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There are several pieces that have appeared recently which explore the broad range of activities and values of interest to us. One is “Why Change Programs Don't Produce Change” by Michael Beer, Russell Eisenstadt, and Burt Spector in Harvard Business Review, November–December 1990. It demonstrates how most change programs fail because they are guided by a fundamentally flawed theory of change. The authors claim that many change programs assume that change is a conversion experience that requires an attitude change. We agree that real change requires a change in attitude and in the fundamental roles, responsibilities, and relationships that should provide the alignment of the appropriate behaviors. However, our major focus is that change occurs because work and work relationships have been redesigned to leverage the organization's human resource competitive advantage.
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Another piece that is consistent with our approach is Randy Myer's “Suppliers Manage Your Customers,” in Harvard Business Review, November–December 1989. He points out that “customer-back” organizations are successful, because, to satisfy the next and ultimate customers, you must be provided by suppliers who treat you as important customers.
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A significant piece on the leader's role appeared in the Sloan Management Review in 1990. The article by Peter M. Senge was entitled “The Leader's New Work: Building Learning Organizations.” This is a major piece that focuses upon the leadership role in transforming organizations. It recognizes that becoming heuristic is essential to successful transformation; that is, an organization must learn and build the internal capability that enables it to return to viability, regardless of the level of environmental turbulence. The article stresses two leadership styles that have emerged over the years: traditional (plan, organize, and control) and transformational (vision, alignment, motivation). But a third type of leader, the leader of the future, is one who is a designer of work, a teacher, and a supporter of change—in essence, the ultimate change agent companies have been alluding to for years but is seldom seen represented.
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Finally, a corollary piece appeared in Harvard Business Review in January–February 1991 by Robert G. Eccles, entitled “The Performance Measurement Manifesto.” It suggests performance measurement is an essential missing element from many organizational change efforts and certainly from discussions on re-energizing mature organizations. Identifying the right work is essential but so is measuring the right work Clearly, if organizations are to survive, customers need to be prioritized and processes need to be clarified. Both require measures to assess their effectiveness and to test whether they are aligned with organizational goals and objectives.
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