This episode argues that the key to successful organizational change is a focus on culture and employee happiness, cautioning against imposing rigid methods and highlighting that the primary function of a corporation should be improving the standard of living and work life of its employees, not just maximizing shareholder value.
Peter Maddison and David Sharrock discuss the significance of culture in driving organizational change in the “Are we having fun yet?” episode of the Definitely, Maybe Agile podcast. They emphasize that imposing “your method” and “your framework” on others will not bring them on board with the transformation.
A better outcome is happier. Are the actions we are taking removing barriers and resulting in happier employees? When we forget it isn't about “our method,” we start to inflict instead of inviting people. When that happens, people lose agency. People need to feel they can contribute.
This week's takeaways:
"The principal function of most corporations is not to maximize shareholder value, but to maximize the standard of living and quality of work life of those who manage the corporation"- Russell Ackoff. Providing the shareholders with a return on their investments is a requirement, not an objective. As Peter Drucker observed, profit is to a corporation as oxygen is to a human being: necessary for existence, not the reason for it. A corporation that fails to provide an adequate return for their investment to its employees and customers is just as likely to fail as one that does not reward its shareholders adequately.
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