“It is not the strongest of the
species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one
that is the most adaptable to change.” - Charles Darwin
When you look at Eastman Kodak which
was a leader for many years filed for bankruptcy in 2012. When you look at
Blockbuster Video it became defunct in 2013. Similarly, Borders which was one
of the largest book retailers in US, it became defunct in 2011. Why these
companies which had great brands initially failed finally? It is because they
failed to adapt to change. Additionally, they failed to unlearn and relearn. Hence,
we can address the importance of change in this article.
Although everyone is aware that the
only thing constant in the world is change, people resist change due to various
reasons including fear of failure, fear of criticism and fear of unknown. They
often think that known devil is better than unknown angel. They settle for the
status quo and extinct ultimately. Similarly, companies fail to change with the
changing times and technologies leading to extinction.
Joan Marques in her book, Leadership and Mindful Behavior: Action,
Wakefulness, and Business unfolds that there are many people and companies
who once performed at the top of their line because they were zestful and
adventurous but became complacent. Just think of Blockbuster, which was crushed
by Netflix; Dell, which got overridden by mobile devices; Kodak, which lost
track of the digital era; Microsoft, which fell asleep when Web TV, e-books,
smartphones, and tablets took over; Motorola, which got outmaneuvered by
smartphones; Sears, which lost immense market share to aggressive discount
stores such as Wal-Mart and Target; Sony, which focused on hardware in a time
when software took the upper hand, leaving space for Samsung, Apple, and others
to run away with its market; and Yahoo, which fell asleep when Google was
inventing and making numerous smart moves. Some realized their mistake and
reinvented themselves once they experienced the drawbacks of their myopia.
Others never managed to maintain a broad mindset ensure that you also avoid
falling prey to sleepwalking again. You just have to be awake to maintain a
broad mindset.
A
Blueprint to Embrace Change Effectively
"Greatness is not in where we
stand, but in what direction we are moving. We must sail sometimes with the
wind and sometimes against it—but sail we must, and not drift, nor lie at
anchor." - Oliver Wendell Holmes
Leaders must adopt tools and
techniques to adapt to change. Here is a blueprint to embrace change
effectively. Keep the vision right and straight, and articulate it effectively.
Create organizational culture conducive to bring out change. Communicate
clearly about the need to change. Enlighten people about the implications of
status quo. Show them benefits once the
change is implemented. Coordinate all
stakeholders effectively. Remove the roadblocks by allaying their apprehensions.
Show them small gains to ensure that entire change takes place smoothly without
any resistance.
Conclusion
Jack Welch once remarked, “If the rate
of change on the outside exceeds the rate of change on the inside, the end is
near.” Hence, accept change before the change is thrust on you. If people don’t
perform, they perish. If companies don’t innovate, they become obsolete. If we
were not changed, we would have remained still in stone age only. To conclude,
cultivate a flexible mindset to embrace change effectively to ensure
organizational excellence and effectiveness. Benjamin Disraeli rightly quoted, “Change is
inevitable in a progressive society.
Change is constant.”
References
Leadership and Mindful Behavior:
Action, Wakefulness, and Business by Joan Marques (Palgrave Macmillan, October
23, 2014)
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