THEORY OF CONSTRAINTS

If the first two questions of WHAT TO CHANGE? and TOWHAT TO CHANGE TO? are considered to be technicalquestions, then the last one, HOW TO CAUSE THECHANGE? is definitely a psychological one. However, we arevery well prepared for such questions. In our organizations thereis generally more than just a little bit of politics. Struggling andsurviving these politics gives us a deep intuitive understanding ofStruggling andsurviving these politicsgives us a deepintuitive understandingof the psychologicalprocesses involved.the psychological processesinvolved. What we have to do isto verbalize these processes.We all know, especially in thelight of the last few hectic years,that a process of change—theway we've tried to induce it—cannot be expected to be a shortone. To change an organizationtakes, unfortunately, years. It is afrustrating process for everyone involved and many timesdemands severe "casualties." It's enough just to review theprocess of the five steps described earlier to realize themagnitude of this problem. Identify the constraints, exploit,subordinate, elevate, go back . . . and then go back again . . .and again. What we want to implement is a Process of OngoingImprovement, where change is not an exception but rather thenorm.10