Kaizen

Experts in organizational change management always give the warning that “the status quo is more dangerous than the unknown.”

There are only three things that are permanent in this world: taxes, death and yes, change.

As you sit down while reading this article, millions of cells in your body have died, while millions of others are born, the ratio of which depends on your age.

If change is going to happen anyway, then you might as well manage it. When is the best time to institute change?

Beware of the sigmoid curve paradox!

Most things in this world go up, and at the height of their success or glory, inevitably go down, if one falls in love with the status quo.

Most people effect change only when things turn out for the worse. By then, there are less resources, less people available and less time to make the necessary changes to bring back the organization to its heights of success.

The sigmoid curve paradox prescribes that “if it ain’t broke, fix it!”

Makes sense because when you are on top of the hill, you have the time, the resources and the manpower to plan, implement and monitor the incremental tweaks that are needed to make the organization stay on top.

In other words, before the rising curve peters out, the organization has to create a new curve to keep the organization on top. That is why, every year you will notice that there is always a new version of your favorite detergent.

That is how great organizations stay on top: they do not fall in love with the status quo, they implement incremental changes, they fix things, even if they are not broken.

Why am I writing about change?

A few days ago, a banner headline in the sports page of one local paper posed the question: “What’s Wrong With the CESAFI?”

A few years ago, I went to the Cebu Coliseum to watch the finals series between the UV Green Lancers and the UC Webmasters.

I cannot be very certain, but I think Junmar Fajardo and Greg Slaughter were still playing at the time.

I could not gain entrance into the venue because by the time I arrived, every corner of the Coliseum was already occupied.

I grudgingly went back to my car pleasantly surprised how the fans have gone back to watching varsity ball, despite the overdose of the NBA and the PBA games on television.

Things must have changed for the CESAFI in the last few years, judging from the empty seats during the fourth game between UV and USC.

The CESAFI is in good hands with my good friend Commissioner Boy Tiukinhoy at the helm.

One singular achievement of the present management is the elimination of the rampant cheating, which has made teams more competitive, especially in the secondary level.

Boy’s firm decisions when it comes to team and player discipline has weeded out hooligans from the league.

But it may be a good thing to analyse if the association has not fallen in love with the status quo.

While CESAFI is the only legitimate league hereabouts, it turns out that its competitors are actually the Metro Manila leagues such as the NCAA and the UAAP, and of course prime time television.

I will not tire of mentioning this, but before the present volleyball revolution in Metro Manila, Cebu was about to become the center of the volleyball universe in the country.

But when television took over, Metro Manila teams became magnets, even for young talents who usually manned the varsity slots in the top volleyball teams in the CESAFI.

I guess it is the same for basketball.

Not one viable star from the different secondary teams have stayed to play for their varsity teams, or other teams in the CESAFI.

Definitely, problems like these have to be addressed.

This can be a lesson for the future that continuous change is better rather than doing it only when there is already a crisis.