The Physics of Change Management

Change management undoubtedly is a science. An overlap of engineering principles with those of change management justifies its scientific positioning Key learnings: The basic principles of change management have an uncanny similarity to principles of engineering Understanding this similarity can help leaders better their approach to change management Ever wondered how a pulley helps pull water from a well? How can one shift a heavy rock with the help of a crowbar? These feats are attributed to principles of physics that help in accomplishing the desired tasks by changing or shifting levers . According to Roger Dickhout , research associate with Mckinsey Consulting , these principles can help one understand the concept of corporate change. For, it needs co-ordinated movement of organisational levers to accomplish the desired outcome.

Dickhout has instituted a framework for change management that outlines five basic principles governing change management in an organisational set- up. These principles are derived from the field of engineering and hence are driven largely by scientific thinking. Interestingly, organisations operate in much the same way as objects in physics. It s a comparison that is abstract in its own way but brings in a completely different perspective to managing change and therefore is extremely useful. Leveraging the power of scientific thinking The five principles of change management include: The principle of balance between organisational ecosystems The law of leverage The law of momentum The law of feedback and fine tuning The law of leadership

The principle of balance Change is most often enforced on organisations, it is never by choice. Choice is only limited to whether one wants to change or not. Hence when organisations are subjected to external or internal pressures they feel a need to change. This pressure comes into play when there is an imbalance between the constituent stakeholders of a company. The stakeholders group includes employees, customers, shareholders, management, communities and competitors. Understanding how imbalance between corporate ecosystems leads to conditions of compelling change becomes simple when we use nature as an example. Nature is made of ecosystems that are interdependent and work in balance. However, when the balance between these is shaken there is a sudden flux of violent negative energy that results in redistribution of resources thereby getting the scarcity mentality at fore. This is precisely what happens when an external force strikes organisations and tilts its balance compelling them to change and rearrange their priorities. Understanding the source of change can thus help organisations handle it better. The law of leverage In the organisational context, managers and leaders seek levers to implement their change strategy. Finding the appropriate levers and pushing them in the right direction thus underscores the corporate

change management strategy. Research on high-performing companies shows that they do very few things right , but these few things are the key drivers of business success. The force with which companies push these key drivers determines the degree of their success. In the organisational context, Roger Dickhout has classified levers into three basic categories. These are: economic levers (costs and revenues), organisational levers (structure, processes, operations and culture) and performance levers (vision and values). Identifying these levers and leveraging them to maximise the growth potential of organisations thus defines the principle of leverage. The law of momentum Change represents work done. In physics work done is denoted by the product of force and distance. Which means a certain amount of force is needed to get work done for which one needs energy. Therefore when we refer to change in the organisational context it implies use of certain energy for driving the same. The challenge therefore lies in the ability of leaders to identify the sources of energy that they believe would help them accomplish the intended change. Dickhout also mentions two different forms of energy distribution patterns (again derived from physics)exothermic and endothermic . According to research conducted by him, endothermic change initiatives are those that consume energy while exothermic change initiatives expel energy thereby making the entire system more vibrant. Exposing customer requirements in totality is an example of exothermic initiatives as it invigorates employees and charges them to innovate in ways that could appease their customers. Law of feedback and fine tuning In todays era of intense competition, performance levels are getting redefined faster than one can cope with. Hence the need for instant feedback and adjustment of processes to meet the demands of time is no more a matter of choice, but a necessity. Like in an electrical circuit , where input and output devices are installed to see the electricity generated, corporate circuits too need measures like feedback and control mechanisms to monitor the efficacy of their change management initiatives. Law of leadership Leaders are like catalysts. In a chemical reaction, a catalyst is used to hasten the reaction and derive the product faster than it otherwise would take. In the organisational context , it is the leaders who play the catalyst. They step up the efforts of their staff through their involvement and also provide a little push from time to time. In addition, leadership involvement also lends a significant amount of credibility to the process of change management. While there are a number of factors determining corporate change management , it is these basic five principles that make the change go round. Therefore organisations seeking effective change transfusion need to understand and analyse these principles in totality in order to arrive at a holistic change management solution.
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