Page 206 - Managing Change in Organizations

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12 Diagnosing change

Introduction

To achieve change we must first recognize that change is desirable and feasible.
We must get people to recognize that changes are needed: ‘We’ve always done it
this way’, they say when you ask why a particular procedure is used. But is the
fact that we have always done it this way good enough reason either to continue
to do ‘it’ (whatever ‘it’ may be) or to continue to do ‘it that way’? There is a
famous story in a company I know. It is known as ‘The chairman’s rice puddings’.
This story will help to identify the key issue here.
A senior manager had been given the task of leading a review of head-office
systems and procedures. As he and his team proceeded with the review, all man-
ner of good ideas were identified and implemented. Then, one day, the team
examined the chairman’s kitchen. They found that every day two rice puddings
were made at 12.15 p.m. The same two rice puddings were thrown away at 2.45
p.m. When asked about this the chef said that they had always made two rice
puddings. No one had ever eaten one to his knowledge. This had been happen-
ing since he joined the company eight years before. They never included the rice
puddings on the menu! Further investigation revealed that 17 years before, the

then chairman had chosen, on a whim, to visit the kitchen. In conversation with
the chef of the day he had said that his favourite sweet was rice pudding. When
he left the chef gave instructions that two were to be made each day but not
included on the menu. The head waiter could then offer the chairman a rice pud-
ding. Being a shrewd character the chef asked for two, thinking that if the chair-
man did ask for one then so would someone else. Four years later that chairman
had retired, five years further on the next chairman died. But eight years later on
the chef still made two rice puddings every day.
The point is that people become ‘locked’ into patterns of behaviour, systems and
procedures. Once entirely sound and effective, in a changing world they may
become much less so. Yet recognizing that something is no longer effective
involves the willingness to consider evidence of ineffectiveness and then to ques-
tion why, how and what might be done instead. All organizations have ‘rice pud-
dings’. What we need are systematic and workable means of monitoring
performance, measuring effectiveness, measuring potential for improvement,

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