Send to KindleLeaders, Is This Change Necessary?
Stop the madness!
I logged into LinkedIn the other day and surprise, the page had changed. 
Not a lot, but enough that I couldn’t find what I was looking for. The same thing happened recently to the internet browser I use. Someone thought it was necessary to move the download progress box to a different location. Rather than letting me see it, they decided it was better to make me look for it. After all, what else did I have to do?
Bill Gates reportedly said the secret to making money was upgrades. Microsoft has certainly proven that model. But what about all those little changes that I get for free in programs like LinkedIn or the web browser? What’s the purpose of those changes? Is it just change for the sake of change? Most likely, yes. I’ll explain shortly, but first, compare this to your actions as a leader.
It’s tempting to make a change just because it seems like a good idea, or because it will look pretty cool without really considering the cost or effect of that change. As leaders we sometimes can’t see, or don’t bother to look at what effects our brilliant ideas will have on the workers who must implement them. We also don’t think of the cumulative effects little changes will have. It’s way too common to see the world through our narrowly focused stovepipe.
My experiences in the military provide an excellent example. Some years ago, in response to shrinking budgets, various support services were eliminated. It started when the part of the logistics function that ordered bulk office supplies was transferred to the units. We were all told that this new unit responsibility “would only take a very small amount of time.” That was true. Trouble was, another agency did the same thing. Then another, and another until before long units were spending as much time doing all these other functions as they were trying to do what they were chartered for in the first place.
Each of those changes made sense to the function that made the change. They appeared to increase efficiency while decreasing cost. To the people who had to implement the change, it was a completely different story.
Back to the original example. Changes in the look and feel of computer software have become standard. To those of us in the Boomer generation, this may not make sense. But to the younger generation it does. I firmly believe the human attention span has evolved to the point that new stimulus is required exactly every 752 milliseconds. These constant little changes are expected and even demanded by the younger generations, but are frustrating those of us who are a little older. But the same pace of change that has become standard in the world of computer programming is much more likely to cause discontent when foisted on the organization’s population. Leaders still must do due diligence before making a change.
Remember that the workers who are so accepting of apparently arbitrary changes to their web browsers are much more likely to walk out the door if they feel the company is making arbitrary changes in their work situation that don’t benefit them.
