My friend and colleague Wally Bock from Three Star Leadership left this comment over at Change that Creates Chaos -
One thing that's often lacking in change initiatives is enough time.
Do you agree? 
It’s true that people often maintain that time runs out on them before change catches on …. Wall put it this way…
It takes time for the people who didn't plan the change to understand it and to buy in if they choose. In many cases, executives plan the change,
announce it, and then ask for a show of hands for how many agree and how many would like to work elsewhere.
Have you found it to be true? Wally maintains …
It takes time for any change to work its way through the organization. A
memo does not a change make. Neither does a training program.
What’s been your experience with time and change connections? Do you agree with Wally, that …
It takes lots of time for a change to become part of the culture. The
companies that are best at important change do very few of them. Really?
In Jack Welch's 24 years as CEO of GE, there were only four major change
initiatives. At Textron, where they've been working for five years on Six
Sigma as a change in overall work processes, the CEO estimates that they're
about a third done. Has that record influenced change where you work?
Wally inspired a few new facts about the brains’ ability to change.
1. Entrepreneurs who mix more intelligences into action inspire change.
2. Workplace practices such as lectures hold back progressive brains.
3. Change agents are aware of and account for both strengths and weaknesses.
4. Teams that encourage team talents at the peaks often propose change.
5. Curiosity spreads seeds for change - visionary leaders water and weed.
Just as Wally Bock sees time as the key factor in successful change... there may be other keys at your firm ... as there are here at the MITA Brain Based Renewal Center. What do you see?
Exactly right! The reason deep, meaningful change takes so long and so much effort to accomplish is due to the nature of the culture being changed. It isn't just procedures or practices, but cultural norms that need modifying. These are the things that have become so ingrained into workers' habits that they have become self-sustaining. Think of it as inertia.
Depending on the culture, changing well-entrenched norms could take longer than the average sponsoring executive's tenure at the company! If (or when) that occurs the initiative fails, thus making it even harder for the next change.
Another thing to consider is whether or not there is top-down AND bottom-up support for the change - BEFORE it begins. This alone can take considerable time and effort in a large organization.
Posted by: Robert Hruzek | January 29, 2008 12:59 PM | Permalink to Comment