How good are you at predicting the future? The fundamental laws of nature are a safe bet. Hot things will cool down and gravity will make things fall. But these fundamental laws of nature don’t seem to apply to social systems. At least, not in the same ways. In the world of human interactions, some things are more likely to occur than others. When we think about change, we can’t predict success or failure. It depends on several factors. [...]
Change readiness problems within an organisation decrease engagement, lower expectations of success, promote frustration and fear, and impoverish outcomes.Where do these problems come from? What can be done about them?Organisations consist of multiple and often complex systems working together. When we attempt to analyse the root causes of change readiness problems, we need to put on our systems thinking hats. We need to look at the organisational system at different levels of complexity.Problems could exist at the individual level. Personal [...]
The concepts of change readiness and change management are related because they both deal with change. But in what ways are they different and how should we think about each of them?Here's an analogy that will help us understand the differences. Imagine you wanted to repaint an old house. The walls are dirty and stained by grubby fingers and smokey fires.You're not going to get a good result if you put paint on these walls. It will peel off before [...]
There has been much discussion lately about progress with AI, like Chat GPT and other competitor systems. There’s no doubt this technology has made huge advances in recent years, and we are only at the beginning of an entirely new era.As it develops, AI based technologies will transform many aspects of our lives and work. It could be fantastic, but it could also pose real risks to humanity. Should we trust our future to something that is smarter than us, [...]
Since the launch of Chat GPT, there has been much debate about how AI will impact the workplace and how it could replace human workers. Business leaders like Elon Musk have been warning about the risks of AI for some time.It is difficult, if not impossible, to predict how this will pan out. Perhaps AI will take over workplaces and make most employees redundant, or maybe it will make most employees more productive. Time will tell.Just as AI makes computers [...]
In the book ‘Playing to Win’, Martin and Lafley highlight 5 important questions leaders should ask. Let’s look at these questions. The first is what are you trying to achieve. What’s your mission, your vision, your grandest goal? You should be clear about this because you want it to shape what you do to get there. As Stephen Covey taught many years ago, you should begin with the end in mind. The second question is where will you play? [...]
Sub Your Business There has been a lot of talk recently about the nuclear subs Australia plans to acquire from the US and, eventually, build. Many have questioned the logic behind this decision, particularly given the costs of nuclear submarines.But what’s interesting is the defence of the project provided by Australia’s leaders. Here is, as I understand it, what they say:We’re not seeking to provoke aggressive responses from our neighboursWe are attempting to protect our national interestsWe are attempting to [...]
How can you tell if your organisation is ready for change? This is not a simple question because, before we can answer this question, we must first answer 3 other questions. The first is this – what do we mean by change readiness? It is easy to use these 2 words but to what do they refer? Be careful how you answer because it’s not as simple as it may first appear. The second question is equally tricky – [...]
In last week’s post, I wrote that change readiness is primarily about the capacity to succeed in the change process. Today, I want to take this idea deeper.I want you to think about the ocean. If you were on a ship far from the shore, your primary experience of the ocean would be shaped by its surface. Sometimes the ocean might be flat, like a pond with small ripples. Sometimes it might be choppy with a rhythmically undulating surface that [...]
What ideas come to mind when you think of the term ‘change readiness’? I don’t know what the term means to you but let me suggest some ideas of what it means for some. For some people change readiness is a feeling. It’s a feeling that the time for change has arrived. It’s time to make a change and move on. Perhaps they are frustrated with the status quo – stuck with something they no longer want. Perhaps they [...]