Change – Success Depends On You

“The world turns, and we turn with it.” This is what Brad Pitt said in a 2012 commercial for Chanel No. 5. This little clip attracted a lot of attention, because for the first time a man was an ambassador for the world’s most famous women’s fragrance. Basically this has nothing to do with this blog article, except for the sentence itself. “The world turns, and we turn with it.”

Because, as a “marketing man,” I am interested in well-done advertising and am quite conscious of it, this sentence came to my mind when I was thinking the other day about what I would like to write on the subject of change – either because Chanel’s advertising strategists simply know their craft and know how to get messages and products into the minds of consumers or simply because this sentence is about change. More precisely, about movement.

I write about change because the topic has never been as topical as it is today. And that’s despite the fact that our generation is more strongly involved in change than any other generation, primarily because of digitalization. There is a broad consensus that change is fundamentally positive if you want to develop yourself or a company. After all, they say that standing still means taking a step backwards.

However, in my opinion, successful change or transformation requires at least a stable framework or foundation and, accordingly, routines. As with so many things in life, different things are important.

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But, let’s stay with the change. So, it is actually good. Yes. It is important. Certainly. It moves us forward. Also correct.

Obviously, we want change. People are perhaps dissatisfied with their lives, their professional situations, or their relationships. It is a constant striving for optimization. To achieve this, you have to be prepared for change. Logically, this is often difficult for us simply due to the fact that there are risks and uncertainties involved.

And this is exactly the problem. Change should be exclusively positive. At least, that is the aim. But unfortunately, there is no guarantee for that. According to my experience, people are generally in favor of change, but when it comes to changing something about oneself or one’s habits and behavior, it looks quite different. There you hear it again, the famous “Everything was better in the past anyway…”

But the truth is, that success depends on how (quickly) change takes place and how prepared we are for it.

Many people have the feeling that they can only react: They think that changes come exclusively from outside and that there is nothing to do but endure or finally implement them. And, this is how we usually act. We often postpone decisions regarding changes until something is coming. So we only become active ourselves when we have no choice anymore anyway. In reality, however, we could very well have changed the situation ourselves.

Recognize signs

Almost all changes have signs. It is crucial that we recognize them and, above all, do something with them. Normally, we have many ways to determine the direction in which something will go, i.e. to foresee a trend. All we have to do is be interested, keep our eyes open and actively seek out the important information. Then, of course, act accordingly.

However, changes for their own sake usually backfire and should be avoided. As positive as changes usually are, it is not advisable to want to change everything by hook or crook. “Never change a winning team.” If you do not close yourself off and still remain open to changes, there is definitely something to this sentence.

We also need at least a certain framework in order to feel safe and be able to orientate ourselves. There are enough things you have to consider or take into account already when it comes to change if you want to emerge from it successfully.

And now, of course, there is also COVID-19 or better said SARS-CoV-2.

Exceptional situation

Where were the omens here? I dare say there were none. We got caught in the cold.
To stay with the image of my introduction, one can say that the world is now turning even faster than it already was. And this has nothing to do with the approaching autumn, in which, according to one theory, our earth is supposed to rotate faster than usual because of falling leaves.

Every single one of us feels the effects of the Corona measures – our children, our old people, and of course, ourselves. It is no exaggeration to say that nothing is as it once was, because almost every area of life is affected and characterized by massive restrictions.

Many things have changed since the beginning of the pandemic both in our private lives and also our professional everyday lives.

Remote work and home office are suddenly on everyone’s lips, and our daily life is characterized by rules and regulations. This is the reality that everyone has to come to terms with at the moment. Everything is different. Travel, meetings, events, culture – and also our working lives.

What will permanently become the “New Normal”?

Corona has changed our daily work, and in some cases, has shown us completely new aspects of working conditions. But which of these will become the “New Normal”? Will there be a permanent change in the design of work or are the changes temporary?

