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Publisher’s Column

Managing Change!

After being in the same location for almost 13 years, we recently moved our offices to much larger quarters. Fortunately the move was not as disruptive or traumatic as it could have been. I attribute the the relative ease of the move to the full cooperation of the staff AND to a course I took in graduate school 32 years ago on Management of Change.

I cannot recall all the concepts that were covered in this 13 week course, but two that I did stood me in good stead during this move.

First, I remember my professor belaboring the point that when planning a change, the initial focus should not be on activities but rather broad categories; pre-move preparation, the actual physical move, and post-move settling in. Once these broad categories are determined, he advised that we make a list of five or six primary functions under each category. At this point, he explained, a good manager gets the staff involved in detailing all the activities under each function and delegates tasks that need to be done. For the most part, I followed his advice, and I must tell you I did not feel as stressed about the move, which I may have otherwise.

Second, I very clearly recollect the professor saying that when planning for change, plan for more changes than are necessary. The momentum created for the required change can be used to further improve efficiency and productivity with very little extra effort ( e.g. the effort required to move a big boulder five feet is far greater than the force required to move it additional five feet). I took this to heart and in implementing the move I was able to achieve other goals with relative ease.

Whether it is planning a move, redecorating a store, ordering inventory, introducing new products, we all operate in a dynamic environment. The marketplace is constantly changing. Those of us who wish to thrive have to contemplate the ramifications of our decisions and actions. Furthermore, we have to manage change to optimize our profits. I am glad I took that course in graduate school -- the basic concepts ( at least those I remember ) help me everyday.

Naresh Dewan, Publisher