterns. It would also do well to develop sprint techniques and survival techniques that equip it to outlive all predators.

 

Change initiative must emphasize change itself, but must also place a premium on continuing growth, creativity, initiative and foresight in order to profit from the opportunities that change presents. Sustainable change should therefore; prepare the organization for further change, build internal change capacity, contain long term commitment while maintaining short-term flexibility and effectively manage the critical (incident) phases of change.

 

We must get people to understand that change is here to stay. It should be viewed as an opportunity for growth. We must guard against creating the impression that we are "bringing change" but rather we are "preparing for the future". If this is not effectively communicated to staff, they will adopt a spectator "a wait and see" stance to what the new changes will bring. Yet sustainable change requires collective participation for growth to take place.

 

To start the change engine requires adoption of new perspectives from stationary models to those incorporating movement; from permanence and stability to growth and expansion, from import to impact, from observation to intervention, from recording to reporting, from passive to productive. This first step to managing sustainable change is equivalent to a re-awakening the institutions capacity to handle change which may be dormant or in decay. Fears that change foreign or an enemy must be dispelled.

 

Second, mechanisms to inspire and spur further change must be installed or revived. Such initiatives would include staff training and development, product development, research & development, performance management and environment monitoring. If the makers of the Volkswagen Beetle had settled themselves into the comfortable belief that they had built the ultimate vehicle, the company would not be in business today. It may have been the best car in its day but not anymore. However, the TOYOTA Corolla is perhaps successful because it is possibly the most changeable (adaptable) vehicle in the world - at the moment. The company builds the future into the vehicle with every new model.

 

Yet keeping track of the environment also means doing the right thing at the right time. In other words sustainable change is not about doing the most spectacular things it's about doing what is appropriate. There are many companies that have gone out of existence because they introduced fabulous inventions and products far ahead of the times to markets that could not absorb them.

 

Next. There must be an effort made to limit the encumbering conditions of long-term commitment that creates organizational inflexibility. Sustainable change initiatives maintain freedom to continuously explore alternatives and take advantage of new developments. Because new findings, events and opportunities present themselves all the time, it would be foolish to over-commit to long-term to projects, plans and purchases (especially technology) that will be outdated by the time of implementation.

 

Some years ago, a government initiative to computerize operations locked the government into buying equipment over a two-year period. Needless to say, when the equipment was delivered it was out of date. It would be prudent to maintain long-term focus but short-term commitment not only to maintain competitive advantage but also to facilitate ample organization flexibility during critical phases of managing change.

 

Critical phases of change are periods in which change is propelled to the center stage of organization dynamics. Critical phases may be triggered by a single crisis or brought about by multiple events. Transition is such a trigger. The manner in which change is handled within that period is crucial to the eventual success of that change. It is also true to say that if the length of the critical period elapses without any noticeable change taking place, it would be safe to say the chances of the success of change will be significantly reduced thereafter. In-fact resistance to change builds up and becomes entrenched.

 

Change managers must therefore be extremely sensitive to the time "allowed" for them to make an impact, establish transformation mechanisms and create vibrant growth during the critical phase of any change process. If not the sustainability of that change will hang in the balance.

 

Allan Bukusi, 2003