We are working on an organizational change project to increase autonomy at all levels. Things were going really well, … till today. People are really experimenting with new ways of working, taking up more responsibility, being enthusiastic about the whole project. And then we got this e-mail from the CEO. Well intended, for sure. Starting of with a thumbs up for all the hard work! Unfortunately, this is followed by the inevitable “but”… we’re not there yet, we should achieve more and quicker results, maybe change our focus to different experiments, …
You know what people say: “everything before the but is bullshit”. Nobody remembers the first part of the e-mail, people are disappointed and irritated. They truly believed they could set the course & pace for this change project. Yet now the CEO takes over, … again. Statements like “we knew this was going to happen, things will never change here” or “let him take over the whole project, I have better things to do” or “if our CEO isn’t able to let go control, how can we ever make this project work” … tend to take away all faith & motivation for the change project.
At the same time, the fact that this has happened is a fascinating gift, an opportunity to make the project even stronger. Of course you will see old patterns like these happening throughout a change process towards more autonomy & self-organisation. Aren’t these the most interesting moments in the whole process? Moments in which it becomes clear that we’re not there yet, that we will have to explore together which habits and routines we need to change in order to achieve the desired change. I call these moments fascinating indeed: these are the opportunities where real change can happen.
Probably it is no coincidence that the words irritating & fascinating are somehow similar. If we start using these words as synonyms, things that at first are irritating, can highlight in a fascinating way what we should focus on first in order to achieve the desired change.
… and to finish the story, this irritating, fascinating e-mail sent by the CEO has given him the opportunity to sit down together with the project team and to define sharply which leadership habits & routines at the top have to change first if we want to evolve towards an organization with more autonomy and self-organisation.