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The
idea that organizational change is a controllable phenomenon
is a relatively new concept in the world of management practice.
For much of history, change, either rapid or slow, has been
seen as some ethereal force bringing about the rise and fall
of civilizations, governments, religious groups and commercial
interests. However, recent work in the field has turned old
notions of the chaotic concept of change on its head in the
corporate world.
For the last 25 years, change-management theory has been the
staple of almost all successful corporations, allowing them
to navigate the dynamic world in which we live. The private-sector
reaps these benefits from change management theory; but what
of the public-sector? “The corporate world has always
had the benefit that if you were really incompetent at leading
change, you went out of business and someone with a new widget
came and took over,” says Jerry Climer, director of the
Public Governance Institute, “but historically, it has
not been very important for public leaders to worry too much
about change. This is because the day-to-day operations of government
remain relatively stable. For example, one of the first pieces
of legislation before the U.S. congress over 200 years ago was
a trade bill. Today, Congress argues over the same trade legislation.
So, from that angle, not much changes. However, what we find
is that historically, most public-sector change occurs around
the destruction of the established order.”
So does this mean that change-management isn’t important
to the public-sector? “Certainly not,” says Climer.
“The Information-Age is compounding the complexity of
society, just like the Agrarian and Industrial age before it.
There is no longer a distance involved in communication. News,
thoughts, opinions and culture can reach any place on the globe
in a matter of seconds. The rural Chinese farmer who got electricity
two months ago and television one month ago is today challenged
and threatened by a world of ideas that his predecessors couldn’t
even fathom. Because of this complexity and the interconnectedness
of the global community, being able to effectively manage and
lead change is becoming an imperative.”
“Take the Maya as an example” instructs Climer.
“A whole civilization grew, built gigantic communities,
plumbed the depths of the solar system, developed all manner
of science and technology, and then simply vanished without
a clear reason. Certainly, this change must have been disastrous
for the Mayans, yet global society was at such a stage that
the Mayan collapse remained unfelt by the rest of the world.
Today, governmental collapse in almost any area of the globe
has a real and deleterious impact on the rest of the world.
Therefore, managing change to avoid catastrophe should be a
facet of all governments.” |
