That was Nietzsche on change management!
It goes to the core of the issue of how we all try to make sense of things. We all have different ways to do so. Most of us, will need a why.
Mobilizing people inside the organization needs lots of why from leaders. I don’t even have to agree with your why, but I need two things: that you have one, and that it is honest.
Reorganizing to cut costs, is reorganizing to cut costs, not reorganizing to meet customer expectations (since no customer has asked this). Your why smells.
In the organization/company there is a stock of why. Employees have their own why. The goal is to make them compatible. Not the same (not necessarily). I used to use the more romantic term of ‘compatible dreams’.
The myth of alignment is that everybody sings the same song and the same score. Song yes, but not the same score. It’s an orchestra. And chorus. The altos and baritones need to be aligned but they don’t sing all the time. The conductor (leadership) is the glue. The libretto (strategy) is the map.
Many initiatives in the organization fail because the why is absent or imposed or does not make sense.
Take care of the company logic, of the chain of why, sprinkle it with honesty, then call to arms.
The what and the how become much easier if the why has been given the front seat.
Your why may not be be my why, but I respect that you have one. It sounds honest. I’ll help you with your what and your how. Who knows, in the process, we may be even get closer to share the why.
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