Can Change be in the DNA of an Organization?

Change as DNA
David Wilson, Manager, Canada, Premium Member
Good question. I think IF it becomes part of the DNA (i.e. culture), change becomes a positive and not a negative (i.e. 3M, IBM, Apple, Google, etc.). People should look at change as a good idea and always seek to find improvements through innovation and problem solving (see The Toyota Way, Liker, 2004). You need the right long-term thinking (i.e. philosophy), process (with quality improvements - Deming PDSA), people and partners (i.e. respect, challenge and grow them - see The Leadership Challenge, Kouzes and Posner, 2007, 4th ed.), and problem solving (i.e. continuous improvement and learning - see Five Disciplines, Senge, 1990). However, you cannot ignore the change process and you need to find the tools (see Leading Change, Kotter, 1996) that will support the process.

What are the Sources of Change?
amani gera, Accountant, Egypt, Member
I read a book which is written by Gareth Morgan ('Images of Organization') one of the important aspects concerning change is that if a system has a sufficient degree of internal complexity, randomness, diversity and instability it becomes a source for change.

Allow an Organization to Change without Crisis
David Wilson, Manager, Canada, Premium Member
I agree with your statement. If you examine Leadership and the New Science (Wheatley, 1999), you will see that we can "discover order in a chaotic world" (pp. 17-25). If you build the ability to change into an organization's DNA, perhaps you will allow the organization to evolve to where it is capable of being changed without crisis.
I think we need to move beyond treating people and organizations like machines, and we need to foster the life of an organization and its people, by creating open, flexible and adaptive systems (pp. 75-80). Perhaps, "we need to develop radically different approaches to change" (Wheatley, 1999, P. XVII) using open and fluid systems, life and nature, innovation and imagination, leadership, boundaryless structures, learning organizations (The Fifth Discipline, Senge, 1990), etc.

How Big is the Role of Change?
amani gera, Accountant, Egypt, Member
I just want to ask an important question is change enough for any organization to realize its objectives or is change just a tool the organization should use without any guarantees of success.

Organisational Change and Primary task
RajVinder Singh Gill, United Kingdom, Member
Any organization needs to be clear about its primary task. Once it has that clarity it can inform others and the feedback set up through this enables it to legitimize change. A key concept within this is the idea that the language of discourse of its members needs to reflect the primary task and their vision of how they would want to be interacting with the world around them. A lot of energy is often wasted through change management only for it to return to its status quo until the next upheaval. To renew itself the organization needs to keep its primary task within its perceptual field and keep exploring it.

Change is More Than a Tool
David Wilson, Manager, Canada, Premium Member
Hi Amani. The nature of change is dependent upon the scope and complexity of the organization's objective(s).
I believe change is more complex if the objective is strategic. If the change is tactical or operational, then it may be possible to use change as a tool.
If you look at the concept of change using a 2x2 or 3x3 square, you may find it easier to assess.
In addition, I have always found it helpful to add a SWOT analysis and/or a PEST(LE) analysis.

Is it Possible to Live Without Changing?
Alexandre de Sa Oliveira, Teacher, Brazil, Member
Sometimes I read texts and scientific articles about organizational change, as if changing were a kind of choose. In my opinion change is a kind of universal law through which everything is influenced. I offer my understanding that change is present in everything, including organizations. Remember Heraclitus from Efesus: it's impossible touching the same river twice (my words). Changing, in my opinion, is a competence, a natural competence.

Organizations can't Live without Change
amani gera, Accountant, Egypt, Member
We can't live without change, as I read Gareth Morgan in his book "The Theories of Autopoiesis, Chaos and Complexity" encourages us to understand how change unfolds through circular patterns of interaction, and how organizations evolve or disappear along with changes occurring in the broader context.

Can Change Become Part of the Nature of the Organization? Yes
Leena Bissoonauth, Student (University), Mauritius, Member
I believe that in the dynamic world of today, organizational change is mandatory. Such change, to have a positive impact needs to be well planned. An organisation needs to transform to a learning organisation where every one is encouraged to learn and adapt to the changing conditions, as an opportunity for career development.
This learning results in changes in knowledge, changes in beliefs, changes in behaviors and enchancement of the organisational capacity for innovation and growth.
It can become part of the organisation internally. If properly planned it can become part of the organisation culture, but it is really difficult to change beliefs because beliefs are deeply rooted. Therefore an organisation that adopts a learning culture is more flexible to change to face the global competition.
Change can also be used to interact with the external environment. Change means to innovate, keep up breast with the changing world and hence, the PEST factors can be effectively managed even they are not within the control of management.

Change in Complex Systems
RajVinder Singh Gill, United Kingdom, Member
In a stable system, change is difficult without it being traumatic.
In a complex system that relies on instability, change offers the prospect of evolution and improvement. Randomness creates the environment for creativity and networking that is informal as individuals within the organisation establish relationships that legitimise discourses encountered and diversity is acknowledged.