Yesterday I wrote about change and that you need to be prepared for it. The next question is why should you change; but more importantly, do you consider the whys?
Reading an article on Seth Godin’s page, “The Why Imperative”, you wonder if there are two reasons people are asked to change. One, it’s an extension of what they do and it is needed because of changing market conditions, and two, it’s a change for the sake of change.
In other words, “Change” can get out of hand. People change because it is something to do, as opposed to something that is the right thing to do. These changes then affect everyone in different ways and can cause people to be more reluctant to changes (because of the poor history of success).
So, when do you change and when do you not? The first step is to ask, “Why are we changing?” The second step is to have a way to properly evaluate that change and to evaluate with the proper objectivity that also takes into account the costs to overcome the challenges. Changes have to deal with three challenges: strategic, political and cultural.
Ideally, its purely strategic decisions: is it more economical? However, the reality is that change costs time, money, and political clout. Sometimes it does not make sense to do the change because of the other elements.
It never should hurt to ask why but it could hurt to do it. This could be an opportunity for someone else. Or, it could identify the selling points to get people to change.
