There have been so many studies and reports over the years highlighting the need to change it’s hard to keep track.  Most of them revolve around the speed with which society is currently evolving, thus evoking the old Darwin quote that it isn’t the strongest that survive but the most adaptable.

It brings to mind the image of the sense and respond organization that is regarding change as a constant, that never gets wedded to a particular way of doing things and can adapt in an instant.

Of course, by and large, such organizations don’t really exist.  The reality is more akin to the endowment effect writ large, whereby we value what we have much more than what we don’t have.

The road to change is strewn with the carcases of organizations that have tried, and failed, to adapt to their changing environment.  It’s fair to say, therefore, that it’s something that’s difficult to do, and despite there being a wide range of experts, consultancies and frameworks to try and help organizations make the transition, it’s still something that many struggle to achieve.

I don’t think the 70% failure rate that is often bandied about has a great deal of basis, but nevertheless, examples of really successful change aren’t all that plentiful.

Can Pinipa help?

So it’s interesting to see the approach Pinipa are taking to the change process.  I met up with the company founder Faith Forster recently and she explained the crowdsourced approach to change that Pinipa facilitates

“I had worked on many multi-million pound programmes, all managed using spreadsheets and PowerPoint, and people were always frustrated that they weren’t involved enough – I thought, there must be a better way. Also, the market had changed, the established methods were not keeping up so the industry was starting to look for better ideas that would deliver change faster and more effectively,” she said.

Faith’s background is with the Change Management Institute, so she’s well steeped in the change industry.  There is much to support the involvement in all employees as the architects of change, and that will be crucial if the organization is to transition towards sense and respond status, whereby change is a constant process rather than occasional set-piece event.

Suffice to say, change management is by its very nature a long-term project, so there isn’t really any evidence that this approach will work, but it’s certainly going to be an interesting one to follow.

You can find out more about Pinipa via the video below.

Pinipa story from Pinipa on Vimeo.