Conference 7.286::digital

1237.0. ""Don't Do Something, Stand There!"" by ESRAD::DONATH (on the road to find out) Fri Oct 19 1990 12:25

              Don't Just Do Something, Stand There!


I've seen numerous dialogue in Digital's note conferences
concerning the low morale of the workforce, an increasing
frustration with management making poor decisions away from the
front lines of business, being rigid in thinking, and non-technical
in a technical company which is getting more technical everyday. 
I have to agree with these writers, Digital has a management crisis
on its hands.  Management seems to be the problem and they seem to
be just standing there!  But innovation is deeply needed in our
workplace -  where innovative ideas generate an infectious
enthusiasm and passion for what is done.

There are many forces influencing organizations to affect change or
to resist change.  Among these forces which affect change are
charismatic personalities, fortuitous circumstances, expediencies
driven by effectiveness and efficiencies on the one hand.  
Restraining forces for change are traditions, social conventions,
restrictive management practice, and prior experiences.  Often
these forces are in direct conflict with each other erupting into
enormous struggles and a resistance to change.  

Targeted audiences in need of change can panic in times of forced
change, and bring about unpredictable outcomes for the adaption
and/or adoption of innovations deemed important for the
organization and its people.  Hence, in a panic mode, an inability
to act when action is needed will appear as, "Don't just do
something, stand there."  But we all know it is time to act.


So how can Digital improve its prospects for organizational change
initiatives? 

First, Digital management must identify and understand the relevant
general class of variables and their relationships which have
facilitated successful linkage enterprise or in other words, helped
innovative thinking get adopted or adapted into current practice. 
This general class of variables which affect the adoption and
adaption of innovative ideas can be understood as the
characteristics of:

  -  the person or people who are proposing change,

  -  the conditions for change or environmental factors influencing
     change,

  -  the change or innovation proposed itself,

  -  the characteristics of the people who are targeted for change,

  -  and the way in which change is communicated or proposed.

A Set of Plausible Relationships Associated with the
Adaption/Adoption of Innovation.

I will summarize some of the work of William C. Wolf, of the
University of Massachusetts/Amherst in this area of innovation
being accepted and utilized.  His work has identified very clear
propositions that weigh strongly in the equation of affecting
changes and the embracement of innovation.  Digital should look at
each of these areas so that important needed changes can be
facilitated more easily and not get lost in an abysmal abyss of
managerial manipulations.


Agents for Change

Who are the agents for change?  They are the people who link ideas,
knowledge, or innovations with people who need or want to change. 
They are the people who are proposing innovations.
These people in part are the people who make up our Delta Program. 
They are trying to link the innovative ideas with the groups that
need them.

These agents for change should be aware that there is a strong
relationship between successful adoption/adaption of innovations
when certain behaviors and characteristics are present.

Successful adoption/adaption of innovations will tend to occur when
change agents:

     1.   possess certain behavioral characteristics (i.e.,
          reliability, punctuality, ability to listen, etc.)

     2.   have certain professional expertise (i.e., needs
          assessment expertise, critical thinking expertise,
          evaluation expertise, communication expertise, etc.)

     3.   have a degree of compatibility between their professional
          and demographic characteristics and the typical member of
          the target audience who might adopt/adapt the innovation.

     4.   invest a lot of time in the process.

     5.   have had prior successful experiences in negotiating
          change.


Conditions for Change

Change has a tendency to occur for a targeted audience when there
is:

     1.   general dissatisfaction with current practice.

     2.   strong resource potential (flexible staff, risk money to
          spend, equipment, etc.)

     3.   experience with successful adoption/adaption of
          innovation in the past.


The Innovation

Its the idea that can change current practice and enhance/extend
the practice to new levels of effectiveness.

However, one should note that successful adoption/adaption of
innovation is:

     1.   positively related to the degree of compatibility between
          the innovation and the needs of the target audience.

     2.   positively related to the compatibility between the
          generally accepted professional practice of the persons
          who comprise the target audience.

     3.   positively related to the extent which an innovation can
          be physically manipulated (i.e., sub-dived, modified,
          etc.).

