Discard conventional wisdom to achieve positive change

By Michael McCauley Do you like Dilbert as much as I do? On December 21st  Dilbert’s creator, Scott Adams, takes on organizational change in eight frames. Does this sound familiar? The consultant talks with the Human Resources (HR) director and talks about how he will do an initial diagnostic review, and then form centers of excellence. Next, he will consolidate shared services to drive continuous improvement. In this scenario the organization will be transformed by translating initiatives into actionable tasks. Of course since Adams is lampooning, by the seventh frame the joke is on the HR director, and on the tired conventional wisdom he’s been spouting. This is part of why I continue to be excited by the freshness of Kim Cameron’s ideas. Cameron suggests that leaders actively promote a positive climate, positive communications, positive relationships, and positive meaning in their organizations. He posits that this philosophy and its practice will drive growth resulting from people performing at a much higher level. Does it work? We have found that it does. People and organizations change more quickly and more predictably. The changes are positive and the organization thrives.]]>