When Smart People Resist Change

by Nancy Dailey, Ph.D. and Kelly O'Brien

"When all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail." This saying captures the culture of many organizations these days as they struggle to reinvent themselves, stay competitive, or grow. Why, when organizations are filled with smart, successful people? Successful people got where they are because they were good at what they do. But the same skills that made them successful can also make them closed to learning new things and embracing change.

The research on "experts" and "smart people" reveals a shared characteristic -- the ability to transfer learning to new problems. They can transform their mastery of concepts and information from a set of facts into usable knowledge. Experts can quickly identify what is relevant, which is why they are good problem solvers. But what happens when smart people confront problems outside of their experience or knowledge base? When the analogies and metaphors drawn from their knowledge reservoir don't make sense in the current environment?

Framing the right problem
The problem then becomes one of framing. How smart people go about defining and solving problems is at the core of this dilemma. We see this with technology conversions when all resources get allocated to software selection and installation, while ignoring culture change and real-time impact on day-to-day operations.

Chris Argyris' classic Harvard Business Review article, Teaching Smart People How to Learn, speaks to this "smart people" dilemma. Often the smartest people have the most difficult time learning. He postulates that highly professional and successful people rarely experience failure and therefore never have the opportunity to learn from failure. So when the inevitable failure happens, they "...become defensive, screen out criticism, and put the "blame" on anyone and everyone but themselves. In short, their ability to learn shuts down precisely at the moment they need it most."

Failure is inevitable
When an organization undergoes significant and fundamental transition, it is exactly when the system needs all of its really smart, successful people ready to address the new problems that will be unleashed. And failures -- some big, some small -- are inevitable. The inability to quickly learn is a huge obstacle if the key players can't accept that they are on a steep learning curve, step up to handle failure, and adopt a personal learning ethic that others can model. Unfortunately, the norm is far more often that people finger-point, play the blame game, and generally back away from owning what are reasonable and predictable missteps along the way.

How smart people can embrace change
Argyris attributes this dynamic in organizations to the lack of "double-loop learning" or the lack of critical reflection and honest feedback. His remedy for smart people: reflect critically on your own behavior, identify the ways you may inadvertently contribute to the organization's problems, and then change how you act. You must learn how the very way you go about defining and solving problems can be a source of problems in its own right. Just because you're smart, doesn't mean you're immune to lifelong learning. Importing new ideas from other mindsets and seeking out role models during times of transition or chaos are noble strategies for accelerating your own learning curve. Show others how really smart you are, not how far you can dig in your heels.

Pemimpin Jangan Jadi Macam Firaun

Sesuai dengan suasana pilihanraya yang semakin hampir, maka kisah yang diutarakan di sini amat relevan dengan kita. Sesungguhnya Al Quran itu memberikan petunjuk dan hidayah kepada mereka yang mahu mengambilnya.

Kisah ini telah disampaikan oleh Ustaz Wan Sohor Bani Leman di dalam rancangan Al Zikra, jam 6.45 pagi di Radio KL (KL.FM) pada bulan Mac 2008, iaitu sebelum pilihanraya umum ke 12 lalu. Ia telah membincangkan mengenai sirah nabi Musa berasaskan apa yang diceritakan di dalam Al Quran. Ia mengisahkan bagaimana kisah Nabi Musa telah kembali ke Istana Firaun setelah lama keluar dari Istana itu dan menyeru Firaun agar beriman kepada Allah. Namun Firaun yang telah mengaku "ana warabbuka" (aku adalah tuhan) tidak sudi bahkan telah menentang nabi Musa yang telah membesar di dalam istananya.

Dengar sifat takbur dan marah, Firaun telah mengungkit kembali segala jasa dan pengorbanan yang telah dia berikan kepada Nabi Musa, iaitu bermula di mana isterinya menjumpai seorang bayi (Nabi Musa) yang dihanyut oleh arus sungai, kemudiannya dibesarkan dengan segala kemudahan dan kemewahan hingga usia remaja (18 th). Bila berlaku satu kejadian di mana Nabi Musa telah dengan tidak sengaja terbunuh seorang lelaki Qibti (kaum Firaun), maka akibat ketakutan baginda melarikan diri dari istana Firaun. Diringkaskan- sepanjang masa "pelarian" itu baginda diberikan wahyu lalu diangkat menjadi rasul yang kemudian diwahyukan Allah untuk menyampaikan Islam kepada Firaun.

Bila kembali ke istana Firaun, lalu disampaikanlah risalah Islamiyah kepada Firaun, namun Firaun dengan sombong telah menolak dakwah tersebut dan mengatakan kepada Nabi Musa bahawa baginda ini seorang yang tidak mengenang budi dan tak tahu berterima kasih. Orang politik hari ini selalu berkata -Don't bite the hand that feeds you.

Menurut Ustaz Wan Sohor adalah tidak berakhlak jika seseorang yang memang tugasnya - contoh ayah membesarkan dan menyara anaknya atau pemimpin memberikan kesenangan kepada rakyatnya untuk mengungkit segala apa yang dilakukan kerana itu adalah tanggungjawab kita ke atas orang di bawah kekuasaan kita. Apatah lagi sehingga mengugut untuk tidak memberikan bantuan atau kemudahan kepada mereka yang tidak menyokong.

Oleh itu mengundilah anda bukan atas dasar jasa - yang lebih penting atas dasar menghindari dosa . Sokong berbuat baik belum tentu masuk syurga TAPI sokong kemungkaran/maksiat DAH TENTU masuk neraka.