The art, science, and imperfectability of organizational change

By William Seidman I’m working with one of our corporate customers to change their culture and business processes. During ten weeks I’ve worked with 300 managers. The program has made incredible progress but isn’t complete. I met with some of the key managers; some were disappointed in the progress we (and they) were making.  These managers said although they recognized that the company culture had changed for the better, some people hadn’t fully bought in. How many people weren’t yet on board? 15 out of 300 — a pretty good ratio (95% success rate)  for any organization!          Many managers have what I came to describe as an expectation of perfection. In their view, a change can be called successful only if it is total. We talked about the progress that has been made and the imperfectability of change. They relaxed and were able to see the good side. In fact, change that lasts is often slow and usually “imperfect,” but progress is definitely possible.]]>