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The Ultimate Juggling Act: Making Decisions During Change

During a change effort, decision making can feel like juggling chainsaws—while blindfolded and balancing on a large ball.

By Paul Rogers

Published on April 11, 2016
min read


This article originally appeared on AMEinfo.com. Under normal circumstances, making and implementing decisions can feel like juggling several balls at once. During a change effort, as someone once put it, decision making can feel like juggling chainsaws—while blindfolded and balancing on a large ball. Too many decisions fall by the wayside. Too many turn out wrong. Why is change so difficult? We see three main reasons: One is that transformations involve so many key decisions. Just to launch an initiative, leaders must identify the facts that indicate a need for change, choose the best course of action, validate the business case, determine the highest risks, select the right leaders, and so on. The list of critical decisions only expands once the initiative gets underway. In the meantime, of course, someone has to make and execute the decisions required to run the business. Another reason lies in the mood swings that can affect an organisation undergoing change. The pattern includes initial fear and skepticism followed by optimism. Later, as new obstacles appear, people become anxious and pessimistic again. Cognitive biases intensify these moods and impede people’s ability to make good decisions. In the first phase, for instance, the bias known as anchoring, or relying on familiar reference points, locks people into conventional thought patterns and clouds their judgment about alternatives. A third reason: the stakes are high. Every major change is highly visible to employees and peers, to shareholders and board members, and also to customers. The company has invested a lot of resources. A decision maker’s credibility is at stake. The cost of failure is steep. In many cases, decisions made during a transformation can define an executive’s career. Read the full article at AMEinfo.com. Paul Rogers is the managing director of Bain & Company Middle East and Turkey. Paul has 30 years of experience with Bain and is a senior member of the company’s Organization, Consumer Products and Retail practices. He received his degree from Cambridge University and has a diploma in Corporate Finance from London Business School.

This article originally appeared on AMEinfo.com.

Under normal circumstances, making and implementing decisions can feel like juggling several balls at once. During a change effort, as someone once put it, decision making can feel like juggling chainsaws—while blindfolded and balancing on a large ball. Too many decisions fall by the wayside. Too many turn out wrong.

Why is change so difficult? We see three main reasons:

One is that transformations involve so many key decisions. Just to launch an initiative, leaders must identify the facts that indicate a need for change, choose the best course of action, validate the business case, determine the highest risks, select the right leaders, and so on. The list of critical decisions only expands once the initiative gets underway. In the meantime, of course, someone has to make and execute the decisions required to run the business.

Another reason lies in the mood swings that can affect an organisation undergoing change. The pattern includes initial fear and skepticism followed by optimism. Later, as new obstacles appear, people become anxious and pessimistic again. Cognitive biases intensify these moods and impede people’s ability to make good decisions. In the first phase, for instance, the bias known as anchoring, or relying on familiar reference points, locks people into conventional thought patterns and clouds their judgment about alternatives.

A third reason: the stakes are high. Every major change is highly visible to employees and peers, to shareholders and board members, and also to customers. The company has invested a lot of resources. A decision maker’s credibility is at stake. The cost of failure is steep. In many cases, decisions made during a transformation can define an executive’s career.

Read the full article at AMEinfo.com.

Paul Rogers is the managing director of Bain & Company Middle East and Turkey. Paul has 30 years of experience with Bain and is a senior member of the company’s Organization, Consumer Products and Retail practices. He received his degree from Cambridge University and has a diploma in Corporate Finance from London Business School.