When is Change Easier?

When you have professional change experts leading the change. When you have enabled the organisation’s leadership and managers to drive change and you have the stakeholders properly managed. When your change communication touches hearts and minds and you have a change program that is fun and exciting. When you have made the reason to change personal and have connected that with the company’s culture. When you thank the people for changing and measure the change in change. That’s when change becomes easier.

 

#1 When you call in the change cavalry …

There are many organisations that believe that their communications manager or their HR manager or their technical expert would be able to lead a change project. Or even Bob who has been in the company for 20 years and knows everyone and everything. Sure. No wonder it is often quoted that there is a high failure rate for change projects.

The best practice is to reach out to professionally trained and experienced change management experts to lead your change projects. And slowly also consider building up an in-house change function. The ability to change swiftly while still performing is a highly valuable organizational asset necessary to survive in today’s disruptive and volatile business landscape.

• Internal change expertise. Some forward thinking organisations have an in-house change management function, especially those with large employee bases. The benefit is that the in-house consultants will become more experienced after successive change projects and would be able to tap into that learning to make future projects more efficient. Simply because they would know the organisation’s culture, key stakeholders, politics, policies etc
• External change expertise. This is Plan B. However, I tend to think that it will take time for an external to plug into a change situation especially to understand the culture, stakeholders etc. They can also be a valuable addition to the in-house change expertise. I am personally skeptical about the success for organisations which hire change management expertise for three or six months to roll out a change project, unless it is a fairly straight forward change topic.
• DIY. This is Plan C. This is organisations empowering their topic owners or technical experts who are not change-management trained to lead change projects. This is a common alternative for many resource-constrained organisations. I would recommend at least hiring external change expertise to design the change plan and to do an in-house implementation thereafter. Another idea would be to send the in-house change team for proper change management training because they need the basics, the know-how and the tools to steer the change project to a success.

 

#2 When the leadership is seen standing there …

The leadership of the organisation – the president, chairman, CEO or the managing director must be frequently seen supporting the change program. He/she should be seen talking about the vision for the future, explaining the benefits of the change and connecting it to the business strategy and the company’s core values.

This leadership participation will bring direction, purpose and clarity for the change program. Most importantly the leadership should lift heavy obstacles out-of-the-way for the change project team to move forward.

In summary, three key responsibilities for the leadership during times of change are:

• Lead by example. If the change project is about operational efficiency, the CEO’s office should implement a couple of measures to improve efficiency in its own office first. Set an example and display role model behavior.
• Follow-up with immediate reports. The leadership should set aside time to check and support the change progress of its immediate reports. Keep convincing and keep channelling their interest and resources into the change topic.
• Talk about vision to the staff. Leadership should keep talking about the vision to the staff in town hall meetings, CEO letters, company events, newsletters and one-to-one conversations and also share success stories.

 

#3 When the managers become change generals …

Even if we have a first-class change project team managing the change and a first-class CEO who is sponsoring the change, it is the managers at end-of-the-day who will be implementing the actual change project. They will be and should be the drivers of change in the organisation.

The managers’ direct influence and impact on the success of the change program is unparalleled. He/she is all-powerful when it comes to ensuring that the change takes place in the shortest amount of time with as little impact to the business performance and with as a little casualties as possible.

In order for these generals on the ground to rally their troops and conquer the impossible mountains, they have to be enabled, motivated and monitored for successful change.

• Managers must be motivated. Managers are busy people. They are good in what they do but might not have the time or resources to support the change process. Therefore managers should always be, at least initially, motivated and if necessary pushed from the top to act.
• Managers must be supported. Managers must be enabled for their change challenges. This is where the change support comes in. Change management can organise workshops, trainings, websites, fact sheets, FAQs, tool kits, launch events etc so that these generals can lead their troops into the battle fields.
• Managers must bear consequences. The managers’ performance in achieving change should be measured and made transparent to the heads of department and the CEO. There should be rewards for those who display exemplary behaviors and consequences for those who stand still.

 

#4 When the naysayers, fence-sitters and advocates are swiftly managed …

During times of change there will be some key stakeholders who will win new responsibilities, powers, territories, statuses, resources etc and there will be some who will lose them and yet there will be some others who will be indifferent because they are not impacted.

There will also be most likely some level of back-end lobbying, under-table canvassing and trade-off negotiations. This is understandable as nobody wants to lose power or “lose face” or leave their comfort zones or change their way of life. That is why that the change manager on the scene has to identify the stakeholders, understand their motivations and help them to manage their expectations towards a successful change result.

However, results that cannot be achieved by discussions, moderation and common sense has to be escalated to the CEO, the ultimate change sponsor, to be resolved swiftly and conclusively. Unfortunately, there are simply no two ways about this. You are either part of the solution or you are part of the problem.

 

#5 When communication touches the hearts and minds …

All other aspects being the same, messages that resonate and are delivered in way that touches the hearts and minds of people, is the single most important enabler of change.

You have to communicate from the top-to-bottom and from the bottom-to-top. You have to communicate from left-to-right and from right-to-left. And don’t forget to communicate from the inside layers of the change, organisation etc to the outside and vice versa.

You have to communicate to people of different interests, levers and motivations. People of different cultural and educational backgrounds, skills sets and abilities, languages and literacy levels. And factor in the fact that different people will respond differently to different types of communication channels and so you need to be diverse in how you communicate.

You have to plan and launch a change communication campaign but be prepared to modify it as you go along in real-time. You have to be clear and concise in the ways you communicate but be prepared to be elaborate for those who want the “unbridged” version. You have to communicate with truth and sincerity but at the same time ensure that it creates impact and drives home the message.

In many cases, change expertise does not equate to communication expertise or vice versa. In fact it is a rarity to find change consultants who are also experts in communication.  I would therefore recommend that an experienced communication expert helm the change communication plan but working in tandem with the change consultants.

