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Navigating Change in
disruptive times
Neil Middleton Because Pty Ltd
• Traditional models of change
• Complex Adaptive Systems
• Let’s go travelling
• Anecdotes and Antidotes
• Summary
Because Pty Ltd
Traditional models of change
Linear cause and effect
800 years of thinking of the Universe and the World as a clock; a mechanical device of cogs, gears and springs.
Frederick Taylor; ‘Scientific Management’ Science and engineering applied to processes and management
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Traditional models of change
An assumption of rationality
Stability is the norm
Design, prediction and control possible
Correct actions in the correct order
Experts and authority figures guide
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McKinsey & Company, July 2015
Change management as it is traditionally applied is outdated.
Organisations are being forced to adapt and change to an unprecedented degree: leaders have to make decisions more quickly; managers have to react more rapidly to opportunities and threats.
Mastering the art of changing quickly is now a critical competitive advantage.
Because Pty Ltd
Complex Systems and Change
• Complex systems exist in a state of constant exchange with their environment
• They require energy (effort and resource) to exist and work effectively
• They can respond to internal and external influences
• They adapt (progress) while holding their fundamental identity (conserve)
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The Island of Change North
Effective application of resources Accumulate and add value
South Ineffective application of resources
Waste and loss
East Flexible and loose style
West Rigid and tight style
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Features of the Island of Change
A thick forest divides the eastern States
Steep unscalable mountains divide the northern States
Travel around the island in an anti-clockwise direction
The Winds of Change blow in an anti-clockwise direction
The mountains shelter the north-west from the Winds of Change
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The Island of Change
Because Pty Ltd
Let’s go travelling…
Island of Change
North-west Order
North-east Forming
South-west Failing
South-east Disorder
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Island of Change State of Stability
• Comfortable, known, familiar • ‘Success Trap’; blind optimism • Self-congratulations • Innovation; supplemental • Codification & ‘Best Practice’ • Refine products, services,
processes
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Island of Change State of Stability
State of Doubt • Ignore signs of breakdown • ‘Return to normal’ thinking • Ridicule & discredit alternatives • Jump to conclusions/quick fixes • Criticism of leadership • Old Guard versus New Order
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Island of Change State of Stability
State of Doubt State of Dis Words that start with Dis
• Disorder, distress, discontent, disengagement, dispute etc.
• Loss of direction, strategy & confidence
• False starts & failed attempts • Can be Discovery & Discussion
Because Pty Ltd
Island of Change State of Stability State of En
Words that start with En • Energy, enthusiasm, enjoyment,
enrichment, engagement • Curiosity & experimentation • Innovation; novel & evolving
• Collaboration, sharing & supporting
State of Doubt State of Dis
Because Pty Ltd
Island of Change State of Stability
• Comfortable, known, familiar • ‘Success Trap’; blind optimism • Self-congratulations • Innovation; supplemental • Codification & ‘Best Practice’ • Refine products, services,
processes
State of En Words that start with En • Energy, enthusiasm, enjoyment,
enrichment, engagement • Curiosity & experimentation • Innovation; novel & evolving
• Collaboration, sharing & supporting
State of Doubt • Ignore signs of breakdown • ‘Return to normal’ thinking • Ridicule & discredit alternatives • Jump to conclusions/quick fixes • Criticism of leadership • Old Guard versus New Order
State of Dis Words that start with Dis
• Disorder, distress, discontent, disengagement, dispute etc.
• Loss of direction, strategy & confidence
• False starts & failed attempts • Can be Discovery & Discussion
Because Pty Ltd
Anecdotes and Antidotes
Two stories past
Two stories future
Creating movement
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Two stories past
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Two stories future
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Two stories future
Algorithms substituting for tasks performed by paralegals, contract and patent lawyers
Analysing and sorting more than 570,000 documents in two days
The automation of recruitment
Algorithms working with big data (millions of CVs and profile matching) in a way that is impossible for humans
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Two stories future
• Complex parts possible; GE jet nozzles, lighter, more durable, more fuel efficient
• Manufacturing is moving back to home markets
The impact (PwC report, 2015)
The commercial transport/freight industry is at risk
• 41 percent reduction in air cargo
• 37 percent reduction in ocean cargo
• 25 percent reduction in trucking cargo
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Antidotes
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Start the conversation
• Examine your situation and emerging alternatives
• Expose people to a broader perspective
• Credible ‘outsiders’; their experience and insight
• Listen to the outlaws and dissenters
• Begin to rock the boat
- without falling out
- or without being thrown overboard
Survival is not mandatory
According to Darwin’s Origin of Species, it is not the most intellectual of the species that survives; it is not the strongest that survives; but the species that survives is the one that is able best to adapt and adjust to the changing environment in which it finds itself.
Prof. Leon C. Megginson, 1963
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Let’s talk
To learn more about how we help organisations build the capacity and capability for adaptive change please contact us:
Email: [email protected] Call: +61 400 523 963
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