Crisis occurs at the curve of change

does every creation. So forceful is change, that trying to stop it is only a futile mission.
This is an age old way of life yet many of us try hard to defy it or we are found not prepared to go forward with change. At that turn of where change is imminent is where crisis always occurs.
Change or transformation happens to all levels and forms of existence. The rock, with all that density and heaviness, over centuries ago had to undergo changes in its molecular structure, turn into crystals and become transparent. Some forms of carbon, under tremendous pressure and heat have turned to diamonds.
Change in humans, takes place at various levels such as personal, organisational, cultural, national or global. Transformation, is meant to align us into being one with purposes of life, but the fear of the unknown, arrogance, procrastination or complacence, cause many to defy change much to one’s peril.
Thus like the force of gravity, the insistence of change has seen opposite poles such as ashes turn to beauty, the poor become rich, the weak become strong and so forth.
In some cases transformation brings a whole new creation as the case of carbon turning into diamonds. This is good but change agents are often persecuted and rejected, only to be celebrated ages afterwards.
This predicament happened to Jesus, Mohammed, Martin Luther King and many champions and supporters of spiritual and physical independence.
The 133 year old photography giant company, Kodak in the US is a contemporary example of crisis happening at the curve of change. Kodak a pioneer and established company, whose products shaped and became synonymous with the capturing of memories through photos, recently filed for bankruptcy protection.
The cause is the digital wave which ushered in a shift in photographic technology. Gadgets such as phone cameras became the preferred form of capturing memories, rather than the Kodak cameras and films.
Ironically, Kodak was at the forefront in the discovery of digital technology, but error of judgment caused the company to turn a blind eye to its own discovery. The giant company was complacent and took its time to take the turn with changes in technology. It is a missed opportunity for this global brand to make a smooth transformation from the old to new.
Now, faced with a huge debt, the giant Kodak in US has been forced to pull over and take a breather to refocus, re-strategise and reposition itself in the market. The good thing is that nothing is cast in stone, much as the company ignored the first change, second change is bound to happen, perhaps this time for the better. Leadership and governance styles will determine the quality of the new Kodak when it emerges.
One wonders if this is what is referred to in the Bible as time and chance happening to all. Nature, through change seems to have a way of rearranging, realigning and redistributing. Imagine the immense anguish suffered by Dr Martin Luther King, even to the point of death.
In his lifetime, Dr and Reverend King was disregarded by many including the black religious community as a communist, yet today Americans celebrate his birthday. This would have been incredible to the supremacy of the day.
Thoughts of Brazil surpassing France as the fifth largest global economy, would have been considered insane some ten years ago. So would have been the fact that Zimbabwe could one day be among major diamond producers.
Even most inconceivable would have been that Europe could turn to China to solve its economic woes. When, the world was fighting for debt cancellation in less developed countries, who would have believed that much of the Western economies would today be managed under austerity measures.
It would have been unimaginable also, five years ago that the Financial Times in the UK would muster a series of articles on “Capitalism in Crisis”.
In one of these articles, it is suggested that the current global crisis is a systemic crisis. That it is a crisis of transition to a new system of production to the new economic system, a new type of society with the philosophy of perception of the world.
Therefore, no specific improvements in the existing system of production would solve the problem. Rather, that nature of processes in the crisis would become clearer, when the global crisis passes to its more active phase. As in the case of Kodak, did the industrialised world miss the turn in the rising demands to balance profits, people and the planet?
Demands on leadership are loud. Undoubtedly, the pressure and stress that people in leadership positions face is enormous. However, it is highly unlikely that a single person can provide the necessary leadership for these global issues. Thus the perception that good governance is just for people in leadership is far from the realities of change that we see.
One official at Kodak described the company’s hibernation period, as not just a time to reorganise and count the cost of transformation, but that every one in the company should act as an entrepreneur, in order for Kodak to come out a stronger company of the future.
This sense of collective responsibility if put into practice, will shorten the crisis time, and establish the speed and quality with which Kodak will come out of its crisis. In times of crisis those in designated leadership roles and those who are followers need to let go of the belief that a single person called a leader or manager can lead all to a successful future.
No single individual has the experience, knowledge, skill, charisma, vision, decision-making ability, interpersonal skills, respect, stature, role etc. to lead all out of crisis. The sooner, each of the stakeholders embraces new ways of leadership, reposition and allow transformation to take place, the better for all.
In fact it is during such times of crisis, that new skills, competencies and characters are discovered. Responsibilities and actions of leadership should come from all for the good of all. Then the last become the first, and the heretic becomes the healer and enemies become friends as reorganisation, reposition and redistribution take place.
Specific organisational governance systems must also be subjected to change in order to serve the new era. For example, in trying to balance elements of profit, people and the planet, there is need to ask questions such as what is the degree and nature of convergence of social, environmental and governance practices of corporations?
What are the governance practices that typify best practice social and environmental performance and how fundamental are these governance practices to a company’s successful financial and non-financial performance? What are the factors driving these trends and will the social and environmental aspects of corporate governance grow in importance in the future?
What about the lost institutional trust? How can governance address issues such as corporate power or political influence of corporations? How to deal with political or economic dominance? What about issues of simple integrity and ethics?
In terms of globalisation, how can the new change bring about equitable redistribution of global wealth? The gap between “the have and the have nots”, can it be narrowed? Health, education, access to water, can these be made available to more people and easily?
What about the damaged planet, is it a question of admission of guilt by industrialised countries or should the whole world get on with repairing damages to the planet? How can diverse people with different beliefs and cultures co-exist in peace, and so forth? The fundamental question is; are these not the issues that current global economic systems have systematically ignored over time?
Who has the Wisdom of Solomon, or the instinct of an ant, which knows that sunshine is a changing supply, and seasons pass, therefore knows to build a bastion against the cold, in summer? Change is what we are headed for, but do we know what the new order should look like?