The Core Files: Mad Men, Organizational Change & Pressing Refresh

If you've ever been responsible for a change initiative within an organization, you likely understand the complexities that contribute to its eventual success or failure. Over the years, I've been privileged to serve as a contributor within a number of change efforts in businesses both large & small. As a diagnostician, I was often present to help identify the obstacles that people face as they reach for change and press forward. Of course, we do the best that we possibly can.

Yet, as we all know — real change often eludes us.

Our assessment of relative success or failure, can often be explained by a slew of competing factors. Leadership involvement, longer-term continuity, obstacle containment. However, looking back at these factors, I've always suspected that we had somehow overlooked something vital. That we were in the right "ballpark" and had likely developed the right prescription. However, even with that painstaking work — the chances of success weren't as strong as they should have been.

With time, I began to suspect that we simply weren't engaging people; those who make the change happen on every level that truly matters. We weren't building commitment — and without this — behavioral change was impossible. We had missed something at the core of change. We weren't careful to ensure that everyone was coming along with us, and were forgetting to look back & check on them. That's on us.

I've kept my eyes and ears open for ideas. (There must be something else to guide us.) Did we need to press "refresh"? How would we do that? What can we bring toward the problem?

My first clue came when I discovered the brilliant work of Gapingvoid, an organization which utilizes art to define & communicate the changes in organizational culture that we would like to see. (They were kind enough to represent some of my work in art.) That led to an interest in the role of visual techniques to support change efforts. Was broader communication the element that we weren't getting right? Were we not showing those involved in change, that our hearts & minds were truly in the game? Were we resting on our laurels? Phoning it in?

In years past, Psychologist John Kotter offered us a razor sharp analysis of where we go wrong change-wise. Within his now classic HBR article, he discusses eight critical errors that often occur in our quest to achieve change. Many of the points within his now iconic list, allude to communication & marketing principles.

He was clear to point out, that organizational change is no walk in the park.

"In the final analysis, change sticks when it becomes “the way we do things around here,” when it seeps into the bloodstream of the corporate body. Until new behaviors are rooted in social norms and shared values, they are subject to degradation as soon as the pressure for change is removed.

- John P. Kotter"

Then another clue. Out of the blue, this thoughtful article turned up. We were from a different realm, but came to that realization. Examining adjacent fields, quite simply opened a new window to the change equation. Communication techniques were likely the weak link, to help us cement change.

So, this needs to be explored next.

I've recently announced my collaboration with LOCAL, where we will not only explore what goes wrong with change initiatives — but will commit to developing communication tools that change professionals might apply to support change. We will attempt to hash out the role of marketing, advertising, communication and core stability, as they relate to change in organizations.

Please come along on the journey. Participate in the coming research. Let's explore the change together.

We might all learn something.

Dr. Marla Gottschalk is an Industrial/Organizational Psychologist who focuses on empowering work through the development of a strong foundation. A charter member of the LinkedIn Influencer Program, her thoughts on work life have appeared in various outlets including the Harvard Business Review, Talent Zoo, Forbes, Quartz and The Huffington Post.