The Problem with Change

March 25, 2024
“Business worships disruption” to its own detriment, according to this refreshing treatise. Business consultant Goodall (coauthor of Nine Lies About Work), a former Cisco executive, argues that mistakenly conflating frequent internal changes with innovation hurts employee morale. In his view, mergers and other shake-ups often cause breakdowns in communication that leave workers uncertain about their employer’s future, producing unease and distracting from productive activity. Case studies illustrate other negative consequences of disruption, as when Goodall recounts how a South African banker quit his job because a company reorganization caused constant disputes between coworkers about “who was responsible for which pieces of work.” Outlining commonsense principles for reining in unnecessary overhauls, Goodall recommends that business leaders “raise the bar on what we consider sufficient cause to embark on a large change initiative” and consider such “programs and transactions the exception, not the rule.” It’s not always clear how directly the numerous animal studies cited relate to the business world (for instance, Goodall emphasizes the importance of employees feeling that they have agency over their work by describing a study in which dogs became distressed after failing to figure out how to avoid electric shocks). Nevertheless, the book’s heterodox thesis puts needless corporate reshuffling to shame. It’s an emphatic case for staying the course. Agent: Rafe Sagalyn, ICM Partners.

April 1, 2024
Leadership expert Goodall (Nine Lies about Work, 2019) addresses the pervasive organizational strategy of initiating change. Goodall challenges the shift from the historical use of change to ""move up and to the right"" on performance graphs to its current use as a means of discovery, disruption, or distinction. Although change is framed as a problem, it is the motivation for change and its implementation that lead organizations into chaos and loss of reputation, even to the point of collapse. Five essential problems caused when change is undertaken without careful planning include employee uncertainty, lack of control, feelings of unbelonging (loss of team), displacement, and loss of meaning. When these problems are experienced by employees, they impact the change process and hamper its potential for success. Goodall delivers a useful resource for leaders undertaking change, with tools for identifying how the hoped-for change has gone wrong. Precautions (communicate clearly) and remedies (slow the rate of change) to avoid pitfalls are provided. Recommended for business and public-library collections.

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April 15, 2024
A senior executive reflects on the importance of stability in the workplace. Goodall, a former executive at Cisco and Deloitte and co-author of Nine Lies About Work, is sick of the workplace upheaval he calls "life in the blender." As he notes, "life inside many companies today feels like an endless procession of upheavals, each unleashing another torrent of change and rearrangement and reconstruction, each once again reshuffling all the pieces into some supposedly more desirable configuration." Rather than improving company culture, this constant flux makes companies less humane--and therefore more difficult--places to work. "Work today uproots us, in many cases needlessly, and in many more cases carelessly," writes the author. "We are suffering from the human version of transplant shock." Drawing on two decades of personal experience and a plethora of research, he argues for a series of practices companies can use to support stability. These include implementing and valuing rituals like weekly check-ins, seeking out opportunities to make space for spontaneous input, encouraging bonding through work in small groups, creating an organizational identity through shared secrets, and fostering personal autonomy as a way of building resilience. Throughout, Goodall insists on prioritizing predictability and human connection over buzzwords like "innovation." Indeed, he devotes an entire chapter to the importance of eschewing corporate jargon for verbal clarity. Goodall's insistence on humanity is a refreshing alternative to the current trend of treating corporations--rather than workers--as people, and his emphasis on collaboration over competition is a significant departure from mainstream business-speak. However, techniques such as "space-making" have been practices in activist communities for years, which the author does not acknowledge. Overall, though, the book's clear language, deep research, and clarity of concepts make it a useful read for managers and employees alike. A sturdy, well-informed treatise about trading change for care in the workplace.

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