This is one of the very common and yet a very interesting phenomenon we often see around us. A change introduced in an existing system invariably faces resistance by people. But if the same people move to a different system with exactly the characteristics, which the changes in the earlier system would have brought, they adjust rather readily and sometime willingly to the changed circumstances. This phenomenon can have interesting implications.

One of the most interesting one was seen in the way the seating arrangement in our mess changed around 2 years back. Earlier we used to occupy whichever seat we felt like occupying. Mess people were trying hard to shift to an arrangement where everyone sits in the order in which they come to the mess (it helps tremendously in serving), but people just won't comply to it. During the vacation the hostel mess needed to be closed for maintenance and few people who were staying during the vacation had to join another mess, where this arrangement prevailed. They complied to it, but more interestingly when during the last part of the vacation they came back to the hostel mess, they still continued to follow the practice. Rest of the residents returned slowly and seeing that the practice was already in force quietly went by it barring occasional resistance and the practice is not permanent in our mess.

Wondering if it could have some implications for the way Organizational Changes should be brought about, in general...

Categories: Thoughts, IITK