For the next major change you lead, how about creating a prototype first? But not a pilot test where you are actually implementing the change. (In many pilot tests, there is pressure to perform and make sure this design works. The spirit of experimentation gets lost.) I’m suggesting that you consider running an experiment – maybe a simulation – away from the pressures of performance. In this laboratory you could try things out. Fool around. Ask the users of this simulation what their experience was. Listen to them and redesign.

The current issue of Fortune (3/19/07) tells how Apple became the best retailer in America. They earn $4032 per square foot. In contrast, the #2 retailer (Tiffany) earns $2666 and #3 (Best Buy) earns $930.

They knew this would be risky. After all, what did they know about retailing? They got advice to rent a warehouse and build a fake store so they could learn about retail design. As Steve Jobs says, “. . .and not, you know, just design it, go build twenty of them, then discover it didn’t work.”

When they looked at this fake store, they realized that it wouldn’t work. Everything was arranged by product. It was boring. And that definitely was not Apple’s image. They saw that the world of computing was changing – digital music, movies, cooler features on phones, the list goes on. So they decided to make sure the real stores would focus far more around people’s interests. . . And they looked at the customer experience. They found that people love the concierge feature in fine hotels. So Apple added a Genius Bar. The so-called geniuses were there to answer questions – not to sell products. And it would be a free service.

Could you learn from the Apple experience and create a mock up of the new computer system or the reorganization or the merger integration plan? Take the plan off the floor so that people could experiment and play with it without feeling they need to prove anything. People could try things out. See what the user experience might be like. See if others might support or resist this change. Then tThey could tweak, adapt, change.

If this gets you thinking a little differently about how you might lead the next change, let me know. If you’ve done something like this, I’d love to hear what your experience was. Operators are standing by.

By the way, here’s how to access the Fortune article. Fortune

Change Management News Blog
The latest blog entry is The Toughest Form of Resistance to Change – You’re Not Wrong, You’re Evil. I write about some interesting studies that show how hard it is for us to think well of people who think differently than we do. A real killer if we ever want to build common ground with other stakeholders in our organizations.

Sincerely,