Managing the Metaphors of Change
Managing the Metaphors of Change
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管理变革的隐喻
DOI：
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发表时间：
1993
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通讯作者：
R. Marshak
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作者：
R. Marshak
对于大多数领导者和变革推动者来说，一个七个字的表达已经成为抵制变革的同义词：“如果它没有坏，就不要修复它！”从表面上看，这是一个直截了当、相当直率的事实和建议：“不要把已经起作用的事情搞砸。”然而，正如通常所解释的那样，这是一个反抗的口号，挑衅地宣称：“这里不需要改变，去别的地方修修补补吧！”从象征性的角度来看，它也可能揭示出一套关于变革和组织的未阐明的假设。每一个人，就此而言，文化系统，通过一套信念和假设来看待和解释经验事件。通常这些信念和假设是潜意识的，很少被检查或质疑。他们就是这样。然而，它们对一个人如何看待一种情况，以及会采取或不会采取什么行动产生深远的影响。例如，如果有人含蓄地假设人际交流就像打电话给另一个人，那么任何错误的沟通都可能归因于“连接不良”或“线路上的静电干扰”。从计算机到计算机的接口来看，这些困难也可以被定义为“不兼容的软件或硬件”。根据隐含的观点，可能会提出不同的补救措施：“让我们挂断电话再试一次”，或者“让我们确保我们都使用相同的（计算机）语言”。这一讨论提出了这样一个命题，即这些潜在的、通常是不明确的对一种情况的理解往往是通过隐喻来塑造和揭示的。此外，由于这些理解对于人们如何评估变革的需要以及他们对变革本身的概念至关重要，因此关注管理变革的隐喻成为领导者和变革推动者的关键能力。
For most leaders and change agents, one seven-word expression has become synonymous with resistance to change: “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!” On the surface, it’s a straightforward, rather blunt statement of fact and advice: “Don’t mess with what’s already working.” As usually interpreted, however, it’s a slogan of resistance, defiantly asserting: “No change is wanted or needed here; go tinker somewhere else!” Considered symbolically, it may also reveal an unarticulated set of assumptions about change and the organization in question. Every individual, and for that matter, cultural system, views and interprets empirical events through a set of beliefs and assumptions. Often these beliefs and assumptions are subconscious and rarely examined or questioned. They just are. Yet they exert a profound influence over how a person sees a situation, and what actions will or will not be taken. If, for example, someone implicitly assumes that interpersonal communication is like calling another person on the telephone, then any miscommunication might be attributed to a “bad connection” or “static on the line.” Viewed as a computerto-computer interface, the difficulties might be alternatively defined as “incompatible software or hardware.” Depending on the implicit view, different remedies are likely to be suggested: “Let’s hang up and try again,” or “Let’s make sure we are both using the same (computer) language.” This discussion advances the proposition that these underlying, usually unarticulated understandings about a situation are often shaped and revealed metaphorically. Furthermore, because these understandings are critical to how people assess the need for change—and indeed, their conception of change itself—paying attention to managing the metaphors of change becomes a critical competency for leaders and change agents.