Another change just waste of time?

The Executive Team may have a good understanding of the market situation and goals that the company should reach for. But do they know what motivates the middle management and rest of the staff? If their decisions are based on wrong assumptions of the drivers, how can they know what the right strategy for the company is and how can the strategy be implemented?

There are ways to find out what the real drivers for the management are such as objective deep interviews and analyses studied and worked with e.g. by Timo Vuori, Assistant Professor in Strategic Management at Aalto University. Also Business Coaching with its powerful questions is an effective method to find out how people see their present role and the requirements by the company and also what they see for them as the best ways forward to reach the company goals. If there is a gap in between the beliefs of the leaders and the middle management, most probably also the planned strategy needs to be changed so that the focus is shifted first to the development of the company culture. ​

Once the right strategy is found and ready to be launched, it is not sufficient to simply inform the management about it. Latest then, it is worth investing in coaching in the implementation of the changes so that the culture and goals are aligned and shared by the management. The drivers of the managers are not always as rational as the leaders might think. They are often linked to what feels right. Therefore it is a good idea to continue with a coaching leadership management style. “In industry, you can only move with the hearts and minds.” (Sir John Harvey-Jones in David Hemery’s book Sporting Excellence.)