Signaling Change

To truly grab attention and illuminate real change, successful companies showcase a future vision????

Back when Chrysler was a stand-alone car company and a key part of the automotive Big Three (GM and Ford, the other two), it was teetering on closure.?Business and financial media were predicting its failure on a daily basis as their coverage and covers blared bold headlines such as “Can Chrysler be Saved!”?Chrysler executive and automotive icon, Bob Lutz knew that if Chrysler did not overhaul its portfolio as well as its business model, the end was near.

Enter the Dodge Viper. ?

This new dynamic supercar- the likes of which took the industry by storm - virtually lifted the entire corporation from the depths of disintegration to a completely new entity replete with a new set of headlines including a new tag – “The New, Cool Chrysler Corporation!”??The story of how the Viper came to be is for another post.?The point here is that Lutz and the company recognized that all the proclamations, recognition, corporate speak, and accolades meant nothing in terms of behavior change, mindset shift, and believability among employees, customers, dealers, suppliers, competition, etc.

The proof would be in the actual product.?A Viper that people could touch, sit in, and drive would replace the words and pictures about becoming a progressive enterprise and establish a new vision for the beleaguered organization.

And so, with little cash on hand, the company placed Viper prototypes in select dealerships nationally giving the marketplace a glimpse of the changes ahead.

The result?

Incredible awareness, interest, and a sell-out before production actually began.?It changed everyone’s perception of the company. The Viper signaled a new way of doing business at Chrysler – fresh, bold, modern, and exciting!

?Fast forward.

A struggling airline, Delta, was looking to completely overhaul the customer experience and with it define a new identify for itself.?The company instituted a multi-pronged strategy encompassing new airplanes, new uniforms, a strong commitment to on-time arrival, and most importantly a motivated workforce.?Delta employees from pilots to stewardesses and stewards, gate personnel and baggage handlers, conducted themselves in a professional manner “thanking” customers for their business at every turn and operating in a disciplined and positive manner.

This behavior was a signal for the things to come allowing the traveling public to “discover” the new Delta in a way that no advertising or marketing effort could.

?What can organizations and leaders learn from all this?

There are two important takeaways:

1. In business transformation or change management, oftentimes success rests with an important signal or sign rather than words and promises
2. Allowing people to see the future increases interest, builds trust, and shapes behavior.

In 2008, General Motors got through bankruptcy including government bail-out and oversight on the strength of the Chevy Volt capturing the market’s attention from ideation to commercialization and signaling a new GM.

Respecting the power of signs in change!

Gary