Great organizations are great, in large part, because of their willingness to make great changes. Every organization can become a better version of themselves, whether we realize it or not, but very few companies have the wherewithal to pay the price required to bring about that change. Long-standing and illustrious companies like Sony have had to bear the cost of bringing about the change that is needed to take the organization to new heights. Even then, most senior leaders are driven to make changes as quickly as possible so that the company can reap financial rewards within a quarter or two.
Jim Ryan, Sony’s CEO, recently announced that the corporate giant would have to take on a series of changes to grow the company in today’s environment of economic uncertainty and the resulting shifts in its customer demographics. This comes about as the realization that Sony’s substantial investment for “Games-as-a-Service” and online games (which takes years of monetization to recoup investment dollars) have become inundated by other gaming companies. At the same time, some its recent game releases have simply flopped and not yielded the following, and profits, they were intended for.[1]
Change is arduous
While there are myriad reasons as to why change is so difficult to achieve, one of the primary reasons is simply because it requires a reprioritization of what the company is currently engaged in. In turn, this onslaught of activity then acts as a cement that anchors and entrenches the organization into its present cultural environment and the routines it prioritizes.
Asking employees to shift their attention from the routine can be demoralizing for the workforce since they have likely spent years developing the skills, habits and processes that have (presumably) led to their current success. The request to shift focus can lead them to question what their role in the changed future is going to be and whether they will have a place of value once the change is achieved.[2]
People, and by default, the organizations they are part of, are reticent to change for several reasons, questions, and concerns:
- Fear of the unknown
- What if what it is they do well will no longer be good enough or not needed at all?
- What if they get replaced?
- What if the stress levels in that future environment skyrocket?
- Will they be forced to have to work with a whole new team of people?…
Staying the Course
One of our clients was caught in the throes of automating a decades old software solution suite that scheduled multiple customer deliveries of sophisticated equipment. The current software system, while functional, was antiquated and required so much human in the loop interaction that scaling it to meet the increased need for customer deliveries was impossible. The new software remedied all of the issues of the old system, but employees felt they would lose their jobs if the old system would be replaced.
It took several years of working through workforce concerns about both the performance of the new system and their place in the process once it was adopted but it was eventually replaced. Not only was the antiquated system replaced but towards the end of the change effort, it was the employees, vice management, that voiced the need for the new system.
Change takes time.
Timing is Everything
Adding to the complexity of bringing about lasting change is that companies try to implement it change at the worst time – when the company is already amid dire circumstances. Senior leaders often introduce change when it’s too late and they demand that significant changes be made too soon. The results are catastrophic as change explodes to the forefront of company operations and a shockwave is created that leaves a trail of destruction behind its wake.
Creating long lasting and wide sweeping change takes time and investment into what can be boiled down into a three-pronged approach:
- Build trust
- Provide employees with a voice to express concerns and a means to pivot the approach as necessary
- Stay the course
Questions to consider
- How effective are the change efforts in your organization? Are they completed successfully or are they abandoned after they are met with resistance or are they some combination of both ends of the spectrum?
- Are you aware of any changes that, if undertaken successfully, would launch the organization to new levels, reduce your personal stress levels or provide you more time to work on higher priority tasks?
Let’s Roadmap Your Path to Even Greater Accomplishment!
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Sending an email to info@newbeaconconsulting.com
Or
Getting on my calendar at a time that’s convenient for you
You can also check out some of our experiences, track record, and leadership insights by visiting our website at https://newbeaconconsulting.com
Sources
[1] https://www.hindustantimes.com/business/changes-need-to-be-made-sony-to-layoff-900-playstation-employees-101709089383705.html
[2] https://leaddev.com/team/engineering-leaders-guide-tackling-change