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– Are we seriously off target in our attempt to achieve our goals?

– Are we spending too much time solving problems?

– On a scale of 1 to 10 how serious are the problems that we face?

Have complaints from our customers risen?

– By how much have they risen, over what period?

Are we losing good staff?

– Is morale lower than it was a year ago?

– What is our evidence?

Have costs risen?

What would be the cost of bringing in change?

– Have we the money and other resources to implement change
effectively?

Behaviour in time of change

“After The World Trade Center nothing will ever be the same again.” As
the world teeters on the brink of war the doom mongers are out in force
prophesying recession or worse. They point to the precipitate response of
some airlines and shout, “I told you so”. They ignore the fact that anyone
like me who regularly flies the Atlantic for less than the cost of a flight to
Milan could have told them that the airlines have had problems with their
transatlantic routes for years and would have taken action long ago were
it not for the fear that a competitor would steal the worthwhile business
class part of their business. But when everyone is acting in the same way
– no problem. For as long as I can remember automotive manufacturers
have questioned the costs and benefits of taking part in the Motor Show.
No-one will drop out, however, unless they can be assured that the opposi-
tion will not take part. Action is not necessarily an indicator of change. But
let’s be sensible about this, change is a continuous process and it contin-
ues hard and fast.

Peter Drucker added to his fame and attracted my undying affection
when, at the end of a three-day conference on “managing change” he rose
only to say: “Ladies and Gentlemen you have just wasted three days of pre-
cious time. You cannot manage change. You must initiate it”.

If you are going to initiate change it might be helpful to understand the
motives that drive behaviour in time of change.

Although we blandly say that “people automatically oppose change”,
this is not entirely true. All through our lives we actively pursue changes.
We change jobs, accept promotions, move house, get married or unmarried,
have children, leave the parental home and branch out on our own. Change
is often an act that indicates personal, business and professional growth.

188 Key management questions