I’ve been thinking recently about definition of insanity attributed to Albert Einstein: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.

The way we have been approaching change perhaps doesn’t qualify as insane, but it begs the question whether conventional change management methodologies need some serious innovation.

For example, consider the 2008 McKinsey survey of 3199 executives around the world. They found, as John Kotter did in his research revealed in his book, Leading Change (1996), that only 30% of change programs succeed. Yikes! Same results 10+ years later! Now you can see why I’m thinking about Albert Einstein.

Since Kotter’s book on leading change, thousands of books and articles have been published; courses and certifications dedicated to managing change have been delivered. And, despite prolific output in the change management field, the results remain the same. Only one in three programs succeed. There’s no question that Kotter’s work should be part of the leading change picture. It’s just that leading change requires continuous learning, ongoing innovation, and an openness to gifts and art and creativity of other disciplines. It’s time we open the doors.

Alan M. Webber, award-winning, Harvard Business Review managing
editor, author, columnist, and founder of Fast Company magazine, wrote a great blog post this St. Patrick’s Day: Waving or Drowning. He writes of needed change in America and he puts forth four great declarations to trigger our thinking. Here they are in bold, with my answers below.

Don’t tell me what you’re against; tell me what you’re for.

I’m for thinking and approaching how to lead change in new and
innovative ways. I believe we need that now more than ever. We need
people that can create change that matters. 

Don’t tell me who to blame; tell me what you’re working on.

I just published a book on how to lead change – a toolkit to make ideas happen. It’s all about innovating how we lead change and expanding our thinking.

Don’t tell me what’s wrong with “them”; tell me what’s going to work.

Leading change requires shaping ideas in a way that people can
‘hear’, in a way that people can connect. Leading change requires
connection, collaboration, engagement. Leading change is about understanding human behavior (not about filling out templates and assessments). Leading change requires left brain+right brain thinking. What’s going to work is to teach more people how to make ideas happen, solve interesting+tough problems, and lead. We need that in our communities, organizations, and governments.

Tell me the kind of change you’re championing and the commitment you’re ready to make to make it happen.

I’m committed to innovating in the field of change management and, more importantly, I’m committed to helping organizations bring a sense of consciousness, an awareness of how important human-centered design is when leading change. I’m committed to bringing humanity back to business where people are treated as valuable contributors to something greater than just the bottom line. I believe we do that by teaching people how to create change that matters.

There you go Alan, sir. I appreciate your great post that inspired me to write this fine evening. The fisherman plays his guitar and sings in the background. My lab’s nose rests on my feet under my desk. My horse was a superstar today. Damn. Some days are just so good. No insanity friends, just thinkin’ and tryin’ and knowin’ we can do better.

References

The Irrational Side of Change Management. Carolyn Aiken and Scott Keller, McKinsey Quaterly, 2008.