Aesoph Group

By Christopher Aesoph, MA

       Working to improve a very busy company is like trying to rewire a house^*with the power on. It’s a task that can be done, but it’s slow going and of course requires extreme care. As the project proceeds, there are two kinds of executives who will react strongly to this kind of effort: the change agents, and the steady eddies. 

Change agents, while they bring a lot of great energy to everyone around them, can easily turn to a form of fanaticism that drives others away. They begin to believe they are alone, and that they are the only ones who care enough and are bright enough to do what needs to be done. This type of bitterness builds on itself, until they become so worked up that they would consider burning the house down in order to rewire. “Off with their heads!” is their battlecry. 

The steady eddies are just as necessary in any organization. They have a lot to offer because they have a wealth of knowledge and experience. However, when they feel nervous about change, which they almost always do, they would suggest just about everything happening in the company now is good enough with some minor alterations. They would leave the current wiring as is, even though the load has expanded with time and success. Left as is, the current success will soon, or has already, overwhelmed the ability of the wires to carry it. Either approach leaves the house vulnerable to burning down. 

In between those two extremes, there is a way to upgrade and improve without destroying what is working from the past, and without neglecting areas that require updating. One aspect is that any individual can play all three roles—change fanatic, complacent eddie, or reasonable upgrader—depending upon the project. How, you say? 

Consider Tony, a well-respected member of a successful management team. If you suggest upgrading a department that has always irked Tony, he will act as a change fanatic, recommending that it be blown to bits. Minutes later, discussing his own department, where he has invested hours of his time and talent, Tony may be very protective and appear to be complacent about needed upgrades. And, in departments where he is more objective, Tony will be a reasonable contributor to the project, pushing for change where needed, and helping to hang on to what is best from the past. Given this tendency to behave differently across situations, even people who are in support of improvement efforts can be unpredictable. Gathering a group of these unpredictable and passionate beings together in a room to come up with a game plan is wonderful, and painful, at the same time. 

*So says our Process Review expert, Denise Owen.