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Bomo Albert-Oguara, Nigeria
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Change: the Only Constant for Managers and Leaders
The constancy of change forces itself into our consciousness because of the dynamism of the human condition. Change is the only constant in the leadership/management process. The key to my mind is in having leadership that is sensitive to the dynamism of the market place and organization and adapting to meet its many challenges.
Jeannie Daniel Duck, in her article "Managing Change: The Art of Balancing", opines that '...the real contribution of leadership in a time of change, lies in managing the dynamics… The fundamental job of leadership is to deal with dynamics of change, the confluence and congruence of the forces that change unleashes, so that the company is better prepared to compete.'
That is the crux of leadership. It does not lie in change theories, illuminating as they may be on the path to change and our behavior towards it, leaders and followers alike.
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Ericka Alonzo
Student (University), Nicaragua
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Agree It is true! Change is the key for success. If we are not able to change stereotypes we won't be able to be competitive.
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Christian Buelna
Project Manager, Mexico
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Limited Way of Thinking In my experience, we are used and like to see a linear trend way of thinking, but this is the way to fail. We must understand that our limited way of thinking tries to force our decisions in a non-changing environment. Therefore the best way to succeed is to build many scenes to include most of the possibilities.
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David Wilson
Manager, Canada
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Change: Is it the Flavour of the Month Sometimes simplicity is required to lead and manage change. Creating small wins, communicating frequently, and implementing continuous improvements are the way to succeed (Leading Change: John Kotter, 1996).
I agree that leadership in the form of a "change champion" is highly useful. However, I have managed some projects, where you start out of the box only to come back into the box. How often have you watched a change occur because of a new leader, only to find out that the change was not needed.
We need to watch out that change is not just the new flavour of the month.
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RUSLAN
Manager, Kazakhstan
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Change is Competitive Edge and Threat Change - it's the only tool in modern capitalism that may lead to survive the middle and small businesses in a highly competitive market.
However for large businesses stability is desirable in the sphere of information technologies.
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Shadow Executive, United States
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A Lot of Insight Here I just want to say that I really appreciate the responses. My first inclination was to form one of my own but, after reading through them, I have resolved to just say thanks!
It's one of those occasions where I can honestly admit I couldn't have said it better myself.
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Enrique Benjamin Franklin F., Mexico
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Change: the Only Constant for Leaders In today´s turbulent business environment, change is a fact of life. People and organizations must constantly cope with unfamiliar events and situations in order to survive and stay competitive.
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Bung-Orn
Analyst, Thailand
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Leader Must Direct Change Towards Ultimate Goal The leader should set the instant objectives and communicate through all levels of personnel clearly to make everybody perform change in the same direction to the ultimate goal.
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Billy Futter, South Africa
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Distinguish 2 Forms of Change I find it more useful to view the concept of change as adaptation and/or innovation. Without these perspectives, the leadership imperative to manage change is undervalued.
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hamid mohamed ahmed
Accountant, Sudan
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Change Requires Leaders Change is a fact of life, nothing is constant except the change. Change is a true challenge and needs leaders; not managers. In order to convince people to quit what they hold dear - their daily habits, tools, loyalties and ways of thinking - with nothing more to offer perhaps than a possibility for improvement is a true danger.
Yet in the business management the only way to survive in a turbulent, dynamic and ever changing competitive environment is to continuously carry on business process improvements, redesign, reengineering and changing organizational structure to align it with corporate strategy.
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Sanyambe Obert
Student (MBA), Namibia
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Change as a Constant In my view leadership plays a pivotal role in the change process. Leadership is about seeing far and continuously create that preparedness in order to take advantage of the future. Indeed in the future is the concern of leadership due to the missions, and the ability to create strategies to succeed.
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SUNIL RAO
Management Consultant, India
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Ability to Visualize the Horizon Very Early There is no doubt that change is inevitable but practical & effective leaders are able to visualize the broader horizon early on and steer their organization without any specific need to 'manage change'. True leaders are those who see ahead and deftly steer their organizations.
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Dolva, Australia
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Is Adaptation Adequate? Can it Lead to Lack of Change The right leadership with grassroots collaboration is the key. I feel adaptation can be a way to accept the inevitable and let nature take its course.
However, adaptation may take too long to find solutions to the critical issues we face today. Many issues today are 'created' by us - so we may need to 'create' the solutions as well. What about solutions that engage with how ecosystems function?
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Prabhakar Karve
Management Consultant, India
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Helping Others to Change: The 3 A's of Change Management In my opinion, the three “A”s of change management are Awareness -> Acceptance -> Action. We need all three to help ourselves and others to change.
