Transformation amid turbulent times

“Plans should be in response to external and internal customers. A way to, in real time, display adaptive strategies and leadership,” Dr. Hayashi says. “Organizations can effectively adapt in the midst of a crisis situation by paying attention to not only the technical aspects of organizational pivot but to ensure that the focus is on the most important asset, its people. Research in change management has consistently shown that dedicated attention and investments in the capabilities of the workforce such as leadership and team coaching as an integral part of systems and process adjustments can significantly enhance productivity by 30% and reduction in attrition by as much as 50% … ultimately effective adaptive leadership translates to positive people and profit outcomes when organizations can really use every break they can get in times of the global pandemic.”

Another key component of effective change management is diversity: diversity of thought, diversity of identity, diversity of talent. By incorporating such diversity into a group tasked with making change, leaders have access to a wider variety of perspectives and, in turn, can adjust their strategies accordingly.

Think of it this way: In a work environment, if employees don’t feel understood or valued, then culture, productivity, and retention can suffer. In fact, a 2018 report from McKinsey and Company found that public companies in the top quartile for ethnic and racial diversity in management were 35% more likely to have financial returns above the industry average, and those in the top quartile for gender diversity were 15% more likely to have returns above the industry average.

For both government officials and business executives, the proof is in the pudding: When leaders invest in diversity, it pays dividends.

“One of the phrases I use with my clients is ‘Be a listening, learning leader,’” says Saybrook University Board Trustee Joanne L. Smikle, Ph.D. “Do not walk in pretending that you know it all, that you have all the insights in the world, and that you are the fount of all knowledge. Leaders have to be open to hearing different perspectives. It’s important to find and prioritize fresh voices.”

It’s a widely accepted tactic of adopting changes in business to listen to those who the change is going to affect—aptly named an open-source approach. By ensuring diverse voices and making them a part of conversation, research shows that successful implementation grows by 22%.

“I think people need not fear what they have a voice in,” Dr. Smikle adds. “So the question is, ‘What are you going to do to actively solicit input and insights from lots of different people?’ It’s like when I work with clients on strategy, I say, ‘Do not think because you are an executive at this company that you are necessarily the best person to guide strategy or know what is best for the organization. The people close to the work have a level of intelligence that the people at the top of the house don’t have. Let’s hear from those people. Let’s invite them into these strategy sessions. Let’s invite them to shape the future of this organization.’ It’s the same model for this country.”

One of the resonating values of civil progress has long been increasing the voices that are heard—and it’s easy to understand that as a nation, our success with dealing with these rapid changes is much more likely to be successful by incorporating valuable insight from all communities.

The American Society of Quality defines change management as “the methods and manners in which a company describes and implements change within both its internal and external processes. This includes preparing and supporting employees, establishing the necessary steps for change, and monitoring pre- and post-change activities to ensure successful implementation.” Noting that the reason most changes fail are human reasons.

Change does not happen in a vacuum.

Success and failure are largely dependent on whether or not key constituencies buy into the premise. Within an organization, employees can be resistant to change, as the status quo is oftentimes more comforting than the prospect of the unknown.

Causes for fear are abundant in today’s world, made exponentially worse by the uncertainty of it all. We don’t know how many people will perish before a viable COVID-19 vaccine emerges, or whether local, state, and national governments will actually move forward to address the racial injustices laid bare over the course of many years—not just 2020. If the unknown and uncertain inherently predispose us to fear, then it’s no wonder anxiety is at an extreme high for so many.

These dual pandemics—COVID-19 and racism—are now responsible for a sort of collective trauma. A recent CNN investigation considers the impacts that mass trauma can have on a population by revisiting the prolonged state of “chronic threat response” (the ongoing state of being in survival mode) provoked by the events of September 11, 2001. According to the World Trade Center Health Registry, roughly 20% of registrants reported PTSD symptoms many years later, indicating that the aftereffects of the coronavirus could be equally enduring.

Generations are brought together by these collective experiences while such a precarious environment also has the potential to drive individuals into polarized cultural vacuums, where oversimplified answers (think so-called miracle “cures” like hydroxychloroquine) are offered as confident, comforting explanations to complex and confusing questions.