Blog | November 9, 2011

Leadership Expert Shares Thoughts On Change Implementation

Source: Life Science Leader
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By Rob Wright, Chief Editor, Life Science Leader
Follow Me On Twitter @RfwrightLSL

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By  Rob Wright
 
I recently got a call from Leo Hopf, author of “Rethink, Reinvent, Reposition.” He wanted to discuss business renewal in life science organizations. According to Hopf, “There are hundreds of books on innovation. But, what they focus on is how to take an idea and turn it into a business. Renewing an ongoing business is much more complex than innovating from scratch. When you renew a business you will alter the engines which deliver a large percentage of its top and bottom lines, how it is perceived by customers, and how it is viewed internally by the workforce. Even when the call for making changes to your business model is clear and compelling, there are several challenges to making it happen. These challenges include:
 
  • The way people are measured and rewarded. There is single point of accountability for results in most businesses. But, renewal spans organizational boundaries and seldom has a single person responsible for driving the effort.
  • The evil of consensus. Consensus holds an organization hostage to its least creative, least imaginative, and least risk-taking person. Renewal is about leading to obtain clarity and alignment. It is not about watering alternatives down to make them acceptable to all.
  • No one has the time. Running a business already takes more time and attention than a leadership team possesses. Who has time to craft a new business model?
  • There is no defined renewal process. How do you start? Who makes the decisions? What is the work of renewal and who does it? Without a clear process it may seem too daunting to even begin.
  • The weight of history constrains what is allowed. Great companies have pride and deeply rooted beliefs about who they are and what they do. These beliefs help them in their day-to-day operations, but may place unwarranted constraints on the type of alternatives they seriously consider when investigating renewal.
It is interesting to note that while the call for renewal normally comes from changes occurring in the external business environment, the challenges for undertaking renewal come primarily from internal beliefs and behaviors.

So, how do you address these challenges and successfully renew your organization? In short, do the following: identify which parts of your business need renewal and which do not; stretch your thinking to create powerful renewal alternatives; and then manage the transition from your old business model to the new one.

I am in the process of reading Hopf’s book so I can gain a greater understanding of the subject matter. If you would like a chance at winning a free copy of his book, email me a question to pose to our board atb@lifescienceconnect.com. If we publish your question with an answer, I will send you a copy of “Rethink, Reinvent, Reposition.”