Marcia's Leadership Q and As: Problem Solving Isn’t Enough!
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Q. Important change can start anywhere in the organization. Is that true?
A. There are various kinds of change, and change can start anywhere. Process improvements and small changes can often happen quickly. Incremental, progressive changes are positive. But are they enough for an organization to survive, thrive, compete? No.
Mere change (traditional or transitional changes) may be helpful. But mere change is not enough. Individuals and teams may make changes that result in improvements. But mere change may result in making a change, then not liking it or agreeing on it, and changing back. Mere change may cause fear—the fear of change, and people who are concerned about what they will lose, will resist change.
When a caterpillar becomes a butterfly, can it change back? No. It has transformed. And to continually improve, innovate, and survive, leaders must transform themselves and their organizations. If not, your organization is on its way to struggle, flounder, and decline . . . it may take months or years. It depends.
The third kind is change is essential for survival. Transformation, transformational change must start at the top of the organization. Why? Leaders are accountable for the system (organization) and its success. It’s up to leaders to create, optimize, and continually transform the system.
Employees could improve, change, and tinker with any processes. But they could not transform and save a company. What employee teams could have saved Kodak, Blockbuster, Montgomery Ward, PanAm? None. The results of your organization (good or bad) are the reflection of leadership.
Q. We’re enmeshed in problem solving but seem to have the same (and new) problems over and over. Are we doing something wrong?
A. Entrepreneurs build companies to “solve a problem.” Companies grow and are more and more full of problems, waste, and complexity. Executives and their teams have a better opportunity.
Think about, how do we prevent problems? What if we had a different system, a different way to address challenges? Search and discover the root causes of your problems. Discuss options to prevent the problems from happening. You may find a treasure of new understanding. You may be able to anticipate and prevent unwanted challenges before they occur. The more strategic your thinking is, the smoother your operations may run.