In the study “Working in the Corona Pandemic – On the Way to the New Normal” (available only in German), the Frauenhofer Institute for Industrial Engineering (IAO) together with the German Association for Personnel Management (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Personalführung e. V.) tried to answer this question. To this end, they investigated the influences of virtual work, especially the home office, on business practice from May 5 to 22, 2020. In 500 German companies, decision makers from areas such as human resources, organizational development and strategy were surveyed.

The results of this study as well as the findings of an OTRS survey from June 2020 and our own practical experience already confirm with high probability that even after the corona crisis has been overcome, the following points will still apply to our everyday work

1. Home office will be the rule rather than the exception.
2. Working hours and models will generally become more flexible.
3. Digitalized work processes will be inevitable.
4. Business trips will be increasingly replaced by virtual meetings.
5. A strong corporate culture and a sense of unity will become increasingly important.

I mentioned above how important it is to be prepared for change. Now we have a good example of this; in this crisis situation, well-prepared companies have had a clear advantage. Employers who have already addressed digital transformation in their corporate culture before Corona can now score points. But obviously not all companies have started something with it.

In the structures of small and medium-sized companies, however, implementation is often not an easy matter. That’s why it’s now all about the right reaction. What these companies really need is support to be able to react to the massive change. Corporate success and growth are based on efficient communication, clear structures and optimized processes – especially in these times.

How The Right Technology Can Support Companies

For processes and communication with colleagues and customers to run smoothly, technology is just as important as the right attitude and corporate culture.

Professional support is provided by service management software such as OTRS. This ensures that service quality is maintained, resource planning can be realized despite decentralized teams and employees are motivated. And today, motivation is particularly important, because changes of this magnitude in such a short time can lead, not only to uncertainty, but also to feelings of resignation within the teams.

So solutions are needed! Companies can still remain successful despite sudden changes – even if they were not prepared. But now reacting quickly really counts if you want to keep a business running.

Despite all the guidelines, rules and regulations and the resulting changes in working conditions, we can respond and make the necessary adjustments. For example, we can implement remote work software for service management. This supports companies in handling the concerns of internal and external customers in an optimal and efficient way and is an important basis for virtual working.

Some advantages of using remote work software include:

Ticketing and workflows
It includes service management tools; enables the automation of tickets and processes; and offers a wealth of different functionalities that can be integrated as required. And, it’s useful in every area of the company.

Templates, assignment and overview
Templates, assignments and a complete history prevent errors and help tasks to be completed quickly. Fast access to information ensures efficiency, prompt reactions and adapted measures. This makes it possible to measurably increase quality in service management.

Customization
There are already integrated process templates for standardized and frequently recurring workflows. However, individual processes can also be easily created with process management.

Technical tools in response to changes in the world of work are indeed a sensible investment in the future of a company. Plus, they help employees continue to enjoy their work despite changing conditions.

The topic of change inevitably includes flexibility, both as a prerequisite for people, i.e. as a personal mindset for getting involved in new things, and also pragmatically in the tools we use to optimize our work and processes. In this regard, companies working with OTRS are always well supported; no matter how big they are or to what industry they belong, the software is so flexible that it will definitely fit.

It remains to be said that nothing has changed and nothing will change as it pertains to the fact that changes are important and, above all, unavoidable. But how we deal with them and how we design our lives and work around them plays a major role. Above all, it is important to take the most active role possible and not just to react – except in exceptional situations, such as the current one. In this case, the only thing we can do is to react, so it is all the more important to meet the challenge in the best possible way.

Let us briefly summarize a few points that are important and that must be taken into account if changes are to lead to success:

• The correct perspective is what counts. Changes are part of life and are inevitable.
• Changes should be actively initiated, if possible.
• Fear of change is normal, but it should not determine action.
• Good preparation is essential.
• It is important to recognize signs and to draw conclusions in time.
• Do not ignore change, but react to it as well as possible.

As Louis Pasteur, French chemist, physicist, biochemist and co-founder of medical microbiology, said, “Changes only benefit those who are prepared for them.”

Yes, change is usually a challenge, but if we mainly try to see the opportunities in it, we will find it easier to deal with.