Seventy percent of all initiatives for a change in modern organizations are doomed to failure. The main reasons are insufficient commitment to a change from employees as well as lack of resources.

Management guru Daryl Conner decades ago described a failed change using the metaphor of the fire on oil rig in North Sea, when employees jump into an icy cold sea, fleeing something they know is not good, but without understanding and skills needed in the new environment. They don’t jump because they are convinced that it’s a good idea, or because a change is a chance for development. They are not even confident that they will survive but they have no choice.

The concept of organization as a machine originated more than a century ago. A manager is in control of how the machine works – he adjusts parameters and removes non-essential parts. He clearly and precisely plans the outcome. Organization is a big clock whose work you can control in a predictable way. If there is a problem in fulfilling a projected plan, disassemble the clock into parts, see which part is not working, fix it or replace it with a new one. Resistance to managing a change is resolved with the help of a stick or a carrot. Better salary or fear of being fired are some of the ways for motivation.

The environment we live and work today brings great uncertainty and inability to predict future events based on previous experience. Modern organization has the attributes of a living being. It is made up of people who are interconnected and possess complex relationship dynamics. Organization, on the other hand, is immersed in the field of environment. It’s not perfect, it is irrational, emotional, chaotic and sometimes confusing. Just like any human being. In all of this, there is no single truth nor perfect parameters for adjusting the system, but the multiple reality of organization in a given moment of contact with the environment from the perspective of employees, suppliers, buyers or the stock market. Therefore, the interpretations of a change are diverse and always variable. A change in organization is co-created in the relations of employees in a company. Planning a change is a necessity, but with the involvement of a wide a circle of employees. The constructive cacophony of voices coming from all sides is the basis for planning a change in a modern organization. After jumping from the platform into the sea, there are boats and special swimming suits waiting, and in the distance there is a picture of the co-created future of organization.

(Published in Nedeljnik, May 2022)