Posted on September 11, 2016

Need to improve your organization? If so, we urge you to avoid the dreaded ‘change.’ Instead: Build.

Welcome to The Monday Minute (or two), a weekly publication of The Schnur Group. Every Monday morning, whether you like it or not, we’ll provide a point of view, a curious research finding, an emerging trend, a possibly contentious take on a commonly-held belief – all intended to stimulate and, hopefully, inspire you to improve your place of work. We’ll provide ideas that might lead to performance improvement, cost savings, service quality gains, or greater efficiencies.   And we’ll do this each Monday. In only a minute or two. So let’s get started.

We are all familiar with the concept that change is hard, especially if it’s happening to you. For many, at least on a psychological level, it’s even something to be resisted. We have studied this phenomenon, having led many transformation projects, and believe that a key cause of this resistance is the lack of control, the lack of power many feel when forced to change. That translates to something more negative, even sinister: A resentment and, worse, a lack of respect people often feel when being subjected to change by others. Indeed, change, as commonly approached throughout Corporate America, has a nefarious way of making people feel less valued. Which, in our way of thinking, is a bad thing.

For these reasons, we suggest you avoid ‘change’ and the typically over-engineered, cumbersome, expensive and largely ineffective process known as ‘change management.’ (Like change can be managed.) Instead, build. People like to build. For many, building something is an optimistic, creative, engaging process done with others. One that respects what’s come before and honors what is good. And relies on resident experts to make it happen and, importantly, make it last.

If you build, rather than change, you’ll get wherever you’re trying to go faster and better. This applies to processes, systems, organizations, and culture. Building is less expensive and has a greater upside. It’s also sustainable. Without the need for an army of consultants. There is a better way.