I guess for the most part, you have already gone back to your daily routines by now. The exciting moments of 8th March and the subsequent days probably a distant memory for most of us who need to get back to our bread and butter issues (which are pretty expensive these days). Since my last blog posting, I have conducted a Leadership program for the dynamic people of UMW Toyota and by the time many of you find some time to read this, I would have conducted my second Supervisory Skills program for ASTRO and another program of the same title for SILK Highway. Of course, the topic of the general election inevitably cropped up and we had a good discussion. My last blog posting seems to have touched a chord with many of you guys. Thanks for all your emails.
But I think there are yet lessons for us to learn from the 12th general election. If in my last blog posting I shared my thoughts on the immediate lessons to be learned from the dramatic change that have swept our political land-scape, in this posting I would like to share with you guys on my take on lessons to be learned for organizations that have just concluded a change initiative or are in the midst of one vis a vis what is happening in the Malaysian political sphere.
Allow me to briefly up-date you on the current post-election change scenario. First, there was disbelief. Then, there was a round of blame game (which I anticipate will become louder when the pain of loss settles in on the losers). Following this was of course, the confusion in states won over by the 'opposition'. By the way, we need to come with another term for 'them' as the term 'opposition' sounds so yesterday! Finally, we have an on-going drama in the states that are still under the traditional power.
Lets translate this to organizational change lessons.
1. Leaders who have not prepared their employees for the need to change or to expect, initiate and manage change should not suddenly demand that they accept the change especially if such a change was totally unexpected and driven by external market forces instead of by internal strategic thinking and renewal. If you have nurtured a rigid system, asking it to become flexible overnight is just too much to ask.
2. Change, whether self initiated or otherwise is always 'painful'. So, allow venting of emotion and frustration. By asking people to 'just get on with it' is an insult to them and is akin to belittling them by saying that they are not man enough to face up to challenges. The truth is, if the employees of an organization are not 'man enough' to face up to changes and challenges, one need not go further than the CEO's or GM's room to pin fault!
3. Keep communicating. There should be a truly open line of communication at all levels. This communication should be honest with pain, regret, fear and disappointments expressed openly. If this is done honestly, the shorter the venting off period will be and the quicker people will get back into the rhythm of functioning in the new environment. Using a 'business as usual' communication style only tends to confuse people as they can very well see for themselves that things are far from the usual.
4. Manage the eager beavers. There is bound to be some who, with hindsight, will shoot off new ideas, even radical ones. Respect them and give them the space. These individuals will be useful when it comes to implementing new collectively agreed upon ideas a few months later down the road.
5. Don't harp on the 'good old days'. Talk about the exciting days ahead instead. The 'good old days' are gone and it is better for corporate leaders to bury them and prepare for a new dawn. Spend time painting a realistic but exciting picture of a beautiful tomorrow. Provide vision, hope and directions.
6. Don't go back to those who had it too good during the so called 'good old days' to help manage the new scenario. They will do whatever they can to take the organization back to the old days as they are the ones who will loose the most in the new environment. By going back to these individuals, the organization paints it self into a corner of desperation.
7. No organization is an island. There are external stakeholders who need to be told of the change. They need to know what has happened and what to expect. They too need to readjust their thinking and expectations. So, they will probably be hungry for accurate and timely information. Remember that during times of change, no news is bad news.
Have a great week ahead everybody!
