Importance of Change: Casual is the New Black

Change that occurs now affects us more profoundly than ever before. The inevitability of change can be seen through evolving trends across a plethora of fields and industries. Change liberates stagnancy in growth and transitions existing norms to newer ones, whilst ensuring and maintaining relevance with existing and emergent consumers. For instance, Proton has struggled to grow in an increasingly competitive domestic market and has had to adopt alternative financial and marketing strategies to continue surviving in the automobile industry.

Successful businesses evolve by understanding and choosing the optimum time to transition from existing business models and practices to adapt to newer emerging business climates. Understanding change might be difficult, but only because change requires absolving of traditional paradigms of business and embrace unconventional industry customs. The trick is in the timing and planning – knowing when to apply change, and doing so with a measured approach. By forcefully initiating change, industries risk jeopardising existing customer relations whilst being unable to appeal to a newer target audience.

As a micro-example, dress codes are a common policy within organisational or corporate structures. Formal attire is a longstanding industry custom to project a professional working environment, which in turn reflects professionalism of the business. However, corporations such as J.P.Morgan and PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) have foregone traditional dress codes for a more casual approach to introduce flexibility and to display willingness in breaking down the inertia of business clothing. The transition from conventional formal business attire also reflects a shift of emphasis away from clothing etiquette and instead to a heavier focus on business outcomes.

It must be understood that change cannot be hastily enforced. In regards to dress codes, clear expectations should be diligently set. Changing into a casual setting does not imply violating common workplace courtesy, much like a shift in fashion trend should not completely fall out of line with general decency. Measured, careful monitoring and application of change is the optimal approach, as adapting to change is a difficult job made simpler by staying close and vigilant to the change. Despite formal dress codes gradually converting into business-casual or smart-casual attire, it is critical to abide by company policy and project an image which positively reflects on the business.

On a personal level, we need to be prepared for change as norms become history in as much time as they took to establish themselves. Below are some excerpts from a few interesting articles which introduce a perspective on change, and how change is relevant to us regardless of it being technological development or dress code changes. You don’t often see Mark Zuckerberg in a suit and tie, do you?

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“Everything about the school-leaving generation will change our business, from how they are persuaded by a brand, product or idea to how they group together in socially structured economies to collaborate, barter, share and exchange. Adapting a business to profound change is a difficult job made easier if we stay close to the change.

Understanding change is hard, but only because change needs us to leave behind all our baggage and look at the new generation without preconception.

I will leave you with a recent example which illustrates my point. The Federal Government in the US announced last week it was considering funding a tablet for every school-age child in the country. Asked by The New York Times to justify the cost, US education secretary Arne Duncan replied: “We spend precious taxpayer money now on textbooks, buses, milk, all kinds of things. The real question is, 'How do you spend more effectively?’ As a country we spend $7bn to $8bn a year on textbooks. My simple question is, 'Why?’ It may not make sense to a lot of teachers in the US but a tablet will really make sense to the kids using them and that’s who it really has to work for.” – Phillip Clarke, Chief Executive of Tesco

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“Gaenor Bagley, UK head of people, said: “We’ve had a flexible approach to how our people dress for work in the UK for a number of years – it’s important that our people can be themselves at work and that we respect our clients and colleagues. We trust our people to use their judgement on what’s appropriate to wear.”

“I believe this new era of tie burning is a way our world’s best organisations and leaders are breaking down traditional barriers to treating each other like humans rather than problems,”Louis Carter, Co Chairman and CEO, Best Practice Institute, told Human Resources.

“And, there is nothing wrong with this – it is simply the decision to wear whichever uniform works best for you, your clients, and your job function. If you are in the office, and not client facing, you may as well have a writing or radio job.

“Dressing down doesn’t matter as much for a financial analyst or desk jockey writing Powerpoint presentations, working on innovative new scientific discoveries or performing primary and secondary research all day. It’s all about form, purpose, and function.” – Akankasha Dewan, Human Resources Online

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“Although half of all businesses have relaxed their dress codes in the last five years, some employees are still pushing the limits on what's acceptable attire, according to a new study from the staffing firm OfficeTeam.”

Because dress code language like "too casual" and "too revealing" can be subjective, Brandi Britton, district president of OfficeTeam, said employers must be diligent about enforcing their dress codes and setting clear expectations.”

"A casual dress code doesn't mean that anything goes," Britton said. "Staff should always look professional and project an image that reflects positively on the business."

"While dress code policies vary across industries and job positions, it's important for companies to keep in mind what rules may help keep workers productive and comfortable in their roles." – Chad Brooks, Business News Daily Senior Writer

Image Source: humanresourcesonline.net

Benjamin Lee Cheng Han | Benjamin is a student of International Relations at the University of Nottingham, currently exploring unchartered realms in the Public Relations field. Writing is clearly his interest – a decisive contributor to his foray into the public relations industry. To date, he boasts the proud record of having tamed one of the office cats, and drinking expired tea from the pantry.