Riding the elephant of change

On Wednesday the government is set to announce the biggest public sector cuts since world war two.

The weekend media saw much punditry about the possible political, social and economic upshot of these impending cuts.

Some commentators saw backtracking on election promises as political suicide. Others thought reducing universal benefits a route to social inequality. Financial analysts worried cuts too far too fast risk a double dip recession.

It’s too early to tell if any of these predictions will come true, but what is clear is the emotional undertow that sits below these practical concerns.

In their buzzword book ‘Switch’, authors Chip and Dan Heath set out a simple formula for successful change that involves three essential elements – a path, a rider and an elephant.

The path is the goal to be reached. In the case of the government’s spending review it’s to save £83bn by 2014.

The rider sets the direction by which change will be achieved. On Wednesday the government will announce where and how cost reduction will be made.

Most important is the elephant, which is the emotional motivation needed to deliver change. But unsurprisingly, elephants are not that easy to ride.

To date, the rationale for cost saving has been practical and hard headed. The focus has been pounds not people and if there’s an elephant in the room it’s not being acknowledged.

The ‘cull of the quangos’ did not incite French style riots, but for policies closer to the nation’s heart, the risk is that feelings shift from ‘don’t care’ to ‘not fair.’

As change architects helping organizations deliver in a complex and rapidly changing world, we know that changing processes is relatively easy. Changing people is much, much harder.

In ‘Switch’ speak the rational rider should be in charge. But if emotions are not engaged the elephant will rear up and resist.

In the aftermath of Wednesday’s announcement the real challenge for the government will be to communicate with the public and its workforce in a way that does not alienate people. Otherwise the coalition may find their rider being thrown off, and their path trampled by a rampaging elephant.