Following is Bill Berning's Fast Company Article review #9:

Guillotine or Rack? by Seth Godin

The article talks about change and how most people and companies resist change. Companies will spend many hours trying to think of inovative ideas. What really happens is very little change occurs. they resist change because they do not want to risk loosin money, their niche in the market, or their job. Companies and managers will resist change even if they know in the long run they will fail with the "status quo". This is what the author calls "the rack" - which is a slow, painful death.

If one were to take risks and fail this would be called "the guillotine". Failure usually occurs quicly and with great pain. One may loose a lot of money, customers, or your job. this rapid change keeps people up at night worrying and is the reason most people would not risk change.

Big company CEO's almost never complain about employees or managers who take too many risks. But they almost always talk about people who play it safe and who are dooming their company to mediocrity and then death. Yet most often CEO's resist chage as much as their employees.

I agree with the author that especially mid level managers want the people under them to support their ideas whether right or wrong. They usually are not interested in their opinions unless they agree with them or prevent them from making a mistake that could case them the guillotine death.

If you look at the computer companies 7-8 years ago, where are they today? Most are either out of business or acquired by some other company. They were most likely not able to change quick enough or they resisted change.

I do disagree with the author about CEO's not complaining about inactive pople who make poor choices. If the company looses money, the person with the idea will loose their job or not be ecourages to try something new again.

When talking to people about this article, most would agree change is good as long as it does not happen too quickly. The majority also said they, at their current job, do not feel comfortable to make suggestions that go against management's ideas, even if they know the manager's decision is wrong.

At my current job I should encourage and be more open to change and should encourage others to be also. Without change new progress can not happen and our jobs will loose the challenge they once had for us.

-- Anonymous, October 10, 1999

Answers

Bill, your article review on change was very interesting. And I agree many people avoid it. I think it has to comfort level more than any thing else. I also believe change is critical to growth. You can not stand still because the world around you doesn't. I do not believe in change for change sake and I detest when past ideas or traditions art thrown out for the sake of change. I think past teaches us many things that we need to build on. In other words, "Don't throw out the baby with the bath water." Be sure to evaluate and separate the what works and what doesn't and constantly build from that. Thanks for sharing the article. Carol A. Thesing

-- Anonymous, October 14, 1999