HPerhaps the only thing constant in this fast paced world is “Change”. Change management is a very important ingredient in the menu for success. Starting from a product that has become obsolete to a process that has gone wrong, what is necessary to salvage the sinking ship is “Change”!
“Our Iceberg is Melting”, by John Kotter is a wonderful book that describes the essentials of change management. Kotter’s style of presenting true managerial techniques in the form of a fable is truly appealing.
Kotter lectures on change management by narrating a fable of a group of penguins located in Antartica. The penguins are complacent in their iceberg, a perfect place that is just right for them, until one of them discovers that their iceberg is melting! The need to change the complacent lifestyle becomes a necessity. The fable deals with how a team of five penguins with varied skill sets is able to convince the group of the necessity to change.
Fred, a very curious and observant penguin first identifies the problem of the melting iceberg. He brings it to the notice of a daring no-nonsense leader Alice. Alice, in turn takes this to the leadership council and then to all the penguins in the group. There are penguins who accept, others who are skeptical, and few others, who write off the whole discovery as rubbish. The fable deals with how the team is able to achieve the change that they envision in spite of all the hindrances!
Through this fable, Kotter emphasizes the following 8 step process for successful change:
Identify the problem and get others to see the problem.
Pull together a guiding team
Develop a vision or strategy.
Communicate for understanding and buy in.
Empower others to act
Produce short term wins
Don’t let up!
Create a new culture, make sure the new culture replaces old traditions.
It is evident that in order to keep the wheels of success rolling, there is a need to change. It does take a lot of courage to release the familiar and embrace the new, but it is the pathway to growth and sustainability… so “Change before you have to!!”
4 comments:
Hi Vidhya
Thanks for another excellent piece!
It almost sounds like Richard bach's Jonathan Livingston Seagull. That's one book that had influenced me greatly and I'm sure this book also will fall into the same category.
Thanks for pointing out this author.
Shankar
good one...
change is a perpetual process. Nothing is constant in universe. Certain changes are pulpable while lot other changes happening in and around us go unnoticed. So evolution is all about identifying these changes and acknowledging them. Each day, each minute and each second spent exposes us to myriad changes around us. because the world around us is dynamic and in turn we adopt ourselves to such changes.
If you observe very closely some one whom we consider very monotonous we might still be able to observe radical changes in him time to time though they are not visible on a very first look. The person himself might be blind to such changes. Probably we need to campaign more often about the changes that happen in and around us. we might have to also redefine the term change in our life books. Most often we are carried in the notion that breaking the regular rhythm of our work with some fun is change. we are happy to call some noise in lives us change. Probably we shall be more concious about the subtle changes happening around and learn to appreciate the changes... The posting of Vidya caused certanly a big chemical shift in my brain and it is making me think hard though the thoughts are not really converging.. ..
ravi
Thanks Shankar and Ravi!
Ravi, thanks for your taking my write up to a lot more detail. I must thank your generator break-down for providing you with a change from your busy schedule and giving you time to read up my blog!
Shankar, I will get hold of Richard Bach's book too.. Thanks!
Vidhya
Hi Vidhya
Your comments in my blog brought me here. Happy I did follow the link. You have an innate ability to write well. You must be writing for quite some time now.
Happy blogging!
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