Does your organisation have the will to change?
This article is a part of our Leadership Series — reflections on inspiration, influence, and the choices that shape meaningful achievement.
We are very largely devoted to doing the wrong thing right. That’s very unfortunate, because the righter you do the wrong thing, the wronger you become.
— Russ Ackoff
It Takes Knowledge + the Will to Change
The barrier to doing things a “better way” is rarely knowledge — it’s the will to change.
Whether you’re talking about exercising regularly or managing your Contact Center better, the principle is the same.
Most organizations — and the people in them — don’t struggle with what they don’t know.
Today, opportunities to learn better ways of doing things come from everywhere — knowledge has been largely democratized.
In contrast, in 1992, when I wanted to learn more about Contact Center management, I had to pay thousands of dollars in course and travel fees just to attend a credible training.
That’s obviously not the case today.
The days of lacking easy access to credible know-how are over, which means that, at some point, not knowing something becomes a choice — not a limitation.
The real struggle isn’t knowledge. It’s the will to change.
So what does knowing better but not choosing better actually look like in practice?
Here Are Three Examples
Once you start noticing the gap between know-how and will, you start seeing it everywhere.
Here are three widespread examples:
1. We’ve always known there are better and worse Contact Center metrics
We’ve known for decades that:
- Average Speed of Answer is a problematic metric
- Heavy-handed Average Handling Time targets damage service quality
- Counting the Number of Calls an Advisor “produces” is mathematically unsound
None of this is new.
In the early 2000s, I trained leading Contact Center clients — from Dialog in Sri Lanka to DHL Global — who took this knowledge on board and reworked their metric sets years ago.
For other Centers, that same knowledge was available. The will to stop managing by the wrong metrics wasn’t.
2. We’ve always known that qualitative research matters
Customers don’t speak through survey scores. They speak through stories, emotions, and what matters to them.
Qualitative research has been around for decades — its value is well understood.
I remember a particularly powerful diary study we did for Universal Studios a decade ago, that helped them revamp their service blueprint.
Organizations didn’t avoid qualitative research because it was untested. They avoided it because it felt messy or “not statistically viable.”
3. We’ve always known that targeting Frontline Team Members on NPS or CSAT scores is flawed
The reasons have been obvious for years:
- Frontline Team Members know it feels awkward to ask Customers for a good NPS or CSAT score.
- Leaders know it distorts the results they’re trying to measure.
- Customers recognize “score-begging” instantly.
The knowledge was always there. The will to redesign the system wasn’t.
Why Don’t Organizations Do the “Better” Thing?
If knowing better were enough, every organization would already be excellent.
Here are five common reasons for not choosing better.
1. “Good Enough” Blocks Better
When an organization isn’t dissatisfied enough with the way things are, there’s little impetus for change.
2. Misaligned Incentives
Leaders and teams stick with familiar practices because of how they’re measured and rewarded.
Dig a little deeper and you’ll hear:
- These are the KPIs we’ve always used — everyone understands them, and changing them feels risky.
- No one wants the rules to shift before a promotion, salary review, or bonus discussion.
- Cost-based KPIs feel more controllable than the outcomes of longer-term strategy or innovation.
People do what they’re rewarded to do — not what they know is better.
3. Leadership Beliefs Shape Everything
- “We’ve been doing it this way for 20 years — and we’re not changing now.”
- “Relooking at this can wait — we need to get through this quarter.”
- “The company can implement new software after I retire — let the new leadership deal with that mess.”
When leaders hold on to legacy ways of working, everyone else follows suit — even when they know a better way exists.
4. Fear of the Learning Curve
Better ways of working often require new skills, new conversations, and new kinds of employee capabilities.
Changing the ways we work can feel:
- Too disruptive
- Too costly
- Too unpredictable
So organizations stay with what feels safer — fear of loss is stronger than the prospect of gain.
5. Excuses — the Quiet Assassins of Will
You’ve heard them in the many flavors they come in:
- “My boss won’t support this.”
- “The company isn’t ready.”
- “We tried this once years ago.”
Excuses give people psychological cover. They make inaction feel reasonable.
Why the Will to Change Matters
We began this edition with Ackoff’s reminder that “the righter you do the wrong thing, the wronger you become.”
That’s the real risk when organizations lack the will to choose the better way: they become highly skilled at doing the wrong thing — even while knowing better.
Let’s acknowledge the people who use the influence they’ve earned through clear thinking and consistent action to stop doing wrong things — even when those things are familiar and comfortable.
Thank You for Reading
I regularly share stories, strategies, and insights from our work across Contact Centers, Customer Service, and Customer Experience. If this resonates, I’d love to stay connected.
You can drop me a line anytime, or subscribe on our site.
Daniel Ord
[email protected]
www.omnitouchinternational.com
Photo by Andry Svistunov on Unsplash
