It is not necessary to change. Survival is not mandatory.
Malcolm Hafner
Scaling & Transforming Businesses | Organisational Design & Culture | Leading Strategy & Execution
Deming’s quote is still eerily relevant today. Maybe not so much that people don’t see the need for change, but that people think that someone else should change!
We’re still fearful of the personal impact of change. But why? Unlike the leopard who couldn’t change his spots, we certainly can. It is just that the downside of change in the short-term is often drastic and we haven’t been taught that change is a normal part of life.
Our risk/reward instinct focuses on the short-term which battles against the rational thought that change will produce a better outcome in the future. And how much do we really trust others to operate in our best interest?
Change is more about how we change, rather than what the change is. As leaders (and we’re all leaders in case you weren’t sure) we have a duty to create the right environment for change to happen. One that is open, honest, safe. How many times have we made a decision because we’re fearful of how others will react? I see it a lot (and just so you know, I’ve been guilty of it in the past). The changers are at least as guilty as those that are changed.
While Deming was looking at businesses from a systems perspective, he was always using systems to change culture. Where systems were embedded in people’s behaviour rather than just policies and procedures. If you have a culture of quality you’re going to be much more successful than if you have a system for quality.
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Director of Technology
4 年Thanks for this Malcolm. Change can feel hard, but if we aren't changing, what's the point of time? I often think of an illustration from David Epstein's book, 'Range' where he talks with a widlfire-fighter. The fire-fighter says that in a constantly changing situation with limited information available, he and his team make a sense of the situation rather than decisions. A leader making a decision tends to dig in, to own and defend that decision, even if it later appears to be wrong. But in their evolving crises the fire-fighters try to make sense of what's happening and adapt that sense as the situation changes and they receive more information. Of course this isn't universally applicable, but in 2020 I think we are all learning to have a more adaptable (i.e. changeable) approach.