Pain points: the catalysts of change

Harvard Business School Professor Andrew McAfee’s presentation yesterday morning at 2008 WIRe and ICES Enterprise 2.0 Conference did a wonderful job utilizing Professor Chris Argyris’ research and analysis to explain the differences between a Model 1 (command & control) organization and a Model 2(open & collaborative) organization and why it’s so difficult for Model 1 organizations to transform into Model 2 organizations.  Simply put: it requires a complete and total inversion of the culture, values and approach. 

What’s tough, as Professor McAfee pointed out, is that there are many, many examples of successful Model 1 organizations and very few examples of Model 2 organizations.  Therefore, it’s hard to prove that Model 2 organizations are empirically better in some way.  Truthfully, which model you embrace depends upon what your organization trying to accomplish: there are plenty of situations in which the Model 1 organization is, indeed, the way to go.

That being said, as I wrote about in my post, Renaissance 2.0: the Birth of Truth, those of us in the 2.0 world have this nagging in our guts that, in most cases, embracing the collaborative tenets of 2.0 will enable better results than will closed behaviors. 

So, if there are so few examples of Model 2 organizations, we need to justify the need to migrate to a Model 2 organization in a way other than by example.  I’d suggest that we build the case for emulating the Model 2 organization by focusing on our pain points–things that are imperative. 

What creates a pain point/future imperative?  Really the same things that drive change and innovation: internal or external needs for improved productivity and/or profitability.

To use a simple social networking example that many of us can relate to, the pain point that often gets people to start using Facebook, LinkedIn, etc. is “everybody’s doing it.”  With so many people interacting on social networks, there is pressure to use social networking tools be a productive (contributing, participating, valued) member of our personal social circles.

As a consultant working with DoD’s New Media group, the pain point of “practicing what we preach” has driven many team members to personally use social media tools so that we can advise internal customers.  For revenue-generating companies, addressing a customer need or winning a competitive threat by being first to market are pain points that are ultimately driven by a profitability imperative.

In our world of information overload and time scarcity, until an organization (or individual) feels the pain of its Model 1 processes and practices, it’s unlikely that it will embrace Model 2 tenets.  More and more organizations are starting to feel the pain, and thus, are embracing the technologies of 2.0.  However, to be successful at Model 2, an organization must make a strategically-driven mindshift and not just utilize the present day 2.0 tactics that support Professor Argyris’1970s concept of the Model 2 organization.

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