     4.   positively related to the extent which an innovation can
          be pilot tested.

     5.   inversely related to the complexity of the innovation. 
          That is to say, simple innovations are easily adopted,
          while complex innovations are much more difficult to get
          adopted.

     6.   inversely related to the number of problems which a
          target audience raise about an innovation.

     7.   positively related to how well available information on
          an innovation depicts strengths and limitations of an
          innovation.


The Target Audience for Innovation

These are the people who are to make a change.

However, making that change is:

     1.   inversely related to the number of people who are
          targeted for change.

     2.   inversely related to the number of administrative units
          within the targeted audience (i.e., Cost Centers).

     3.   inversely related to the number of decision-making levels
          within the target audience. (i.e., management levels,
          committees).

     4.   directly related to the number of members in the target
          audience who participate in adoption/adaption of the
          innovation.

     5.   directly related to the number of opinion leaders and
          other influentials within the targeted audience who
          support the innovation.


The Way Change is Proposed

There are strong relationships involved in the operation of
facilitating the adoption/adaption of innovation.  Successful
adoption/adaption of an innovation tends to be:

     1.   positively related to the amount of time invested in
          identifying opinion leaders and other influentials within
          a targeted audience.

     2.   positively related to the extent to which interpersonal
          channels of communication are established between the
          "agents of change" and the opinion leaders and other
          influentials within the targeted audience.

     3.   positively related to the extent to which the opinion
          leaders and other influentials of the targeted audience
          establish interpersonal communications with the targeted
          audience itself.

     4.   positively related to the amount of time invested by the
          opinion leaders and other influentials within a targeted
          audience.


Summary

Given the above propositions, Digital is really in trouble.  One of
the most significant innovations in the last 10 years has been the
Personal Computer and its network integration.  Presently, Digital
is the only Fortune 500 company that doesn't regularly use personal
computers to solve its own business problems.  That means 499
Fortune 500 companies have embraced this innovation to become more
productive, effective, and competitive.  Digital has the products
in this area, but seems to refuse to use these products in any
large scale organized fashion for its own gain.  

The Delta Program must start knocking on everyone's cube to get
employees charged and involved in change, and not merely asking for
ideas from the workforce - implementing only cost cutting measures
and protecting managers.  There has to be a major restructuring of
management, there are too many cost centers, too many domains of
special interest, and little support for creative thinking by
employees.

How would you use these factors that influence the
adoption/adaption of innovation to help Digital?









    Our approach in Caribbean Operations Manufacturing is to focus on
    changes which simplify.  We believe that we have increased complexity
    of our organization significantly over a number of years.
    
    Example:  We currently have 950 +/- policies and procedures developed
    locally and have adopted a goal of simplification down to a number in
    the 50 to 100 range.  This effort, which is about six months old has
    already reduced one set of 300 p/p's to 75.  Not enough simplification,
    but definitely in the right direction.
    
    Changes which simplify are more difficult to resist than those that
    complicate.  Our tactics are correct, simplify, then use the released
    resources to drive more signicant changes.

    
    Ref: .0
    
    I like the part about DELTA knocking on everyone's cube but a lot of
    people don't seem to acknowledge that a significant number of managers
    have elected "to pass" on supporting DELTA and what it stands for. 
    This sends A VERY CLEAR MESSAGE to all employees under that manager
    AND around that manager.
    
    It's going to take a change in the culture and operating norms as
    defined by firm policy.

    Re: .0
    
    Good points!  However, I believe most of the conditions described
    indicate an opportunity for Evolution.  For instance, a characteristic
    of "change agents" in this scenario are satisfied with the current
    practices and confident for the next step (sort of like having all the
    right amino acids in the primordial soup).  
    
    I'm not convinced that ONLY Evolution in All aspects of Digital will
    "save us in time."  Some of the conditions in some of our company's
    aspects may be such that the only way to real change is Revolution
    (often not a pleasant experience).
    
    Real concerns about Evolution vs. Revolution as inevitable methods of
    change (innovation) have been on my mind - producing some stress. 
    Anyone have any additional thoughts on this that might help raise my
    peace-of-mind level?