Somebody tell me something will change...

I haven’t been on too many consulting projects in my life. This is only my second one and I must say that change management is the most frustrating experience in the world. I am currently having a thought on what is wrong. We have a program in place, we have a structured approach, we have a slogan, we have a vision and we have a training plan. Yet, all in vain.

I still walk in to the customer service department and I see employees shouting and arguing with customers – taking them for granted. I still walk into other departments and see people lost in their own frenzy about the latest Gucci bags or the next meal they’re about to have.

The real change here is behavioral change. How can you get people who’ve operated in one manner their whole lives to change their behavior?! Psychology 101: How to get dogs fetch a stick? Give them a slab of meat when they do. Positive reinforcement in the form of some sort of appreciation: verbal recognition, bonus points etc.

How to stop a dog from sniffing around people eating? Lock it up in the kitchen. Negative reinforcement. Verbal warning, note it in their appraisal etc. Have we tried this? Yes. Has it worked? No.

If I correctly remember the reinforcement theory, the idea was to be consistent. However, it never said how long. In this place, I think, it takes a lifetime.

I was told to cascade top-down. Get the top management to buy-in. Most of the management has internalized the need for change. Yet, there isn’t much happening. It’s the archaic concept of: People come to work for a pay – and they will do whatever they’re told for that pay. Taking your people for granted.

Top-down also does not work because there is another reverse order. Suck up to boss and guarantee your next pay check. Boss also sucks up to his boss to guarantee his next pay change. And the sucking up, goes all the way to top

I guess that’s the pivot – if you’re taking your own people for granted, why won’t you take your customers for granted? If you’re taking your salary for granted, why won’t you take your current position for granted. A cultural dilemma. Wrong values. Zero work ethic.

Managing the people side of change is important. People need to be educated on the reasons for change, motivated to change and given the necessary skills to change. But then again, if the culture doesn’t sustain long-term change…you need to restart your change management program by building awareness, desire and ability once again …I guess that’s why consulting firms make so much money… Anywayz.