We all like toys! Even big girls and boys are attracted to objects of amusement. Life changes that we make as adults have a toy-like quality to them … we buy that new car or jewelry or house. We find it easy to move toward our toy and are sad when we have to leave … until we get bored, that is.

As an Air Force pilot, I frequently was assigned to a new squadron that flew a different airplane than I had been flying. The move was always an exciting time - even though all the people were new, the location was new, getting settled with a family was a pain - but it was worth it because I could play with a new toy … the new airplane!

In a similar vein, I talked to a project manager the other day who led a project to implement a new software application that also coincided with a change from DOS to Windows. She said that the change was relatively easy because the workers were so glad to leave DOS to get to Windows … a real new toy!

Is there a lesson for us here? Should we be on the lookout for toys that we can provide as a part of an organizational change?

I watched a client invest in repainting a manufacturing building as a part of an organizational change that had nothing to do with paint!  But the painting and refurbishing of the facility gave folks a lift and became a visible symbol of management’s desire to “change things for the better.” I have also seen the custom ordering of new furniture tied in to an organizational change to provide some novelty and to give employees something they could both control and play with.

The next time you are planning a change, see if you can’t build in some toys for interest, amusement, pleasure as well as symbolism.

 

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