David Gleicher while he was working at Arthur D. Little in the early 1960s, and refined by Kathie Dannemiller in the 1980s. Together developed a formula that is the model to assess the relative strengths affecting the likely success of organisational change programs. It has been know as Gleicher’s Formula for Change:
C = D * V * F > R
Where C is the Change
Where D is the Dissatisfaction with the Present state
Where V is the Vision of the Future state
Where F is the First Steps or Plan to get there
Where R is the Resistance to change
This Business principle for all organizations, businesses and even people can now be easily used to determine how ready the Organization, the Business or the Person is to Make A Change. As a Business Owner if your resistance to change is greater than your Dissatisfaction times your Vision times you willingness to take action then NO change will happen. In addition if any one of the three items Dissatisfaction, Vision or First Steps is a zero or no interest or desire than NO change!
Why you ask? Think about your math tables back in elementary school. Anytime you multiple and thing with zero it is zero.
Therefore as a Business Owner, Business Leader who is ready for change needs to ensure his organization and People have positives in all three items and those items when combined are greater than their Resistance to Change. How do you do this?
To ensure your organization and or People have the positive formula outcome you need to:
- Articulate the present state and how it is impacting results, satisfaction, Career opportunities, Growth, etc.
- Obtain understanding and agreement to number 1 with your Organization, Business and your people.
- Outline effectively ensuring you spark the emotions needed to obtain buy in regarding the Vision of the Future State.
- Develop a simple, powerful plan to start the actions showing quick wins, value and results along the way.
- Lastly and just as important is to ensure you define, understand what are the blockers, resistance to change and show how your answers is 1 – 4 overcome them. Without this all your positives in 1 – 4 could still come up short
Successful Change does occur. All you need is to focus on the components to increase the Value of D, V and F while lowering Resistance or ensuring D,V,R is > Resistance!