Is your business ready to change?

When working as a psychotherapist I know that the most important two questions I ask a client before any work commences are “Do you want to change the ways in which you are currently living your life?” and “Are you prepared for the challenges ahead as you undertake those changes?”

Surprisingly organisations that I have met do not approach the subject of change in the same way. 

When organisations face problems, the most common form of change they undertake is to re-organise. However unless they ask themselves an amended version of the first question “What are the quantifiable objectives you hope to achieve as a result of these planned changes”, it has every chance of being change for change sake. And then what about the challenges ahead?

The change process creates new or more intense challenges. The three main effects tend to occur in:

• Communication. How do you stop the rumour mongering?
• Procedures. Many organisations are like trains, they run very effectively in a straight line but even the equivalent of “leaves on the line” can cause major disruption
• Personal relations. This can become strained as team dynamics and alliances are impacted. 

 So the advice from It is rocket science is to ensure that your organisation answers the two key questions before any change begins. This is particularly important for small companies or groups where any negative financial impact will be that much harder to overcome.