Some business gurus exhort managers to change every aspect of their companies simultaneously, to foment revolution within their organizations.
The assumption is that the old formulas need to be thrown to the wind – and the sooner, the beter.
But the veterans of change programs whom I’ve talked to argue against that approach.
They say that by trying to change everything all at once, managers often destroy crucial competencies, tear the fabric of social relationships that took years to weave, and disorient customers and employees alike.
A revolution provides a shock to the system, but the shock sometimes proves fatal.