The concepts of change readiness and change management are related because they both deal with change. But in what ways are they different and how should we think about each of them? Here’s an analogy that will help us understand the differences. Imagine you wanted to repaint an old house. The walls are dirty and…
There has been much discussion lately about progress with AI, like Chat GPT and other competitor systems. There’s no doubt this technology has made huge advances in recent years, and we are only at the beginning of an entirely new era. As it develops, AI based technologies will transform many aspects of our lives and…
Since the launch of Chat GPT, there has been much debate about how AI will impact the workplace and how it could replace human workers. Business leaders like Elon Musk have been warning about the risks of AI for some time. It is difficult, if not impossible, to predict how this will pan out. Perhaps…
Sub Your Business There has been a lot of talk recently about the nuclear subs Australia plans to acquire from the US and, eventually, build. Many have questioned the logic behind this decision, particularly given the costs of nuclear submarines. But what’s interesting is the defence of the project provided by Australia’s leaders. Here is,…
In last week’s post, I wrote that change readiness is primarily about the capacity to succeed in the change process. Today, I want to take this idea deeper. I want you to think about the ocean. If you were on a ship far from the shore, your primary experience of the ocean would be shaped…
How many times have you encountered a change that doesn’t make a difference? I have seen many such changes. There’s lots of noise and activity, but, in the end, no difference. In physics, such changes are associated with high levels of symmetry. Take a sphere for example. You can spin it around and turn…
Most organisational changes cost more than expected and incur unnecessary financial losses. According to a recent McKinsey study, 78% of the financial losses occur in the implementation phase. And the reason for these losses comes mainly down to people. Leaders and managers charged with implementing this highly complex task experience the frustrations of dealing with…
We often think of change – especially organisational change – as something to be implemented and managed. Change is what happens in the organisational machinery, and in the context within which the organisation operates. Viewed this way, the people that shape or are affected by changes are called stakeholders. Stakeholders are important because they have…
Failure. It’s not a four-letter word but it’s still a dirty word in many places. From this starting point, we could explore attitudes towards failure and the importance of psychological safety as a key cultural element. But we won’t. Instead, let’s explore why failure happens. In the September 18, 2018 edition of Forbes, Harvard professor…
What is the critical factor indicating the organisation is ready for the change? This is a great question but before we delve into an answer, let’s stop for a moment and think about ‘the change’. The change (whatever it is) must be a response to a problem (either something is wrong, or there is an…
