Everywhere you turn, you’re presented with the same message in many forms. Take, for example, the following three quotes:
“In social media, the only guarantee is change” – Convince and Convert
“If we are increasingly becoming more and more mobile and using smartphones and tablets as the primary way that we connect, perhaps the Web browser app on your mobile device will become the least important app as brands (both B2C and B2B) create specific apps targeted for their consumers, as a way to better capture the home screen of our mobile devices?” – Mitch joel
“Companies need to view themselves as constant learning organizations” – Donald Schön quoted in “The Moment of Clarity” by Christian Madsbjerg and Mikkel B. Rasmussen
So what do these three quotes have in common?
- They speak truths;
- They highlight the technologically evolving world we live in; and
- They provide food for thought if you’re hungry enough to reflect, learn and evolve the thinking and the ways of your organization.
The world of communication and consumption has been changing for a while. We’re now at a stage where those changes continue to evolve in impressive ways. The leading organizations out there had already jumped on the “change wagon” and are continually finding ways to evolve with technology and consumer demand and expectations; while other organizations are still attempting to fight against the initial change that has long been our reality.
Take the situation going on in Ferguson, MO, for example. This is a catastrophic crisis that in no way needed to escalate to the point that it has. Yes, it’s been a festering issue and, as such, this crisis was a ticking time bomb waiting to happen, but that doesn’t make it an unavoidable fate. On the contrary, in fact. This crisis should never have escalated to this point. Ever.
Podcast: Discussing the Ferguson Crisis with Tim Burrows
The change is here. Deal with it.
The change has come and gone and now continues to evolve. We live in a different world from ten years ago, but be it better or be it worse, is not the question. The question is what have you done to embrace this change and continue to evolve to stay relevant, in-demand and useful to your audiences? What are you doing to continue to understand and meet their needs and expectations? You can let your organization get left behind, or you can choose to accomplish great things in an exciting new world. The choice is yours, but requires action.
Author of Crisis Ready: Building an Invincible Brand in an Uncertain World, Melissa Agnes is a leading authority on crisis preparedness, reputation management, and brand protection. Agnes is a coveted keynote speaker, commentator, and advisor to some of today’s leading organizations faced with the greatest risks. Learn more about Melissa and her work here.
We are in the midst of rapid change by the public when politics, policies and especially emergency management agencies change very slowly. Remember that the video phone was introduced in the 1964 World's Fair, but most people today prefer audio only, as opposed to being able to see the person with whom they are speaking on the phone. Just because the public wants something doesn't mean they need it. Nevertheless, the number of life-saving success stories involving social media is rising every day.
Is rapid change more valuable or enduring than gradual change?
This change has been gradual and now it's at the point where the change is here and is now evolving at a fast pace. Though everything today moves at a fast pace, so this is to be expected. That said, the point of this post was to address the fact that many organizations are still fighting this change, even though it's here and here to stay. Whether or not this change is valuable, I'd say "yes" for a multitude of reasons.