Managing at the Speed of Change

Citation

Kingstone, J. (1998), "Managing at the Speed of Change", Leadership & Organization Development Journal, Vol. 19 No. 6, pp. 347-348. https://doi.org/10.1108/lodj.1998.19.6.347.3

Stability, loyalty, lifetime employment ‐ the days of the gold watch and fond goodbye are long gone. Employment now hinges on adroit adaptation to the frequent, fast‐paced transformations businesses require for competitive survival. How can one manage such change, often massive in nature, and endure and triumph? Daryl Conner in his book, Managing at the Speed of Change, offers practical, thoughtful solutions.

The theme of his book is change ‐ the ongoing, potentially cataclysmic change that is occuring on personal, national and global levels. Focusing specifically on business management, the book examines the nature and impact of change: how managers and executives can master it and use it to their advantage.

With insight and complexity, Conner offers an eight‐part model of change. He analyzes and describes seven crucial elements, associated with a primary characteristic: resilience. He illustrates how features of the model are related and how they can be successfully applied to organizations.

Resilience is the key characteristic in managing change. It operates as “an internal guidance system” and consists of five basic attributes: a positive outlook ‐ where life is seen as complex, challenging, and opportunity‐filled, and where actions are performed with inner security and self‐assurance; a clear focus ‐ with goals explicitly defined and obstacles surmounted; flexibility ‐ consisting of openess to change, quick recovery from setbacks, and receptivity and patience under conditions of uncertainty; organization ‐ the ability to manage ambiguity with clear‐sighted analysis and planning; and proactive volition ‐ the ability to problem solve and engage courageously in action rather than evading or defending against change (pp. xxix, 238‐40).

Resilience, however, is not enough. To utilize resilience to advantage and influence others in the implementation of change, requires knowledge of the model’s seven associated elements: nature, process, roles, resistance, commitment, culture and synergy.

In discussing the nature of change Conner notes the need of individuals for control; their fear of ambiguity caused by disruption; the “micro” implications of decisions; and the need to absorb change within one’s “assimilation” capacity. The change process is complex and involves both ambiguity and expense. Wise managers are advised to recognize this openly, and to present change to employees in a manner that takes into account their frames of reference. Individuals involved in change enact roles ‐ sponsors, agents, targets, and advocates. Successful responses and communications clearly reflect these differences.

The fourth element related to change is resistance ‐ any force that opposes shifts in the status quo. Resistance is a natural response, and occurs whether change is viewed positively or negatively. In managing another’s resistence, overt expressions of resistance should be encouraged and realistic drawbacks or problems, acknowledged.

Commitment to change, the fifth element, is both emotional and intellectual; sponsors of change must plan well and be prepared to invest time, resources and effort. Corporate culture, or the beliefs, behaviours and assumptions of the business organization strongly affect the outcome of change. To succeed, change must be supported by the organization’s overall culture, local subculture and top management. The final element related to succesful change is synergy. This is the assumption that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts, or, as the Japanese saying has it: “let us work together to fill the well with snow”. Synergy involves building motivation by establishing common goals and interdependence, and by corporate values such as team focus, empowerment and participative management. Synergy requires openess to new ideas and values, tolerance of paradox, and creativity through integration of opposite perspectives.

In summary, the prime characteristic of resilience and the seven elements related to it are the conceptual keys to analyzing and implementing successful organizational change. Guided by these concepts, managers will be able to determine levels of resilience in important players, and implement necessary supportive elements to strengthen individual and group resiliences and foster the desired outcome.

In his book, Conner has isolated a very important, prevalent organizational and business issue and generally raised level of consciousness related to perceiving and adjusting to change. His model is multifaceted and insightful; it offers excellent explanations and suggestions on what to expect; what goals to foster; what responses, values, attitudes and relationships to encourage; what problems to anticipate, and how to address them.

The book was written to be a practical management guide and its style is accessible, clear and non‐academic. Many illustrative metaphors (e.g., the “beast”, the “foxhole”, “black holes”, the “lily‐pads”) are amusing and fitting. Concise summaries at the end of chapters help to clarify complex or detailed information. At times the book is somewhat overwritten (repetitive, laboured, or overly general). While the book is not intended to be scholarly on a theoretical or empirical level, it is surprising that there is no reference to, or integration with, the mainstream psychological literatures with which it, conceptually, seems directly associated (literatures on resilience/hardiness or organizational management for example). Nor is there anything but passing reference to Conner’s own Organizational Development Resources Inc. (ODR), its literature, standards, outcomes, or publications, if any. From a scholarly point of view, it is also disappointing that there are no references or bibliography.

In conclusion, the book is enjoyable, informative and very useful. I recommend it highly to individuals employed in competitive business organizations or other organizations where structural changes are likely to occur ‐ where benefits can be derived from thoughtful preparation.