Letters
TO THE EDITOR

Thoughts on change

From my experience as an in-house employee in a major financial institution and avid listener to people in other organizations, I have noticed that great resistance to change occurs within the rank-and-file of large corporations because executives so often lack any vision of the system as a whole and how change in one area can impact performance in far, unexpected corners. Too often, they get excited and adopt trendy innovations such as total quality management, performance consulting, customer service training, competency assessments and safety awareness without considering the new procedures' effect on people's ability to get the work done. The irritation factor for POWs (a.k.a. variously as Plain Old Workers or Prisoners of Work) is high, buy-in is nil, support from management nonexistent.

You can mark the changing of seasons inside corporate office buildings as follows:

Autumn: Rumors and speculation regarding the new initiative reportedly under consideration by management flourish, building to a climax around the end of the year.

Winter: The rumors are confirmed. The new initiative is implemented with a flurry of training, memos, confusion, panic, anxiety, grumbling and passive-aggressive noncompliance.

Spring: Word surges like fresh sap through the grapevine that certain "enlightened" managers are no longer bothering to enforce compliance with the initiative. An occasional breath of fresh air is experienced, and overcoats are hung in the closet. Productivity begins to rise.

Summertime: An' the workin' is easy. Memories of the irritating procedures have dimmed, and people can actually do their work.

-Sharon Lippincott
sharon.lippincott@juno.com

A good manager facilitates change

Our organization has learned to accept change because it has been ingrained into our culture. Our group general manager, Shah Raza, is the master at making change easy to accept, understand and embrace. Shah's message is simple: In order to meet the challenges of our future growth and changing list of customers, we must be a dynamic organization willing to do whatever it takes to get the job done.

He is never afraid to make a move, and over time we have become accustomed to it. I guess we have been hardened to the fact that every day is a different day. When the need arises for countermeasures and reaction to adverse conditions, we have no problem making it happen.

-Ansley Houston
MCUSA Panasonic
houstona@panasonic.com

The importance of communication

Every year we face a major change due to layoff, project status, etc. The biggest hurdle regarding this issue is the lack of communication from management down to the people affected by the change. A lesson in communication skills would probably make the management of change much smoother for both employer and employee.

-Cameron Lange
lange@tdmco.com

Implementing change and chocolate chip cookies

I am the ISO 9001 management representative for a company that designs enhanced phone-messaging software. I find that most companies, including this one, will only accept change by implementing change. It's like holding a chocolate chip cookie in front of a four-year-old who has never had one and saying: "This is good. You don't know it yet, but once you taste it, you're going to want more." Hopefully, you can convince the child to trust you and try it on faith. But he won't really believe you until after he's actually eaten it.

-Tracy Nadeau
tnadeau@prioritycall.com

 

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