Change for the sake of change?

Change is a good thing. Change is progress and growth. I strongly believe in the need for change and constant growth

But when does change become simply a buzz word rather than a real catalyst for growth?

You often hear the word change in the media, politics and at the office. Almost always well intended with the goal of gaining a new, better outcome. However, you've probably also noticed that change is sometimes used to cover up for poor decisions and lack of accountability.

You've noticed this in business I'm sure. Someone fails to follow a process and puts a project or teammate into a tailspin. Rather than accepting responsibility the party in question immediately goes for the "we should change the process to make it [fill in the blank]". Now, truthfully, almost any process could be changed to make it better to some degree at some angle but before someone pushes the "change" button he or she should first look to see if the current process was followed at all.

If this person had gone through the process and identified clear bottlenecks and inefficiencies, he or she could then provide a sensible prescription for change. Otherwise, this well-intentioned individual is just placing blame on the process. A process that cannot defend itself.

Once accountability leaves the situation we may feel better but we don't actually get any better. Which, by the way, is where we experience the real power of change - growth! So before you ask for change, make sure your request is headed in the right direction - forward toward real progress.