European Business Improvements

As we all know we deal with change and changes in all the extends of our life, professional and private. The outside world is changing rapidly. Look to the massive changes in IT, mobile-communication, way of travelling. Look to the way we can explore the universe, achieve breakthrough “improvements” of healthcare, build structures and machines that can dig in the earth. And so on….

Recently I attended a course where the speaker told the following story: “Many years ago, mankind had to hunt for their food. Hunted down and belly full, they didn't know when and what they would have for the next meal. So the body/system/perhaps even the DNA was programmed to "keep/store" the obtained meal in body weight. These current day's people in most of the world can grasp food, whenever, wherever and whatever they want. At the other hand the body still “thinks”: "Hey I don't know when I get my next meal, so let's store this...". The speaker claimed that it will take many years (even a few hundred) before the body is "resetted" for the current food environment.” Looking around I do see some people around me that, whatever they eat they won’t get fat. Perhaps those DNA has already been adapted…?

Secondly a famous person wrote this many years ago: "It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change."

To raise some discussion, I think that people do want to stay abreast of change; especially when it touches change of yourself. Change is not in our DNA, it's not our nature. We like to stay in our comfort zone. Despite of all the change programs we have to work on, most of us don't like it at all but do it under "pressure". Fearing to lose a job or whatever...In my opinion it’s also the reason that many, change project/process improvements fail even when they are supported from the top. People are always counting for their individual benefit and thus it's easier to stay in their comfort zone, rather to change because they perhaps don't know what the next comfort zone will bring...?

Here-in lies the main challenge for those who deal with implementing changes. Bring people in their new comfort zone. Guide them, treat them well, remove barriers; understand their concerns. Keep this in mind when dealing with change. It will help make it succeed.