Accepting the Need for Change
by Dwight Comer CPIM CIRM CSCP
I guess I’m something of an old fashion guy because I love the old movies. Now one of my favorite scenes from the one of those movies is the one from “The Longest Day” where Robert Mitchum is playing the part of Brig Gen Norman D Cota, Commander of the 28th Infantry Division whose men were floundering on Omaha Beach in June of 1944 when he says, “There only two types of people who are going to remain on this beach, those who are dead and those who are gonna be dead!” The key thing is that this was a leader who recognized the need for change. They couldn’t stay were they were, they must move on. Unfortunately a similar statement could be applied to business today. There are only two types of businesses that won’t be changing, those that are out of business and those that will soon be going out of business. All other organizations must change.
The obvious thing is that recognizing the need for change is the simple part, the hard part is figuring out which direction to go and what to do about it. The first thing is building a vision to change. That means having an understanding of roughly where the organization needs to go. From that is the need to create a case for change. “Why must we change!” Also, what steps must be taken in order to undertake change and establishing the roles and finding the right people to undertake those roles.
There are three types of change that virtually every organization must deal with. The first is “Developmental Change” which is the kind of every day change that we all experience. The second is “Transitional Change” which involves consolidating and reorganizing. However, the most devastating is “Transformational Change” which is a radical change in both mindset and behavior. This generally comes about because the need for change was ignored too long and now the forces of nature have set in against your company. From here on out it will require an all hands effort to try and save the store.
When you reach the level of transformational change there is no longer the luxury of carrying those people who are unable or perhaps unwilling to pull in the same direction that the organization needs to go. So as a result, their services will no longer be needed. This is especially true with those in a leadership position. It is unfortunate that people who believe they are a key part of management can’t see what the future demands.