Group cultures can be resistant to change. But let’s cut to the chase – it’s really people, not companies, who are stubborn, even when it is in the that person’s interest to change.
I’ve seen this dynamic operate within companies of all sizes, from well-funded startups to the Fortune 50.
A business line manager wanted to champion a new initiative. In order to do so, internal resources needed to be shared with external partners and it needed to happen quickly. The corporate security application process wouldn’t adapt – rather, the manager of this group refused to allow for any exceptions to this policy. Rather, he was predisposed to protect his image and reputation among his IT peers. Short-sighted and silly, yet it happens every day. We found creative ways to work around him in order to capture the opportunity that the business manager had identified.
In your organization, find ways to encourage, foster, and cultivate flexibility so that you can grow your business now, and not be sidelined by bureaucratic processes and outdated rules.