I received a call this morning from an organization asking me to facilitate an offsite meeting for a group of managers. I asked about the goals of the meeting and who else was going to speak at the event. The meeting planner told me that the organization was going through major change and that cost-cutting was high on the list of crucial objectives. The company leadership wanted me to present my program on “creative collaboration” as a way to stimulate problem solving and engage people in the change.

When I asked if the audience had been presented with the business reasons behind the cost cutting, I was assured that it had. But when I asked if people had the financial background to understand the business rationale, there was a long pause on the other end of the phone.

After working with organizational transformation for over twenty years, I’ve learned a few things. And one of them is that the more employees understand about how the business works, the more likely they are to accept and support change. (Especially change that involves cutting back on costs.) Most organizations have very few finance majors on their staff, and yet all employees need a clear “line of sight” – a direct connection between their jobs and the objectives/mission of the organization. To really build that connection takes people who understand the “business” of the business.

So here’s what I said to this meeting planner: Sure! I’d love to work with your group. But if you can only afford one outside speaker, pick someone who can teach business literacy. It will be the best investment you could make.