Why change? Is your team aware of the value?

As change agents, we introduce changes in organizations we work for. Sometimes, these changes are integrated smoothly into the way the team works. In other cases, we find a lot of friction and resistance.

One of the things which facilitates change and alleviates friction is explaining the value of change for your team. Although this seems straight forward, but we usually do not exert enough effort to do that!

In one case, I didn't need to explain the value of change, although the change looked so naive and has no value. See what happened when I asked a crowd of 220 audience to change places, and they just did it with no single objection!!

This was part of my keynote last August at AgileAfrica 2013. I understand why would someone just follow a keynote speaker telling him to do something even he/she didn't know its value. If I were sitting at their place I would most probably think that there is value, and I would rather wait till I see it later on. 

I have done this experiment with smaller groups. The result was completely the opposite. They challenged this request (to change places). They felt skeptical about the value of this change. It was necessary to convince then with the value of change before they do it. 

Take care when you are leading change in organizations: In order to take the organization one step forward, you would better explain the value of change for the whole organization, or at least for the whole stakeholders who are affected by this change.