Quintessential Careers Press:
The Quintessential Guide to Storytelling that Propels Careers
Chapter 1: Telling Stories about Change
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Employee Turnover, Especially in Management
In the department I was with, product management, the average number of bosses within a one-year period could be anywhere from 4 to 10. In the two years I’ve been there, I’ve gone through five bosses. So if anything can exemplify dealing with change and coping with change and rolling with the punches, I think that’s as clearly as it comes. My previous boss had 12 bosses within the year. There’s a very quick and constant turnaround. People hone in on the skills needed for the department. You’re assigned to a project, and you have to learn everything there is to know about that specific area – and then another department will want that skill set. They’ll say, “Can we steal that person?” And that person ends up leaving. Or that person transfers into another department.
Changing Technology
Management completely changed the whole back source of our project. We had to redo all of our code and everything. So in handling that situation, we had a change-management plan to do things on a certain timeline and meet our goals. We divided the task up among various people and assigned responsibilities.
Loss of Customer Base
Our college has lost considerable enrollment, so I have been striving to be a change agent for every student by personally giving one-on-one customer service to aid retention. I try to explain to each student what he or she needs to know to get admitted and obtain financial aid, and they always end up coming back to see me. I’m learning how to adapt to doing more work as a one-person office while the VP keeps demanding – fix it, fix enrollment, fix it, change anything that needs changing. I have to find every possible way be more productive without getting any more staff.
Observers and researchers also cite global competition, flattening hierarchies, quality-improvement programs, burgeoning entrepreneurial initiative, increasing diversity, cost reduction, lean production, heightened customer expectations and the subsequent drive for improved customer service, deregulation, privatization, expanded financial resources, a blurring of industry distinctions, and an eroding of the divide between industrial and service businesses as drivers of change.
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