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Surfing the waves of e-change |
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THE
REAL CHALLENGE … The
latest topic for many conferences at the moment is e- commerce.
Like with most changes in the workplace, the greatest challenge
may not be the introduction of the system (hardware), but the need for
people from the organization to embrace the change. Unfortunately,
however, this need is often overlooked. The best systems and equipment
in the world won't help if there isn't a positive attitude to it. Whilst
the executive committee and company GMs and CEOs might marvel at how
e-commerce can make their business more profitable, the average person
is asking questions like: How will it affect me? What do I need to know?
Will I be able it cope with it? How secure is my job? THE
BEST ATTRIBUTE … We
have surveyed thousands of company employees, asking them to identify,
"Which is more important in a job: Skill or attitude?" 90%
have indicated that they believe attitude is the key. It is clear that
all the effort to develop skills to cope with the changes e-commerce
will bring about will be wasted if companies can't encourage a positive
attitude towards these changes. Often the technical seminars that sing
the praises of e-commerce leave the average employee bewildered and
overwhelmed. Surfing
has for many years now had a link with e-commerce and the internet. The
use of the term is actually more relevant than people may give it credit
for, as coping with e-commerce is, indeed, like surfing. Surfing is a
unique sport: it is one of the few sports I can think of where the
surface underneath you is in a constant state of change. The skill is
not so much in trying to predict the conditions (on the macro level) and
the future of the wave (on the micro level), as it is in being so in
tune in with the general conditions and the wave itself so that when
they/it suddenly changes the rider can adapt. To
do this requires much training and practice. On the macro level,
when good surfers experience bad or constantly changing conditions they
don't adopt a pessimistic attitude, but rather they accept they have
little control over the situation and go out and ride the waves to the
best of their ability. When surfers fall off (wipeout), they have to get
back on their board quickly before the waves
- which were once a source of excitement - become destructive.
The experience of a wipeout is soon tucked under any surfer’s belt. THE
GROWTH … E-commerce is being targeted by governments around the world as the next big issue. Predictions for internet based business is that it will be worth over USD300 billion annually by 2002*, and over 1 billion people will be using the internet by 2010. These new waves of change must be rippling through every company and individual, and it is coming to the point where we will all have to decide; do we harness this wave and learn to ride it, or let it destructively wash us around and leave us high and dry, stranded on some beach of the future? THE
EFFECTS … Companies
are now faced with three types of reactions from employees. Firstly,
there are those who will want to jump ship. Many are easily enticed into
trying it out on their own, into the fast world of web-based information
and e-commerce. But what is the real issue? What is it that appeals to
people, to encourage them to give up high paying jobs and move towards
insecure self-employment through the internet? Someone who left his high
paying job to become a day trader has said that people are looking for
independence. New ads emphasise "freedom", which has
become a new democratic revolution. The private investor controls his
own destiny, he can make the final call. The second type of employee needs the stability and feels very threatened by these changes. They will need to develop confidence and assurance that they can cope with the change. The third will readily accept the challenge of change, and see it as an opportunity to develop and grow. The
training … The
down side is that upward empowerment (developing flat models of
leadership) takes a great deal of time and patience. For the individuals
wanting stability, there is a need to be introduced to the waves of
change the same way any surfer starts…. With the small waves and in a
safe environment. Those who are looking for challenges must also be
adequately prepared and equipped for when change comes. Leadership
development must allow for experimenting
and provide an environment where the mistakes won't be catastrophic.
Like surfing, when beginners learn to surf they don't start at
Pipeline in Hawaii, as a wipeout here would mean certain death. They start
where the waves are small and the ocean floor is
shallow and sandy. With a bit of coaching and encouragement to get back on the board and
try again, it’s
not long before it’s possible to ride
all
kinds of waves,
large and small. THE
WAYS AHEAD … How
willing are you to learn to ride the waves? How
quickly can you change tack and ride these new waves,
turning a possible threat to a tremendous opportunity? Copyright
Andrew Grant 2000
The
human impact of e-commerce |
Article |
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integrate Dimension 1: Justified Fun Dimension 2: Keynote Talks and Seminars - Dimension 3: Consultation Articles End Quote:We have two choices in facing the waves of the future: we can either let them constantly hit us until they wear us down, or we can learn to ride them.
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i n t e g r a t e this session with a... Dimension 1: Justified Fun Endangered Dimension 2: Keynote Talks and Seminars Dimension 3: Consultation Articles Change Management Copyright © 2000-1 [Tirian]. All rights reserved. |
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