Change
It must be considered that there is nothing more difficult to carry out, nor more doubtful of success, nor more dangerous to handle, than to initiate a new order of things. For the reformer has enemies in all those who profit by the old order, only lukewarm defenders in all those who would profit by the new.
Niccolò Machiavelli
Sometime between Sunday and Monday evenings, Greenwich Mean Time, Sept 25, 2013, the bulk carrier Nordic Orion passed through the Northwest Passage and into Baffin Bay, sailing into history as it went.
The ship – a 225-metre, ice-strengthened carrier loaded with British Columbia coal bound for Finland – became the first bulk carrier to make the voyage. The Northwest Passage has lured explorers as a commercial route for centuries. The Nordic Orion was able to trim 1,000 nautical miles from the usual route through the Panama Canal. The ship was also able to carry about 25 per cent more coal, given the relative shallowness of the Panama.
The unintended consequences are that the Nordic Orion was literally "adding fuel to the fire" of climate change. The burning of fossil fuels since the industrial revolution in the 19th century has heated the planet to a point where the damage to our environment may be irreversible. Failure is not fatal, but failure to change might be. That's why Whitesell & Company takes a different approach to the discipline called, change management.
Change management is an oxymoron. Change in an organization is a function of leadership and requires courage, commitment and vision. Skilled managers can reduce risk during the implementation of the change initiatives but they cannot eliminate it. They must adapt, learn, teach and coach their teams through the journey. We have the techniques and tools to help leaders, managers and teams navigate change on any scale from personal to organizational to multinational.
Case Studies - Change