BUSINESS & LIFE: Viruses that Prevent Organisational Change – Part III

I was disappointed with the turnout for the play “Truth Be Told”, by Jems Theatre of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, making their debut in Dominica. There were however important lessons learnt. That said; I want to, on behalf of the Cathedral Renovation Committee, thank Jems Theatre for a good show and their interests and commitment to being part of the Cathedral fundraising efforts. I want to thank them for their generosity of spirit for they have offered to return with another production. I pray the Lord continues to enlarge their territory as they move on from Dominica to Trinidad & Tobago and then on to Broadway from August 16 – 25, 2013. I encourage persons in Trinidad and Tobago, New York, New Jersey and environs to support Jems Theatre when it comes to your area.

This week we conclude our focus on viruses that, according to Ulrich et al, prevent/hinder organizational change. In this article, we will examine the last ten.

1. Glacial Response: Whose Decision Is It? – Decisions cannot be made quickly as no one wants to take responsibility. Actions are based on decisions and since there are no decisions, there is little action and many things fall through the cracks.

2. Perfectionism: = Right Way or No Way. There is no action if it is not perfect. This creates bottlenecks, unfinished business and demoralizes employees as they see ready and in some cases easy solutions being ignored while managers wait for the perfect answer.

3. What Have You Done For Me Yesterday? – Successful change only leads to the demand for more. This is akin to the saying “the reward for good work is more work.” There is a constant demand for more, often times with little appreciation of the efforts made before.

4. Over Measure – Everything is measured, even to a fault, so that often one loses track of the important things, paying attention to the inconsequential things. This reminds of a story I read long ago whereby a professor came to his class, with a bottle, water, rocks, stones, pebbles, sand and coffee and asked the class to fit them all in the bottle. After many failed attempts, one person or the professor (I read it many years ago, so that minute detail has escaped me!) then put the rocks first, followed by the stones, pebbles, sand coffee. Everything fitted. The professor then told the class the moral of the exercise was to demonstrate, that they should take care first of the most important things and they will find that they still have time for a cup of coffee with a friend. If however you give priority to the less important things, you may not get the important things done and will most certainly have no time for friends. It is also tantamount to the saying “don’t seat the small stuff”, urging us to concentrate on the important things, including relationship building rather than the less important ones, even if they appear to be huge. This really calls for discernment.

5. Under Measure – We measure what is easy rather than what is right, thus leaving the important things unchecked. This fits in well with one of my sayings “there is no performance without accountability,” and the popular saying “you get what you measure.” This also highlights the importance of discerning the important things.

6. Sustainability – The changes initiated are not sustained. This brings to mind the patois saying “toe chaud, toe flam.” We are excited or quick to make changes, however we move on to the next change before completing the previous. It is almost like a fad mentality; we listen to the buzzwords and even before fully understanding we begin however we cannot sustain, often times because we underestimated the commitment of resources, human and otherwise needed for success.

7. Going For The Big Win – We look for the big change that will solve all our problems rather than starting small. We look and concentrate on the big project without realising that a few smaller projects can add up to more than the one big one we are looking for.

8. Skills or Aptitude – The Company lacks the skills required for the future. We do not pay enough attention to the future or position ourselves to take advantage of future opportunities, so that we are often left behind, while more agile and nimble firms take over. We then lament about everything and everyone, rather than focusing inwards to the real cause of our demise.

9. Event Vs. Pattern – Change is an event rather than a pattern. We focus on the activities (preparing checklists, attending meetings etc.) rather than see the emerging, evolving pattern.

10. Fire Hydrant – Everyone has to “mark” every project or initiative before it can move. This also speaks to the importance of identifying the key activities and key persons needed for successful change.

What are the lessons learnt from examining the 32 HR viruses? The importance of strategy, of knowing where you are going and whom you are serving was emphasised. This then determines the choices you must make, as your choices should be aligned with your strategy. The need to focus on the key drivers of growth of your business, alignment of policies to strategy and the accountability mechanisms to measure their attainment. The importance of building relationships with employees, suppliers and others who can facilitate your business cannot be over-emphasised. Reward and recognition and an appreciation that they are not only money-based were highlighted. Finally, the need to think through decisions and act: you do not have to wait for the perfect circumstance, the perfect solution; one has to be ever-present, looking at the now, however focusing on the future so that one can grasp the opportunities presented. These lessons are by no means complete; I am sure you can add your own lessons.

Last week, one person submitted his list of the Common HR viruses; we will examine them next week and see how they compare with the list of Ulrich et al. This will then conclude our series on HR Viruses.

Until We Meet Again, May God Continue to Keep Us in the Palm of His Hands.

Valda Frederica Henry, VF Inc.’s CEO and Principal Trainer is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA), Certified Global Professional in Human Resources (GPHR), Certified Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) Practitioner, holds a PhD in Industrial Relations & Business, a Masters in Business Administration and a BSc Management Studies. 

VF Inc. is a Human Resource & Finance Consultancy firm with a Training and Recruitment arm, and the producer and host of a live TV program “The Cutting Edge of Business”.