Employees are our most important asset – Really?
This is a valuable read if you have not read it before. It’s titled “Human Change Management – Herding Cats” (link) by Mark Dawson and Mark Jones of PWC (I refer to them as “the Marks”). They tell an old but pertinent story – one that has been around for so long, but sadly is still as (or maybe more) pertinent today. Essentially too many companies give lip-service to this mantra but seldom back it up. “The Marks” describe what is now an old and sad tale – while organizational change becomes the norm, most change efforts fail or under-deliver. And evidence continues to show that much of the reason is that companies simply do not place adequate effort or investment in changing hearts and minds of their people.
Organizations don’t adapt to change; their people do. Implementing the right technology infrastructure and streamlining the business processes that flow through it are essential ingredients for effective organizational change. These components are well studied, mechanized and reasonably standardized. Methodologies, measurements and best-practice guidelines are available to optimize their implementation. But the human element that needs to make use of these systems in order to supply the leadership, judgment, flexibility and innovation needed to achieve business success is the most critical ingredient – and least understood… Most companies say their most important assets are their people, but few behave as if this were true.
