Have you ever noticed that change initiatives are often led in the absence of any link with the company’s values and purpose?
Harvard Business professor and author, Rosabeth Moss Kanter, writes in her new book, SuperCorp: How Vanguard Companies Create Innovation, Profits, Growth, and Social Good, about companies that are leading the way, both financially differentiating in the marketplace and socially in terms of positively contributing to their communities and global issues. Dr. Kanter illuminates how these companies are raising the standards for how to do business and how values and purpose pervade the enterprise. One of her observations in the book is that ‘vanguard companies’ (companies at the forefront) have purpose and values at the heart of the enterprise and is a core part of the business strategy and every change they make. Companies that represent the best of what business can be and do for society lead change by linking change with their values and purpose.
What is a surprise is that change management processes emphasize communication, sponsorship, and reinforcement, but where’s the link with values?
Does your change management process include explicitly linking change with your company values and purpose? Do you at least have the conversation about how the change supports your company’s values and purpose? I would love to hear your stories.
