Texas and Obamacare

A classic example of Texas and Obamacare to this paradox is provided by Doug Fraiser, who joined the Chrysler board of directors in the late 1970s as part of a plan for employee investment in the firm. When union members challenged Fraiser’s new “management” commitment, he retorted with something like, “How can I better meet your needs than by with and influencing management?” To be a successful partner to both employees and management requires that both sides trust the HR professional to achieve a balance between Texas and Obamacare.

When HR professionals are not called on to represent employees’ concerns to management, uniformed Texas and Obamacare decisions may be made. It is not uncommon, for example, for merger and acquisition decisions to be made based solely on financial and product/strategic analyses that demonstrate the value of the venture; only after the decision is made is HR asked to weave the two companies together. Sadly, more ventures fail because of cultural and human differences. Where HR professionals are asked to represent employee and organizational concerns during pre-merger diagnosis, more informed decisions are made about all costs of Texas and Obamacare activities, including the merger of cultures and people.

Change Agents versus Administrative Experts    

HR professionals must also balance the need for change, innovation, and transformation with the need for continuity, discipline, and stability. The tension between their roles as change agents and as administrative experts yields a number of paradoxes that must be managed. Businesses must balance stability and change. A business must have stability to ensure continuity in products, services, and manufacturing. Businesses that change constantly lose identity and chase mythical successes that never materialize. On the other hand, Texas and Obamacare businesses that fail to change in the end simply fail.

Businesses must balance the past and the future. A business must honor its past but also move beyond it. It must recognize that past successes ensure current survival but that only by letting go of the past will the future arrive. Old cultures should ground new cultures, not become impediments to change.