7 Corporate Down Syndromes

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Found in the News Straits TImes, Saturday April 26, 2008 (page 54)

7 Corporate Down Syndromes
Posted on: Monday, 28 April 2008, 00:00 CDT
By Victor S.L. Tan

CHANGE is the most powerful force in the world today. Companies that anticipate and respond to the changes are the ones that will survive the challenges faced in the next century.

Ironically, many companies are tangled up in all kinds of internal syndromes which prevent them from changing fast enough to compete. These companies experience what I call "The Corporate Down Syndromes" - sales drop, market share plummets, profits erode and morale dips. The seven common down syndromes are:

1) PARALYSIS BY ANALYSIS SYNDROME.
Most change initiatives are blocked or slowed down under the pretext of needing more thorough study and analysis. Thus, a proposal from a customer service manager to give clients discount vouchers if the company is clearly at fault, is subjected to rigorous scrutiny. The proposal is passed from one department to another to assess its feasibility.

In most analyses, all kinds of risks are attached to proposals. Most such proposals also come from those who have the expertise and years of experience to back up their rationale for the suggestions or recommendations.

Yet many great ideas die an early death when they pass through corporate chambers at the head-office where this syndrome is widespread.

2) NO ACTION TALK ONLY (NATO) SYNDROME.
The business world is full of leaders preaching the virtues of change. However, many fall far short of implementing the very changes required in their own organisations. Too many leaders shirk their responsibility and delegate the job of change wholesale to someone else down the line. Their lack of commitment has a negative impact on the rest of the organisation.

Thus, employees have to spend time attending visioning workshops where leaders chart out the newest strategic direction and the latest change programmes. Sadly, none of the change programmes actually take off, because once the hype and excitement are over, everyone goes back to working in the same old way.

3) HOPELESSNESS THROUGH HELPLESSNESS SYNDROME.
Many junior employees complain about their lack of empowerment. And executives with the authority often shirk their duty in making those very decisions.

In too many instances, people render themselves powerless because they do not wish to make a decision and take responsibility for its success or failure. These people are too quick to write off a situation as hopeless and maintain a do-nothing stance. Yet they could create more power if they were willing to take reasonable risks in carrying out their duties.

4) TALK IT DOWN SYNDROME.
Resistance to change is often a result of this syndrome in many firms. Any suggestions for change will be countered:

• "We tried a similar approach before, but it didn't work."
• "Our boss would never accept this."
• "It will cause too much disruption and affect worker productivity."
• "The costs of this outweigh its benefits."
• Many ideas and change programmes never take off because every initiative is talked down, depriving it of a chance to be tried out and possibly to succeed after all.

5) PASSIONATE HISTORIAN SYNDROME.
There is no doubt that a company benefits from understanding the way things have been done in the past, to the extent that the experience and skills developed in the past are still relevant to the present. Unfortunately, employees tend to hold on to past practices that are outdated and detrimental to the company in its current, changing environment.

For example, investing in process improvement and research to increase production efficiency may have yielded a company higher profits in the past. However, if the product becomes replaceable by totally new products, it is time to leave behind past practice and find ways to produce a new product that meets market needs.

6) ESCAPIST SYNDROME.
This syndrome reflects the innate tendency of most people to run away from their problems, challenges and responsibilities when they are under pressure. Those afflicted with this syndrome are likely to sweep all problems and issues under the carpet. They may try putting the blame on someone else. As a result, simple operational problems go unsolved year in, year out.

7) SHORT-TERM, INWARD AND NARROW (SIN) SYNDROME.
Companies can never hope to improve or even sustain their performance if their staff is down with this debilitating syndrome. Employees with a short-term view will over-emphasise short-term profits to the detriment of the company's long-term survival.

Those who are inward-looking will be out of touch with external change drivers in the environment. They may become too production- oriented or procedure-driven and stop producing goods that customers want. Employees with a narrow view will blind the company to the many opportunities in the market.

* The writer is chief executive of KL Strategic Change Consulting Group. Contact Jane at 012-2685212 or visit www.klscc.com for details.

(c) 2008 New Straits Times. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.

Taken from http://www.redorbit.com/news/health/1360441/7_corporate_down_syndromes/index.html?source=r_h
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