| Change management is a lot like artificial heart | | | | status on actions to fix customer upsets, |
| transplant surgery: A crucial surgical objective | | | | manufacturing breakdowns, etc.) In the afternoon |
| during the implantation of an artificial heart is to | | | | they might focus only on change-the-business |
| keep the patient alive while the surgery is going | | | | issues - like our Process Management |
| on. Not exactly a minor detail! | | | | implementation (e.g., who are the next managers |
| Actually, keeping the patient alive turns out to be | | | | to receive training, what is the progress on the |
| a pretty complicated process; it requires very | | | | pilot project in each department, how far along is |
| special machinery that has been developed and | | | | the task force that is mapping core processes, |
| tested over many years. In fact, there may be | | | | how far along is HR in designing an incentive |
| more patents on the stay-alive-during-surgery | | | | compensation system that supports Process |
| technology than on the artificial heart itself! | | | | Management, etc.). |
| When we implement change, we use two kinds | | | | The regular practice of the two executive |
| of technology as well; in this case the first | | | | meetings each Monday becomes a rudimentary |
| technology is the body of knowledge - or | | | | "management system" that provides focus and |
| expertise - associated with the change, which is | | | | balance to both running and changing the business. |
| analogous to the artificial heart. Let's assume that | | | | This simple but powerful idea can be extremely |
| the change in which we are interested in | | | | valuable to organizations trying to implement |
| implementing is Process Management. In this | | | | change because it moves their thinking from an |
| example, we would need the Process | | | | unconscious "change the business OR run the |
| Management body of knowledge which we are | | | | business" to a conscious "change the business |
| implementing (implanting) in the organization | | | | AND run the business." |
| (patient). | | | | It takes heroic leadership to maintain this duality. |
| The second technology is analogous to the | | | | Daily temptation lurks everywhere... |
| surgical procedure. It is our Change Management | | | | * "Let's cancel the afternoon meeting; we don't |
| system. And like our surgical procedure, it has the | | | | need it. We had a good change-the-business |
| dual objectives of changing the business | | | | session two weeks ago." |
| (implanting the heart) and running the business | | | | * "We really need the time this Monday afternoon |
| (keeping the patient alive during the procedure). | | | | to get to the details of the current customer |
| No change initiative (like Process Management) | | | | problem in the southern region." |
| occurs in a vacuum. The initiative must necessarily | | | | Just as a heart patient makes a heroic decision to |
| go on while the organization is "staying alive," | | | | permit the implanting of an artificial heart, we |
| doing its "day job" of producing products, serving | | | | need executive leadership at the very top making |
| customers, collecting monies, and so on... in order | | | | the heroic decisions the organization needs to |
| to make a profit for share/stakeholders. | | | | stay the course of organizational change. |
| While in most cases there will be a number of | | | | Senior executives must make the decision to lead |
| moving parts to a full-blown run-the-business / | | | | a fully-committed change effort, providing the |
| change-the-business system, simple examples do | | | | personal "in front of the troops" presence and |
| exist. Imagine a senior executive team that | | | | direction, to provide the needed resources and |
| meets every Monday. They might use the | | | | organizational time... while continuing to run the |
| morning session to focus only on run-the-business | | | | business on a daily basis in order to meet or |
| issues (e.g., progress toward financial targets, | | | | exceed the year's business goals. |