Better = Different = Change

Better = Different = Change.

The pathway to 'better' is inherently a pathway of change. You can't become better unless something about the status quo is different, and things can't be different unless something changes. Yet change in organisations is often met with considerable resistance, and this resistance is a key to why organisations continue to achieve the same outcomes.

Entrepreneurial ventures have a privilege of having a mindset, which, from the outset, aims to make something better, e.g. a social or consumer outcome. They are born to bring about better. They are born to bring about change. As a result, Better/Different/Change is part of their DNA. This is evident in the practice of pivoting which is about trying a significantly different way simply because the initial way wasn't working, and continuing in that way would likely lead to organisational failure.

Compare this with a well-established organisation in a well-established industry, where anything that seeks to change the status quo often receives resistance. When change is proposed the risks of change are quickly raised, often due to our innate loss aversion bias, and suddenly the emotional, reputational or economic cost of change feels too large. ?

However, in a society and marketplace which are constantly in flux there is always a cost to not changing, too. Consumers of public or private enterprise products or services continue to value and seek a better outcome. This desire for better sets up a tension with any organisation that doesn’t want for Better/Different/Change, and ultimately the cost of not embracing Better/Different/Change will be borne at some stage in the future.

For leaders the keys to bringing about Better/Different/Change include:

·?????? Be very clear about how things will be better when the initiative is complete. This should be as explicit as possible, and use both quantitative and qualitative descriptors. It should also be able to resonate with both the head and the hearts of people. In short, if you can’t clearly articulate how things will be better, and aren’t convinced yourself, than your people won’t buy-in to the change.

·?????? Involve your people in both determining what better looks like, and how to achieve it. This is different than the process of consulting your people on change. Seek input from your people on what the problem looks like from their perspective, and how they see it impacting other stakeholders too. And then harness their knowledge and skill to both solving the problem and delivering better outcomes. ?

·?????? View Better/Different/Change as an organisational superpower, and constantly build the Better/Different/Change muscle. It takes more effort to go through the process of making things better, than it does remaining with the status quo, and naturally will look for ways to minimise effort. Continuous Improvement is a mindset and methodology which builds this muscle.

Finally, all change is personal. People experience it viscerally. However, most people are drawn to making things better for themselves, for others and organisations, and approach those endeavours with energy and commitment. It is about harnessing that.

To be better requires things to be different. To be different requires us to change.

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