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Balaji Keshav Mahashabde
Financial Consultant, United Arab Emirates
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Change or be Changed! It's better we agree that change is constant, everything changes, other than change.
If we do not agree, then we will see ourselves "being changed" at both personal & professional life... Change or be changed!
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Wilf Marshall
CxO / Board, United Kingdom
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Understanding and Dealing with Change Whatever words we use, we are all agreed that change has a constant presence in our work and in our private lives. Accepting this means that we must move on and learn to do something about it. What we do will vary considerably in terms of how we are viewing the particular change which has imposed itself on our situation or our psyche.
The 'arts' i.e. theater, writing, performing, painting etc have been making successful inroads into the business world as vehicles for learning to deal with / manage / embrace / capitalize upon change usually through the process of presenting metaphors which provide clearer explanation and understanding of the reasons, the causes, the presence and the consequences of change.
A new book by Dr Clare Morgan of Oxford University 'What Poetry Brings to Business' is a very powerful stimulant to thinking about change and how to deal with ambiguity and uncertainty. Read, enjoy and learn... Seems a good combination to me.
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Gerald Tetreault
United States
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Change and Leadership I can certainly agree that change is constant. At the same time, I think there is an expectation that a leader's handling of the dynamics of change is also constant.
So it is not so much the change(s...
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Margaret Looney, United States
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Change Management Perception I agree that change is constant. I believe that leadership is trial and error. Sometimes it works and sometimes it does not....
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Jake, UK / Poland
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Change is Part of Personal and Business Life Change is a part of our lives. Both in the private and business part of our existence. It's always present whether we like it or not. I agree that in small and middle enterprises change may be more vi...
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Kamiludin Atori
Teacher, Indonesia
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Fighting Change Everyone says that change is a fact of life. However, it is not always easy to become friendly with it. In order to change sometimes we must fight with our habits the we have enjoyed and loved for qui...
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Ahtesham ulhaque, Pakistan
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Change Should be Well Managed I fully agree about change being the constant. Change should be well managed in all areas where needed. Immature and unplanned changes may cause a lot of damage and are then become very difficult to m...
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Samuell Yew
Project Manager, Malaysia
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Change and Improvement All improvements are the results of change. But not all changes are an improvement! Evolution is the result of changes. Not all evolution leads to sustainability. Some evolutions are dead ends.
To en...
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Osama Ali Ali, Egypt
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Is it Change or Adaptation? As Heraclitus declared “Nothing endures but change”.
Change is very important but managing change can be very difficult.
I would say change is the nature of life but adaptation is the source to gran...
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knap
Manager, Netherlands
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Changing Organizations and Greiner The world is changing. So it is normal that organisations are also changing. It depends of the life cycle of the organisations (Greiner) how smooth you can change. I think also that management have to...
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Purity N. Simiyu, Kenya
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Appreciate Dynamism and Prepare your Organization It's important for management to appreciate the fact that technology, processes are dynamic. Globalization has turned the world into a global village embracing many changes in market activities, techn...
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Franky He, China
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How to Transfer Change Into Action? Fully agree change is constant, but how to transfer this abstract concept into an action or practice that all can follow up well?...
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Van Bosch
Manager, South Africa
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Revert to Small is Beautiful? All companies keep implementing controls (ie corporate governance, etc), which result in organisations becoming more rigid as they grow.
Should businesses not revert back to smaller organisations to ...
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Trevor Akpomughe
Communication, Nigeria
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Identifying Change Factors It is not managing change as such but rather identifying the factors that call for change and planning to advance, survive or quit that matters most....
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Mrs. Josephine Idele
Partner, Nigeria
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People, Firms, Industries and Countries Must Embrace Change I do absolutely agree that change is very fundamental for any real development to take place. People, firms, industries and countries must embrace change. The pace at which change is occuring is very ...
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temitayo olutoye, Nigeria
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Change and Leadership No change can be successful without leadership. No matter how innovative and dynamic the workforce is, somebody must take responsibility for the coordination. Without change, it may be difficult for a...
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Mitchell M Mubuyaeta
Student (Other), Namibia
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Leaders and Change To leaders change is a passport which drives them to dynamic innovation and creativity of which presses them out confort zones....
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Renato Molina
Management Consultant, Guatemala
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Change is Constant and Values Should be Too I'm in agreement with Enrique Benjamin, who said that "change is a fact of life", but the real constant for leaders are the principles and values. I can't imagine a leader that, in response to changes...
