JOINT BASE CHARLESTON, S.C. –
"There is nothing more difficult to take in hand, more perilous to conduct, or more uncertain in its success, than to take the lead in the introduction of a new order of things."
Niccolo Machiavelli, The Prince (1532)
Change is something everyone has to contend with as it is an inevitability of life. People deal with change differently, some are fairly good at adjusting and others struggle with it and loathe the mere notion. As human nature dictates, eventually an individual will take the necessary actions and acquiesce to the level of change required to satisfy the new need or requirement. It can be difficult to accomplish but clearly surmountable at the individual level.
Conversely, organizational change is a much tougher proposition.
Organizational change is very difficult because it involves a culture and a community. Most importantly, for organizational change to be effective, it has to be adopted, practiced and espoused at every level of the organization ... from senior leadership down.
John Kotter, Harvard professor and world renowned leader in organizational change, conducted a 10-year study of more than 100 companies that attempted some degree of transformational change. He found that more than 70 percent of all organizational change efforts had failed. There was a multitude of reasons why the failure rate was so high but the overarching reasons were people's natural resistance to change and failure to embrace the change effort wholly as a community.
Several years ago the Air Force conducted a study in an attempt to uncover possible roadblocks to change within the force. The study concluded that Air Force personnel are no more or less averse to change than the average American employee, but they did notice significant resistance to change among the ranks of senior master sergeant and lieutenant colonel. After further review, researchers discovered the aversion to change was higher within these ranks because they saw change as a potential hindrance to advancement to the next rank. The study showed personnel in these rank structures were comfortable with the status quo and they felt they knew how the system worked and what it took to get promoted; change of any sort might upset their progression ... an obvious impedance to systemic change.
The men and women of Joint Base Charleston have been experiencing transformational change since Oct. 1, 2010, when we transitioned from Charleston Air Force Base to JB Charleston. We have experienced our fair share of "growing pains" throughout the transition and the transformation has not been easy. The question is have we completely embraced the transformation? Sure, we have all had to "deal with" the change and the new processes that have accompanied our transition but have we all accepted it as our new culture?
This brings to mind the analogy relating the Air Force to a pendulum in that just as it swings forward (changes) it will undoubtedly return eventually to the way it was before. While this concept might have applied to other change initiatives, I firmly believe this transformation is here to stay.
We have undergone significant changes throughout our history as a service and we have always managed to preserve our legacy as the preeminent, formidable force we are today. As a relatively nascent air and space force, our very roots center around change. I feel it is safe to say there were not too many people in the Department of the Army who were embracing the changes they were faced with on Sept. 18, 1947. I am however, fully confident every member serving in the Department of the Air Force today is thankful for the change effort initiated on that historic day!
In today's tightening fiscal environment and the ever present drive toward joint operations, it is the natural progression to try to eliminate redundancies in an effort to realize economies of scale in our support functions. Our shrinking federal budget will force even further reductions in the future and we, as a cumulative Air Force, must embrace the changes we are faced with in order to maintain our edge as the world's strongest and most lethal air and space force. In order to stay on top and continue to lead the way, we must change and move forward. It will take all of us, from the top of our leadership chain all the way down to the newest airman basic, to ensure our future success.
The joint basing concept is new and we are all learning and growing as we progress through it. The men and women of JB Charleston have an opportunity to lead the way and become the de facto model for joint basing across the Department of Defense. The Air Force has a great reputation of leading change and JB Charleston has always been at the leading edge of Air Mobility Command and the Air Force. We have a golden opportunity before us and I am certain Team Charleston will lead the way and I know we will embrace it just as we always have!