DORSET BUSINESS FOCUS / NEWS
Looking back at Enterprise - Change Management - To do or die?
History shows us change management can be a matter of life or death for business. Economic Ups and Downs, the Internet, Social Change, Competition, Consumer Demands, Environmental Concerns, Communication, Technology and Rising Costs have demanded and will continue to demand adaptation. It is also said that in business if you’re standing still, you’re going backwards - Franklin D Roosevelt said there are many ways of going forwards but only one way of standing still. We have seen the rise of global business organisations built on data management, algorithms and trend influence. A massive transformation in marketing and development of “Brands” around lifestyle choices using hi quality design combined with worldwide communication and media influence - fuelling greater demand for products. Extraordinary developments in computers and software, CGI (computergenerated Imagery) have transformed design capability and the graphics industry. The Industrial revolution fuelled by innovation was a game changer, made a few people very wealthy but was not sustainable or environmentally friendly. It could be said that we lost our way after the Industrial revolution because of increasing employment costs and workers’ rights and a failure to manage that change - the solution for some was mass production. With rising expectations from workers and a reduction in manufacturing we saw rising unemployment. Take farming as an example, we have seen a massive reduction in workers, being replaced by machinery. The car industry is another example with the development of the production line and robots. With rising current environmental concerns, the use of fossil fuels, de forestation and particularly the use of plastics we are seeing global change management playing more news online - www.dorsetchamber.co.uk/news
out before our eyes and we can see how difficult the process is when economics and politicians are involved. The rise of green industries and the deployment of increasing technology will be fundamental to change management and the future of large areas of industry - perhaps the survival of our planet. Consumer demands continue lifestyle choices are being made; politicians are making promises, so it is likely that minimum wages will continue to rise and lead to further productivity pressures which may lead to an increase in unemployment. Change management for SME’s has shown to be particularly difficult as it requires investment in time and money – something SME’s have often been slow to make. A developing role exists here for the banking sector to provide more than just finance take a long term approach to lending and business support and a continuing role exists for Chambers of Commerce and others to provide affordable business support, development training and networking. Fuelled by the need to maintain or even create margins we have seen the development of process and production management which we see taken to the highest level within franchise operations that not only control brand and marketing but the systems that operate in the businesses and such investment has led to huge success with chains that extend around the world. Historically I see little evidence that enterprise and business feature strongly within schools if at
all. Indeed it might appear that education has had a negative effect on enterprise by largely ignoring it. Schools encouraging many to go to University to receive more funding, encouraging students with greater expectation of higher incomes and often ignoring the opportunities of apprenticeships. For schools it might appear enterprise and business are not attractive, however they do seem to acknowledge the role of technology and innovation in society. Chris Slocock BSc. (Hons), PHF, Past President Dorset Chamber 19