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SAMUEL LUZOBE
Consultant, Uganda
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Change Management - Oxymoronic and Controversial? To prepare for change not only sounds oxymoronic but also controversial. If change is a constant and the manner in which it occurs is unpredictable, then how do leaders prepare for change? But if we d...
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Simeon Paraschakis
Project Manager, Sweden
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Change: the Only Constant for Leaders Yes I agree! I believe that the economic problems in the West are highly dependentof the difficulty to change when you have had a winning concept for many many years, but now you realize that it does ...
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Allemeersch Johan, Belgium
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Masters in Change and Adaptability Another word for change is adapt. The situation or environment changes, and the way we can adapt to this makes it successful or not. You have preventive adaptability and curative adaptability. These 2...
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Mitchell M Mubuyaeta
Student (Other), Namibia
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Adopting, Controlling and Effecting Change Change management contains at least three heterogeneous aspects: adopting to change, controlling change and effecting change.
Terry Paulson the author advises: 'It's easiest to ride a horse in the di...
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Rossy Supardi
HR Consultant, Indonesia
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Change is an Unavoidable Condition I agree that change is an unavoidable condition. Wheter revolutionary or evolutionary adaptation is needed depends on the matter, both have their purpose. Very important and a 'must have' is the chang...
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Romano Ritossa
Business Consultant, Italy
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Avoid Radical Change Change is the tool that every entrepreneur or executive staff have to use daily as an operating principle. The best chance is when it's planned. Radical change may destruct the company. In this case i...
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Satyanarayana.S.V.
Manager, India
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Not Everything and Everybody Should Change When something is going right we should not try to change it. Change should happen only in areas of improvements....
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Raymundo Soria
Strategy Consultant, Mexico
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Change is Renewing There is a phrase in Mexico and also a story about the need to renew. The phrase is "renew or die". And the story talks about eagles when they achieve an age of 40 years they have to take a hard choic...
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Samuell Yew
Project Manager, Malaysia
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To Change or to Be Changed, That is the Question I like the eagle illustration. It is a decision made by the eagle to renew (change) to continue to survive and to survive well. Due to the dynamic environment we are in, we also have an option to eith...
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Enrique Benjamin Franklin F., Mexico
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Change or to Be Changed I think that change or be changed is a matter of approach. Bear in mind that nothing is absolute and everything is relative....
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Billy Futter, South Africa
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Change or Be Changed Choice is a key dimension of change. Related to this is identifying the challenges that accompany change (or not). Frequently, the blame is attributed to external factors. For these leaders, it is use...
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mohammed Ibrahim, Nigeria
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Change and Flexibility to Adapt Yes no doubt change is the only constant in life. However, when we can predict change with a certain degree of certainty, this will give some level of leverage. Most importantly, the ability to adapt ...
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Romano Ritossa
Business Consultant, Italy
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Italians Fear Change I think change is not the spirit of Italian people. There is fear of change. For Italians are afraid they will be replaced before the change. When they must change they excel in it, but not for nothin...
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Hawa Aganas
Project Manager, Sudan
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Change Leaders Must Ignore Laggards In any organization there are people referred to as the "laggards" who are usually resistant to change because they are afraid of change. The initiators / leaders of change need to ignore them for som...
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Marc Tremblay
Manager, Canada
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Leaders don't Sweat Leaders provide vision, focus, direction and, yes, security to the people they lead in an ever changing world. Moses led his people out of Egyptian slavery. Roosevelt built a highway system connecting...
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Derek Dorzie, Ghana
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Change Gives Vitality to the Organization The role of the manager is to both create and sustain the motivation of his team. Change in methods and environment generates challenge and adventure of a sort, keeping the passion for work alive. Thu...
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Ericka Alonzo
Student (University), Nicaragua
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Beautiful Change I, myself, have seen the effect caused by change in my life. From being a shy introverted girl, I became an extroverted one and still careful about some themes. Change is a painful process which has t...
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Marc Tremblay
Manager, Canada
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Through Their Vision, Leaders Embrace Change Leaders are role models on how to tackle change. They are not followers and do not abide to any theory. Passion, intelligence and confidence are the stuff leaders are made of. Organizations need their...
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David Wilson
Manager, Canada
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Good Leaders - Charismatic or Transformational Charismatic leaders like Trudeau may not be viewed by everyone as a good leader, especially in western Canada. Obama, I have hope for. Are they good speakers? Yes. Jack Welsh I would agree with. It ta...
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Enrique Benjamin Franklin F., Mexico
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Beautiful Change Ericka Alozno states that change is painful, but it may be different if we understand and accept change as a part of the dynamics of life....
