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Wednesday, 21 August 2019

Change is not always for the best

I am creature of change and variety. A change of furniture, a change in layout, a change in almost anything is exciting. I even get uncomfortable with the status quo. Being excited is great. Needing change is less so; often times, the status quo works best! This need for change is an important world issue which receives insufficient attention. 

In the political sphere more than any other, people are always looking for change. A large part of this is driven by media which makes the current system look broken. I am not saying that the existing systems are flawless (because nothing ever is). I am simply saying that a lot of the systems are in employment because they work.

In the corporate sphere, management change is often followed by grand strategy overhauls. It is true that management changes are often the result of extended periods of sagging performance, but continuously taking two steps forward and three steps back does not lead to progress. Instead of an overhaul, a better strategy is often to fine tune existing processes, and selectively plant a few seeds that can grow into trees.

I understand that we must focus on issues and solutions if things are to improve. But before we seek to improve everything, we must improve our “factfulness”, for things often work better than we think. So, I would be weary of grand presentations in which management proposes strategy overhauls: running an existing company is (almost always) about understanding the mechanics of the vessel, and precision-setting the course of a ship; it is rarely about turning the ship in an entirely different direction, and (almost) never about rebuilding the entire vessel. 
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N.B: If an executive finds themselves trying to rebuild the vessel, they probably failed to see potential sources of disruption, and didn't set the course carefully enough. And, the chances are they will fail to rebuild the vessel in time (before it fills with water and sinks!!).

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