I think that part of the issue that revolves around the pace of change
relates to "where is the change coming from?" If change is being injected
for the sake of change, then I would believe that perhaps the organization
would need to not slow down, but maybe catch its collective breath and
figure out the answer to "why?"
If the problem is keeping up with change that is coming down onto the
organization (customers, needs, technology, external influences, then I
would think that the organization needs to speed up, not try to slow down.
Change is accelerating exponentially. We just decide to buy the newest
technology, but by the time we cut through all the paperwork, the
technology is not the latest anymore. Just when we think we understand
the customers and their needs, they change. The changes seem to be coming
faster than we can imagine; but if we try to slow down, we will be run
over.
We must learn skills that will enable us to be more flexible, more able to
deal with change. The organizations who are able to learn will be the
organizations that will survive.
JBR
>When is the pace of change "too fast"? I work in a retail setting where
>too much time is wasted because of constant changes in instruction..
>neither employees or shoppers can benefit from the whims of the edict
>issuers. The customer can't find the product in the same place the next
>time they come in, neither can the employees in some instances! How can
>this company benefit from "slowing down"?
James B. Rieley
Director
The Center for Continuous Quality Improvement
Milwaukee Area Technical College
700 West State Street
Milwaukee, WI 53233
414.297.7806
FAX Milwaukee 414.297.6475
FAX New York 212.253.4322
FAX London + 44 (0)171.681.1116
rieleyj@milwaukee.tec.wi.us
"In oneself lies the whole world, and if you know how to look and learn,
then the door is there and the key is in your hand. Nobody on earth can
give you either that key or the door to open, except yourself." Jiddu
Krishnamurti, 1972
--rieleyj@milwaukee.tec.wi.us (James Rieley)
Learning-org -- An Internet Dialog on Learning Organizations For info: <rkarash@karash.com> -or- <http://world.std.com/~lo/>