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Marc Tremblay
Manager, Canada
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Leaderhip is Like the Theatre Mr. Raymond W. Smith, chairman and CEO of Atlantic Corp., was quoted in an article by Karen Bemowski, Quality Progress, January 1996, saying: “Leadership is like the theater. You need a good leader, a...
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Sanyambe Obert
Student (MBA), Namibia
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Leadership and Change I do agree with your first statement mr. Marc Tremblay. In your posting "Leaders don't Sweat" you set a caveat that some leaders may be driven by "self-interest and power" and call it change. This lea...
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Enrique Benjamin Franklin F., Mexico
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Change: the Only Constant for Leaders Change, not stability, is what sets the standard today. Before, changes occurred gradually and infrequently. Today, changes are dramatic and happening constantly.
The implementation of change can be ...
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Mark Williams
Consultant, United Kingdom
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Change Management versus Change Leadership I believe that change management is reactionary, that is, we need to respond to the outside forces that are driving change.
Change leadership is proactively driving change from the inside of the orga...
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SAMUEL LUZOBE
Consultant, Uganda
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Change also Changes the Way it Happens @Gerald Tetreault: It is true that change is constant. But the way change happens is not a constant. So we can't develop rigid frameworks to manage change, assuming that change will always follow a pr...
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Sathya Devarakonda
Project Manager, India
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Leaders don't Sweat @Marc Tremblay: Well said - You also mentioned quite a few @great leaders....
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Mark Williams
Consultant, United Kingdom
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Change - the Two Perspectives of the Process When I worked in China, my colleagues outlined to me the mandarin symbol for 'change'. It consists of two dimensions... The first symbol depicts 'danger or risk'... The second signal depicts 'opportun...
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Paramathmuni srinivas Kumar
India
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Change Based on Changeless Aspect Real change in any sphere of activity is pivoted around the changeless aspect which is related to the heart where values, principles remain constant.
This idea can be visualized as a wheel where the ...
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Sashi Rao
Management Consultant, India
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Change is Constant, So what Now? We all need to accept that "change is constant" is now just a motherhood statement! We all need to move much beyond that. Being "proactive" rather than "reactive" to everything around us would seem to...
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Helen Strong
Business Consultant, South Africa
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Also Look for Lack of Change This conversation has only touched on being aware of what is changing. In my view just as important is to be aware of what is NOT changing. Leaders / managers have to be aware of what type of factors ...
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Nikki van der Woude
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Supporting Change This is a very interesting post, with some great comments. What I noticed is that everyone agrees change is constant within our environment and we must ADAPT. My previous career in the dynamic aviatio...
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Maurice Hogarth
Consultant, United Kingdom
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The Constant Flow and Contiguous Flood of Change It seems that change has two forms:
1. The flow of constant adaptation to, and integration of, minor PEST developments and evolutions that impact our day-to-day stream of work life.
2. The flood of ...
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Michael Norris
Director, United States
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Should Today's Leaders Thrive in Disequilibrium? In today’s (business) world, continuous and major change is inevitable. I read an article by Cancialosi. According to him, today's leaders should not strive for equilibrium because you will merely con...
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Maurice Hogarth
Consultant, United Kingdom
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Change Ancient and Modern Heraclitus (among the many others who have voiced words to the same effect) declared that “Nothing endures but change”.
If so, then all the comments about us NOW living in a world of change, as thoug...
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Ian van Jaarsveld
Consultant, South Africa
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Change over Time @Romano Ritossa: This is one of the top comments on this thread. Beware of the cliche "Change is the only constant". Change for the sake of change is not progress; its chaos. We should ready ourselves...
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Dr. Winston Lynch
Director, United States
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The Importance of a Change Effort An organization has to meet its present needs and future goals and objectives. The business environment is dynamic so organizations require dynamic strategies to remain competitive. Every day business...
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Maurice Hogarth
Consultant, United Kingdom
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Successive Approximation Over-rides Error @Margaret Looney: Consider: Use "Trial and successive approximation" as an alternative.
So use "We tried and got a bit closer to getting it right." rather than "We tried and got it wrong again."
One...
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Dr. Winston Lynch
Director, United States
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The Downside of Successive Approximation Approach The "trial and successive approximation approach" can solve some problems that other methods have not been able to solve. However, one huge downside of this model is it requires a ton of time and it i...
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Anonymous
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How a Leader can Direct Change Towards the Goal @Bung-Orn: You wrote: “Leader Must Direct Change Towards Ultimate Goal”. This can be done by applying Kurt Lewis' Change model/theory. I agree that the entire personnel must be prepared for the change...
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