Managing change is something that most businesses will need to do.
This month, Paul Ridsdale-Smith, our head of transforming, takes a different approach to this often complex subject. Take it away Paul!
Managing Change – the forced way
I started writing this on a flight back from Morocco earlier this week, where my wife and I recently enjoyed a short break in Marrakech. The title might be misleading as I am offering no review of the US election results from last week, merely an observation on the change from BST to GMT that happens every year at the end of October in the UK. Sorry if that’s disappointing, but I have neither the credentials nor the boldness to offer political commentary.
So the clocks have gone back and autumn is here. Why do I find the bi-annual adjustment for daylight saving time to be an outdated requirement? We have electric lights now, most cities and some towns are effectively vibrantly active 24-hours a day, farmers can also operate around the clock if they want to, and the sometime-cited benefit of energy cost savings is far from proven (https://www.nber.org/papers/w14429).
Why am I a bit grumpy about this? Well, it always feels like I am being forced to adapt to an externally inflicted requirement, and not without some inconvenience. My sleep is disrupted – it isn’t an hour extra in bed as the weather presenters would have you believe. On the first night I sleep for the normal time as my body clock wakes me up as usual, but then lose an hour’s rest the following night as I go to bed a the “new normal” time only for my body clock to wake me up at the old normal time.
My dog doesn’t see it as anything other than a cruel affliction. Labradors are constantly hungry as it is, so an hour’s delay to the delivery of breakfast and dinner and Dudley is beside himself in dribbling anticipation. Perhaps there is one upside; after the clocks go back I can’t see my garden when I’ve finished work, so no self-imposed expectation that I should get out there and quickly mow the law or weed a bed. The flipside of that comes at the weekend though when even a modicum of a lie-in means that precious daylight has been frittered away.
So what to do each autumn when this event comes around (for some reason I find the time change in Spring much easier to appreciate; though do understand we can’t have one without the other). I can think of three options: Deny, adapt or adopt.
Managing Change – the easier way?
I could deny the change has happened and just carry on in BST. I guess that might work for a while – especially in this working-from-home, flexitime enabled post-covid world. But fairly quickly I’d run into challenges. Turning up to prearranged rendezvous an hour late, missing flights, etc. would obviously be frustrating and potentially expensive.
Perhaps I could adapt to a new hybrid approach? Get up and go to bed an hour “early” (i.e. keep BST for my sleep pattern) but run everything else on the new time. My wife and I thought this might be a good approach and seriously considered trying it. It lasted one night. Turns out that our News at Ten meet-up before heading to bed after the weather is an old habit that was a step too far to stop, even though I slept through a good portion of Louise’s (or was it Tomasz’s?) polished output from their day’s analysis.
So denial is impractical, adaptation too hard – eventual adoption is seemingly inevitable. And, to be fair, I am getting better sleep now, six days in. I’m still missing the chance for a scenic walk after work though; roll on spring!
For me, this is a practical example of Managing Change and hopefully gives me a bit more empathy towards people who have to undergo change that is outside of their control. Helping people prepare for change, ensuring they are engaged in the change, and reassuring people as to the reasons for and benefits of change, are all important factors in achieving successful change. When you’re implementing a new business management system change is inevitable for everyone. In fact, if there is no change you will not have achieved anything (except perhaps a significant cost).
We are experienced in supporting companies going through technology-led changes, so why not contact us to see if we can help you out? We may even give you a few hours of better sleep!