As we all know, change is the constant thing in
the world. But why is that implementing change is so hard? And even if change
is implemented, is it sustainable.
What is
rubber-band effect?
Rubber band effect is one where a change is
implemented but the organisations slowly, sometimes very rapidly, falls back to
its old ways of doing things. It is very similar to our weight-loss plan during
January. We do many things such as meeting dieticians or working with fitness
trainer in the hope of reducing weight. Some people achieve success initially
but eventually gain the weight lost. This
effect of unsustainable change effort is called as “Rubber-band” effect.
Why does
this occur?
This situation is very typical within many organisations.
Everyone (or rather most) agrees that we need to improve the way we do business
in order to survive and thrive in this competitive world. Agreement on change is primarily because they
have their rationale cap on and it does make sense to all our analytical brains
at the end of the day. But the underlying
success formula is whether the change appeals to our emotional in addition to
our analytical side. Therein lays the key to successful sustainable change. Now,
how do we ensure that change appeals to both sides? Here is one approach:
Inside-out Approach
Consider a change that has been successfully
implemented within an organisation – it does not matter what is the scale or impact of the change. Now, think what factors have actually
contributed to the success of the change. If you do not know how to break it down, one
way is to use the following change formula, as shown below:
D
* V * F
> R
D:
Dissatisfaction with the status-quo.
V:
Vision of the future
F:
First Steps
R:
Resistance to change.
In other words, what were the success factors that can be aligned to D, V and F and how these factors helped the
whole change programme to go past R. Then think how these success factors were embedded into business-as-usual. Utilise the lessons learnt from successful ingrown implementation in past and replicate similar conditions for the new changes. By doing so, you will be able to create an
environment that is more conducive to organisation culture. One thing to watch out for is the time relativity. Obviously,
one cannot copy the change implemented in 60s into current world without any
implications.
For illustration, let us revisit the weight-loss example;
consider why you were able to succeed in January. What are all the fundamental
reasons for success early-on and how does it align with the above change formula. Now, think how can you
replicate it across the year. Weight loss is just a metaphoric example but it can be any change of any size. Implanting such positive success for long-term success is what some pundits call as “Positive Root Cause” analysis.
With
that new terminology, I will leave you to do some “positive root cause analysis” for
you and/or your organisation. Ponder over a change that has been hard and
tried few times. i.e. you have seen the rubber-band effect over and over again.
