Navigating Traditional Transformation in Organizations: A Balancing Act
Shaking Things Up: Navigating Organizational Change While Preserving Tradition
In the business world, bringing in fresh faces to lead a company is a common tactic to jolt the organization out of its rut. These external leaders are often given free rein to do whatever it takes to turn the company around. Yet, while this approach might seem straightforward, it often encounters resistance from within the company.
The Gap Between Ahead-of-the-Curve Leaders and Traditionalists
These leaders, who often operate on the fringe, tend to spot disruptions earlier than others and have innovative, even radical, ideas to take advantage of them. However, their fellow leaders, who are steeped in company tradition, may not share their concerns. They might find these ideas too risky and resist them, thereby thwarting change.
Top leaders may champion innovation and empowerment, but when it comes to implementing changes that challenge the status quo, they can become fence-sitters, hiding behind false pretenses of process and control. The newcomer might find themselves besieged, with both sides becoming increasingly frustrated.
The Power of Social Defense
This pushback is known as social defense. It's a collective effort to preserve traditions, whether it's legacy structures, cultures, or strategies that make everyone feel safe and comfortable. The new leader, burdened with the task of change, needs to understand these social defenses and come up with strategies to overcome them.
It's More Than Just a Strategy, It's an Attitude
Leadership is not about style or skill sets. A leader is always associated with a tradition they are trying to preserve and expand. Understanding the purpose of this tradition is crucial before attempting to change it. Without this understanding, a leader might inadvertently ignore or fight the tradition. But by understanding the underlying sentiment, a leader can debate what needs to change to keep the organization's intent alive.
To Make Change Possible, Embrace Tradition
If other leaders believe that you don't care about tradition, they'll reject your proposal outright. However, once they realize that you do care about traditions—and even share similar objectives—they become more cooperative and supportive. Showing care requires naming a shared intent, acknowledging the need for change, and sharing this with the right people, even your opponents who have good intentions.
By acknowledging that some old habits may have to be sacrificed, and adopting a new process, you can build bridges and break down defenses. Care must come before the change. Once the others recognize this, they'll view the changes as solutions instead of threats, making it easier to get the go-ahead and secure the full support of everyone to make it a success.
By Gianpiero Petriglieri, HBR 2023/04
Sources:
- Social Defense and Organizational Change
- Social Defense and Organizational Change: A Socio-Anthropological Perspective
- Embracing and Leading Change: Organizational Transformation from the Inside Out
- Overcoming Resistance to Change
- 7 Ways to Manage Organizational Resistance to Change
- In the realm of finance, a forward-thinking leader's innovative strategies may face opposition from traditionalist counterparts, leading to a standoff that could hinder organizational change and growth.
- A business leader who truly understands and respects the organization's historic traditions is better equipped to implement transformative changes, as this understanding can help mitigate resistance and make change a collaborative endeavor rather than a threatening one.
