A while back, two team leaders and I sat around a table and discussed organizational change. The problem was that each team was acting like a silo and only thinking about themselves. This was big problem because one team was in sales and the other team was in sales support. Each needed the other to be successful for them both to be successful.
As I listened to this in-depth and thoughtful discussion, I was reminded of something Gordon Livingston, MD wrote many years ago: “People mistake thoughts, wishes and intentions for change.” It is a powerful insight captured in such a short sentence
Some days we get so busy we forget that real change requires real work. And in this particular situation, each team needed to reframe the situation. They needed to become partners in the work rather than seeing the other team as a problem. They needed to move from blaming each other to supporting each other.
Over the course of the two hour meeting, each leader realized that they honestly did not know the people on the other team. They knew their names and positions, but not the person behind the name and the job title. Furthermore, given the industry they were in, they needed to switch from thinking of change as an episodic event and more as an on-going norm. In short, they came to the conclusion that more relationship building was needed and that they needed to embrace a continuous improvement mentality.
Clear intentions is a powerful foundation for organizational change. Then, all involved need to build and execute a plan that results in a series of on-going and successful short term wins so all involved feel like that are making progress. It is not a fast solution to the challenges of organizational change but then again, real organizational change takes time, patience and a disciplined focus.
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