“During change disruption, organisations need to adapt, and change realisation passes through five-phases: Denial - Delusion - Discovery - Delivery - Decline. Organisations that quickly realise their performance is declining and implement sustainable change will perform better than their competition”
👏 Happy Friday!
On this day, January 6, 1912, German scientist Alfred Lothar Wegener presented his theory of continental drift to the Geologischen Vereinigung at the Senckenberg Museum, Frankfurt. This idea came about when Alfred Wegener noticed that the different large landmasses of the Earth almost fit together like a jigsaw puzzle. The continental shelf of the Americas fits closely with Africa and Europe. Antarctica, Australia, India, and Madagascar fit next to the tip of southern Africa. He also analysed both sides of the Atlantic Ocean for rock type, geological structures, and fossils and noticed that there was a significant similarity between the matching sides of the continents, notably in fossil plants.
✅ His hypothesis was initially met with scepticism from geologists, who viewed Wegener as an outsider who dared to question the foundations of their science. They were resistant to change. Alfred Lothar Wegener told us. “Scientists still do not appear to understand sufficiently that all earth sciences must contribute evidence toward unveiling the state of our planet in earlier times and that the truth of the matter can only be reached by combing all this evidence.” Like many scientists over the years, Alfred Wegener died in November 1930 (aged 50) before his controversial assumption was accepted as fact throughout the world. It took some time for geologists to progress through the phases of change resistance to realisation. Realising the need for organisational change passes through five life cycle phases: Denial, Delusion, Discovery, Delivery and Decline.
👉 Change disruption is the order of the day. New technology, viruses, climate change, geopolitics, rapidly changing customer buying habits, and social media accelerate the way organisations need to adapt. Organisations that quickly realise their performance is declining and implement sustainable change will perform better than their competition. Realising the need for change passes through five life cycle phases:
Denial: Denying that change disruption is impacting organisational performance negatively and that what was once a good product or service is no longer the case.
Delusion: Ignoring poor internal financial performance and the external reality that the competition has adapted to change and is performing better.
Discovery: Organisational operating performance is on an irreversible decline, and it discovers change is required. The organisation and its leaders start the process of implementing organisational change or transformation.
Delivery: The change or transformation is successfully implemented, and the organisation’s performance is better than the competition.
Decline: Change disruption continues, the organisation fails to adapt, and operating performance starts to decline.
Have a fantastic weekend and holiday with the ones you love and care for, enjoy some fresh air, exercise, eat, drink and be happy.
Further Reading: Change Management Leadership – Leadership of Change Volume 4
Peter consults, speaks, and writes on the Leadership of Change®.
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Peter F Gallagher is a Change Management Global Thought Leader, Guru, Expert, International Speaker, Author and Leadership Alignment Coach.
Listed #1 by leadersHum Top 40 Change Management Gurus You Should Follow in 2022 (Mar 2022).
Ranked #1 Change Management Global Thought Leader: Top 50 Global Thought Leaders and Influencers on Change Management (2022-2021-2020) by Thinkers360.
Ranked #1 Business Strategy Global Thought Leader: Top 50 Global Thought Leaders and Influencers on Business Strategy (2022) by Thinkers360.
Ranked #2 Leadership Global Thought Leader: Top 50 Global Thought Leaders and Influencers on Leadership (Aug 2020) by Thinkers360.
Business Book Ranking
Change Management Behaviour - Leadership of Change® Volume 6, listed among the 50 Books from Thinkers360 Thought Leaders to read in 2022.
Change Management Adoption - Leadership of Change® Volume 5, listed among year-to-date’s (Jul 2021) most popular books on business and technology from Thinkers360 member thought leaders.
Change Management Handbook - Leadership of Change® Volume 3, listed among the 50 Business and Technology Books from Thinkers360 Thought Leaders to read in 2021.
Change Management Pocket Guide - Leadership of Change® Volume 2, ranked within the top 50 Business and Technology Books (Jan 2020) from Thinkers360 Thought Leaders.