Darwin’s message on change management

02
Mar
2016

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Darwin’s message on

change management

When two of the most misunderstood concepts come together, Darwinism and change management, it should be expected that Darwin’s message on change management is little understood.

Many people misunderstand and misquote Darwin by saying: ‘only the strongest survive’. The correct reading is: it is the most adaptable who survive; those who are best equipped to respond to change, survive.

What does that mean in the field of change management? It means that change leaders who understand change management are those best able to adapt their organisations to whatever changes need to be made.

Since change is the one thing in life that never changes it is to be expected that the change leaders who are best equipped to create successful change are promoted to higher and higher positions.

Leaders who understand change and can apply that understanding to make change happen, are, in Darwinian terms. the most adaptable, and thus survive and thrive.

Thankfully, such change adaptability is not hard-wired in to your genes; it is a learn-able skills set. Since you’re still reading, the odds are that you are, or have decided to be a change thriver; that you have decided to learn, or learn more about, the change management. W

What is the value, other than personal promotions, of learning about Darwin’s message on change management ?

A single large failed change project can wipe out a huge company’s entire profits for a year, or, wipe out the entire company, (you will have seen both if you have been in leadership for any period). All because, a few key leaders were lacking in the understanding of change management.

If Winston Churchill were able to comment, perhaps he’d say of the typical failed change programme: “Never in the field of human endeavor have so few, caused so much harm, to so many, with so little effort.”

Continuing the military metaphor using the (perhaps 800 year old) observation: “The war was lost for the sake of a horse, the horse was lost for the sake of a shoe, the shoe was lost for the sake of a nail, the nail was lost for the sake knowledge of a few principles of change management.”

Just metaphor? There maybe no bloodshed, but make no mistake, change is war, and it is a war that your competitors are trying to win. Make sure that you are equipped to win. Make sure you understand change management.

If you can lead your teams to change, to stay in tune with the market place better that you competitors, you will be victorious. Can you imagine how your defeated foes will feel? Especially if they learn that behind your victories were just a handful of principles of change management, which they, too, could have mastered.

Make your change management happen, successfully, with less effort.

It makes sense: if you are focusing your efforts by using the principles of change management, that you can achieve better outcomes with less effort, and in less time, and then use that time to achieve other beneficial changes.

Just how much will the following scenario boost your prestige and reputation? You commit to leading a change to achieve the desired results. At every stage along the way you are, and are seen to be, in full command. The Perfect Change Book Cover

When the inevitable deviations from plan occur, you are so familiar with change management (see ‘The 10 Commandments of Change’ – available only to coaching clients) that you can diagnose the problems quickly and accurately and make your planning amendments with complete confidence.

At the end of the change programme you have delivered the required results, as promised, despite the deviations and problems that would have derailed others devoid of your understanding.

What will that do for your career?

With the average cost of change programmes in medium to large UK organisations being between £10 and £20 million pounds (depending on sector), the potential for savings by making just a few improvements is massive. But that is small compared to the savings you can make when comparing your results to the normal outcome: 85% of all change programmes fail. That means total waste of ALL the costs.

Let’s put two figures together to reveal something shocking: each time a change programme is planned, the planners, with 85% probability, are planning (unknowingly) to squander £10 to £20 million pounds!

The next time you sit around a table to plan a change that might be a sobering thought, unless you have learned the principles of change management.

What implications will it have for your career and your company if you understand and can apply the principles of change management?

If you wish to master the principles of change management contact Dr Nigel MacLennan

Darwin’s message on change management

Darwin’s message on

change management

Make your change management happen, successfully, with less effort.

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