Member Article

Carrying on Jobs’ legacy: How will Apple manage change?

Sara Ridley, Business Technology Consultant at Waterstons advises on how Apple will survive moving forward:

Change Management, Process Change Management, Business Process Re-Engineering. We’ve all heard these terms, especially in the last few years. A lot of us have read more than a few books on these subjects, attended several conferences, and had many discussions around the topic. Even so, change is still a huge challenge.

Many companies rise to this challenge. A perfect and timely example is of course Apple. How is it possible that Apple went from near-oblivion in the 1990s to become one of the great success stories of the 21st century at a time when the most dramatic, disruptive changes in IT history were taking place? The answer is: Steve Jobs and his visionary leadership.

Last week, with the passing of Steve Jobs, the world lost one of the most innovative minds it had ever seen and Apple lost its legendary leader. Jobs did an excellent job of setting up a company that can thrive without him and that is what makes him such a great leader. Jobs made “change” the mantra and infected the entire organisation – as well as the whole supply chain – with the vision of Apple changing the way computing, music and communications could be delivered. At the end of Steve Jobs’ rousing presentation during the iTunes launch, fear was the last thing on peoples’ minds. There was a job to be done: change the industry, and so he did.

How did Jobs accomplish change? It is a truism that, on their own, organisations don’t change. Jobs understood that employees hold the key to successful change and built an environment with this in mind. A work environment that is receptive to change ensures that employees have the tools to execute the change themselves and encourages a collaborative approach.

Jobs had an approach that is much more productive than that of leaders who simply fight resistance to change. When individuals really understand what is changing and identify their role within that change, they will act alongside it rather than against it. Managers with good leadership skills have clear lines of communication with their teams and any skill gaps, for example in IT, can be accommodated. Moving beyond fear and resistance, effective leadership can turn a ‘resistor’ into an advocate of change.

How will Apple manage the change and survive moving forward? Apple will survive by carrying on Jobs’ legacy. Steve Jobs made his major contribution to Apple, by setting in motion an idea of extraordinary originality upon which the thousands of employees at Apple can build and improve; and the many of us who struggle with change should take note.

Sara heads up the North East chapter of the Change Management Institute, email Sara for more details at sara.ridley@waterstons.com

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This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Amy Crimmens .