Change is difficult. I do not
care who you are or if you know about it ahead of time it is just as hard;
however, it is an essential part of life and the evolution of an organization.
Charles Darwin said, “It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor
the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is the most adaptable to
change”. To me, this means that you do not have to be the biggest or even the
best but you do have to be flexible. If you do not recognize the trends within
your business and stick with the status quo, you will be left behind and
eventually fail while those in your field who remain flexible and open to
change move forward.
The representation in the
video this week reminds me of the recent EagleVision upgrade that took place
this past March. We had been using a desktop client (software installed on your
computer) but the future of the product was moving to a web based application.
Therefore, a lot of time was spent testing the proposed environment. Initially,
many were on board for the change. However, after many months of testing, there
were several issues noted and many, including myself, were ready to scrap the
idea for change. Our CTO, however, had a different vision. My teammates had
become pessimistic and doubted the need for and ability to promote this change.
The CTO continued to fight for the change and the vision that she had for an
improved EagleVision environment. She combined her vision and power with many
of the Organization Development (unknowingly) techniques to lead the crowd over
the hurdle so that the upgrade could occur. She, along with other members of
our team, developed a plan for the change that included working closely with
the vendor to figure out why there were so many issues. Her collaborative
approach involved the vendor, the training team, IT Support, and leadership and
focused on the improved performance of the new environment and how it would
affect the quality of our EagleVision sessions for students and instructors.
Bringing different systems together allowed us to understand that the issues
were solvable if we opened the lines of communication with the vendor. From
that point on, (as in the video) there was a crowd following her to the other
side, so to speak. Once the upgrade happened, we still had many faculty and
staff left in the past begging for the old environment to return but most of us
were cheering on the other side coaxing the others across.
Change starts with one person
believing it can happen. Just as difficult as the change itself is, convincing
others that change is good and beneficial is just as challenging. The right
leader possesses the traits and skills that keep the crowds believing and
following. Luckily, we have that type of leader in WW Technology Services.
References:
Brown, D. R. (2011). An
experiential approach to organization development. (8th ed. ed.). Boston:
Prentice Hall.
Kohn, S. (Producer). (2007,
11 07). A Tale of Power & Vision [Web Video]. Retrieved from
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZVIWZGheXY
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