Embracing change

Nishan WIMALACHANDRA

We have heard the statement 'Change is the only thing that is constant' while everything else changes around us. Nothing stays as it is but they are all prone to change to something else.

Change is a natural phenomenon which existed throughout history and continues to change into form and out of form.

Change is a transformation system which transforms some buried faces under a mango tree to yield juicy mangoes.

It's quite difficult to understand change as a prerequisite for our evolution in organizational success as Times have definitely changed.

Things have changed but change had not changed a bit. It still continues to conduct its very own age old system of transformation which alters, amends, and repels the present by replenishing it with a different kind which is made out of the same.

Now this statement seems out of the ordinary to those who do not understand the essence of change.

Change brings novelty and innovation and fresh blood into the system while stagnation only brings death. All organizations must embrace change as it brings the life blood back into the place where it is mostly needed.

Change takes place even in static business environments where the ones who direct its course are fearful or uncomfortable of change.

So whether we like, believe, understand it or not, change takes place behind closed doors out of our attention being captured.

So simply, whether you like it or not, it happens out of your control as it has a form of it own creation. Change changes everything around us as we know it and make us look like new born babies everyday of our lives.

Can change be managed?

If change is such a phenomenal force, and out of control, could anyone manage it within organizational settings as books on change management imply?

If anyone understood the reality of the characteristics of change broadly, this present generation would not be in this soup we are in now as all the mess we are in here today is our inability to understand and accommodate to the change happening around us.

The principle which confirms that whatever which cannot be measured, cannot be managed is very much true in this sense as change cannot be measured by any modern yardstick.

The only thing which could be measured is the damage caused by the impact of change right after it has emerged to paralyze organizations, and when it's too late to take any action.

There is no point in preparing to face a similar situation in the future by calling management meetings and strict methods of laying offs and introducing voluntary retirement schemes (VRS) for it will never take place in the same way, as the impact of change is always and mostly quite different to the previous impacts.

If change brings the same impact previously, then the very foundation of the definition of change cease to exist.

Accommodation is the only option

Consequences of not accommodating change would definitely bring forth death and chaos to any system, regardless of the nature of business, ownership or its type, as change cannot be controlled or managed like illustrated in thick papered books.

If it could be managed or controlled, then we have our solutions and need not be worried about what the future may hold.

So if such a phenomenon is to be accommodated it must be well understood by the top officials of the organization and must be communicated to all levels concerned.

One of the most made errors of the modern day CEO's is that they do not communicate their understanding of the change to all levels of the organizations for the fear of inciting any potential threat from within the organization, and by doing so the impact on lower levels of the organizations are often mostly ignored as there is no feed back on the fears and strengths of those lower levels of individuals which could be taken as inputs to accommodate the coming threat as an opportunity.

Embracing change

When change is accommodated within the organizational setting, one must embrace the very essence of it. It must be absorbed into the entire system to be benefited from it, otherwise what will be left is chaos.

Once the world's greatest martial artistes Bruce Lee said that one must be like water, and when water is poured into a cup, it takes the shape of the cup, and when it is poured into a jug, it takes its form.

So if change has to be embraced, it has to be taken into account in those terms of Bruce Lee.

You could never assume that your organizational hierarchy is too strong to withstand any change as what ever is not flexible will suffer great damage.

Zen monks have always taught that a weak tree always survives a storm than a stronger one. This is true when it comes to organizational change too, as whoever who does not accept it will definitely be consumed by it.

We live in a dynamic world where brands, products and services are losing their credentials at all levels. Today customers do not behave the same way the previous generations did, they are well informed and know more than the sales personnel when it comes to the products they use.

Gone are the days when doctors prescribed something which patients did not question about the medicine being prescribed. Today's consumers quickly find out the side effects of medicines and at times are ahead of the medical practitioners. So organizations must be aware of the times and adapt themselves to pave the way for the change to take place without being damaged by it processes.

The only way to be ahead of the game is by aligning your organization with change.

If the human body is taken as an example, a medical practitioner would strongly agree that our skin replaces itself once a month, the lining in our stomachs every five days, almost every three months our skeletons get renewed and our liver replaces it every six weeks.

But when you look at it in the mirror your body looks the same even though your entire body has replaced ninety eight per cent at its best. If we monitor these internal processes we would be surprised that change works endlessly within our system, behind closed doors. But unfortunately very few take the maximum advantage of this phenomenon to their benefits. Some truly are not beneficiaries.

Theories of handling change are useless

Somewhere down the line all of us have heard many theories and models on change management which may give us an idea about what change is.

But none of these models give us a comprehensive idea as to what needs to be done in the presence of major changes faced.

Change is indeed a necessity to our development and if identified properly it could actually open many prospective doors for the organizations.

Change either destroys markets or creates new ones. It either exterminates an existing product line or replacing one. The only determining factor is which side we choose to take.

We could be badly affected by it, if we retaliated against it. But a passive approach with a broad awareness may actually explore new markets and even new needs which are developed in the minds and hearts of customers, due to the change.

So if one wants to handle change in the best possible way, it's best that you don't fight against it.

What you resist persists and if the whole organization is against change, it may create your worst business nightmare for the rest of your life.

Everything will change regardless of its origin, and sometimes whatever has been will be brought back again in a different form, change brings all things to naught which struggles against it.

To survive change, changing is the only option. If everything around you seems to change, change all things around you.

By this your organization and its unique individuals will survive a rainy day.

So in simple words, in order to avoid a failure in business your whole organization must live on the wings of change and not under it.

(The author could be contacted via [email protected])