Summary
Chapter 12, as described earlier, provides a fitting end to the book by the suggestion of a "change culture", one in which people readily accept change as a matter of routine. They accept it if it is well managed and they can trust the organization and its leadership.[22] That is particularly important in these days of rapid advances in technology. What is cutting edge one day is obsolete the next.
The problem is that the private sector in particular exists in a tough competitive world, and in order to survive competitively, future OCM moves under consideration must remain confidential. That means that the rank and file may have little idea of the whole picture. Rumors are rampant and any organizational change inevitably becomes suspect.
In the case of the public sector, where OCM is probably most needed, it is not about corporate competitiveness because there isn't any and it isn't about being prudent with money, because in practice there is an unlimited supply. It's about saving your place in the face of internal politics, avoiding taking responsibility as much as possible, and protecting your boss when he or she is attempting to climb the political ladder. All of that probably requires a somewhat different approach.
Barbara Davis concludes her book nicely with these words:
"Conducting change in waves is the critical difference between a culture of change and a culture that changes. In doing so, not everyone is involved in the change at the same time. In that way, people actually get breaks from the process of change. It is important to remember that everyone needs some sense of stability and a feeling of control. It is in between the waves of transformation that they get these."
R. Max Wideman
Fellow, PMI
22. Ibid, p233
| 
Downside