 

#6 When the path to change is fun, exciting and engaging …

Obviously this will be difficult to deliver to the manager who is made redundant when two departments are being merged during change. But for the people of the newly merged department, the change can be positioned as an “opportunity” for a “fresh start” towards a “new horizon”.  A “chance” to “come forward” to “shape the future together”. This positive spin allows you to organise change activities that are fun, exciting and engaging, bringing everyone together.

It is quite normal that organisations take short cuts when implementing change. They prefer to use tried and tested formal communication channels such as emails, meetings and PowerPoint to communicate and implement change. Perhaps throw in a speech or a training or even a launch event.

The problem is that you are not just sending information out to people. You are asking people to change. You really need something more than a CEO letter or a website or a workshop to make people change. You need a compelling campaign of change activities that brings everyone home.

You have to therefore stretch yourself by asking: With what more fun, exciting and engaging ways can we bring the change program to the people? How can we attract and retain our people’s attention and interest during the entire course of the change program? How can we offer our people a hands-on approach to understanding and participating in the change?

We are talking about, depending on the change, activities such as paradigm-shifting talks, outdoor excursions, team challenges, sporting tournaments, social media activities using mobile apps, specially created board games, “live” business games, motivating movie and book reviews and discussions, all-hands music concerts etc.

 

#7 When the reason to change is made personal …

As long as the change is not interpreted into what it means for an individual’s daily work in terms of personal behaviors and actions, it will remain irrelevant, unimportant and distant. You have to therefore make the change, its impact and its benefits personal to everyone.

For example. what has a company’s change program in internal process efficiencies to do with the customer call centre’s backend employee who is dealing with warranty claims? If internal processes are better streamlined and made more lean and efficient, it can contribute to better customer service offering and thereby reducing customer complaints and warranty claims.  So what can he/she do to support the change? How can he/she contribute? Or was he/she even invited to the change party?

The managers have to be especially enabled and trained to help his/her staff interpret the change in personal ways. What does the change mean for their departments and their staff’s daily work? What do they now need to do differently? This awareness and thinking has to drizzle down to each and every staff so that they can connect with the change in a personal ways.

 

#8 When change is connected to company’s culture …

A change project that stands by itself on its own merit, regardless of how valuable it is to the organisation, could sometimes struggle. On the other hand, change that is closely connected to the company’s core values will stand and speak from a far more powerful platform: culture.

Here are some examples. Improvements in IT and software could be connected to organisation’s core values such as Innovation, Creativity, Imagination etc. Improvements in process efficiencies could be linked to core values such as Efficiency, Quality, Excellence, Customer Focus etc. If a new department is being set up to further study and analyse company’s environmental footprint, the change could be linked to core values of Environment, Sustainability, Care, Respect etc.

The CEO should be able to go out to his staff and his dealerships and say “We are changing the CRM system as part of our new digital transformation strategy in line with our core value of Customer Focus.” Rather than to say that the organisation is changing the CRM system because it is a requirement from the German HQ.

Conclusion: More often than not, you will always be able to connect a change project to the organisation’s core values. Make sure that connection is solid and that you leverage that connection for the change’s success.

 

#9 When people are recognized for changing …

It is a universal longing and a human nature to belong to, to be accepted, to be appreciated and to be valued. When people put in extra efforts to move out of their comfort zones to change, their direct line managers must recognize and reward this effort instantaneously.

The recognition gestures do not have to be exhaustive, expensive or elaborate. They can be as simple asking everyone to give a round of applause in a team meeting to someone, giving away in-house printed “Good job! Well Done!” certificates, coffee and cake treats, cartoon stickers, electronic badges, emails/letters of appreciation, names on the “wall of fame” etc. You can easily brainstorm a ton of appreciation activities for the teams.

Caution: Managers have to be swift in offering that recognition and not push it to the bottom of the weekly or monthly priority list. He/she has to make the recognition himself/herself personally with his/her own team and not delegate it. All existing daily meetings, pantry talks, project discussions etc can be utilised to recognise supportive behaviors and to show appreciation.

 

#10 When you measure the change in change …

If something is changing, that change should be able to be measured. The effects of change will manifest itself in various forms, sometimes tangible and sometimes intangible and these should be identified, tracked and measured. This measurement is important because it offers valuable feedback on the direction and performance of the change effort.

You can track the number of participation, attendances, adoptions, users, comments and suggestions received and contributions made. For example, if the change project is about improving efficiency, the processes’ standard KPIs should produce an improved status. In addition you can measure the number of processes improved, the number of functions and people who have started using the new processes, the number or amount of steps, seconds, dollars etc saved.

 

You can also use quick polls and longer surveys for quantitative measurements. You can use round table discussions, workshops, focus groups, one-to-one interviews with key stakeholders etc for qualitative feedback. In fact a plethora of metrics can be identified by brainstorming with the change’s stakeholders.

This tracking should be made regular and the findings should be used to resolve issues that might hinder or slow down the change process. Without measurements, you will be running blind.

 

Key Takeaways

There is absolutely no chance to achieve sustainable, deep-rooted massive change if you do not pay attention to these ten critical areas. Change is much easier to manage when:

#1 When you call in the change cavalry. Set-up an internal change function. Plan B -Hire temporary external change expertise. Plan C – Train your topic owners or technical experts on change management skills for a DIY approach.

#2 When the leadership is seen standing there. The leadership of the organisation should lead by example, follow-up with his/her immediate reports on the change progress and continuously talk about vision to his/her staff.

#3 When the managers become change generals. Managers have to be motivated by the organisation’s leadership, supported by change management expertise and there should be consequences for their performance or lack of it.

#4 When the naysayers, fence-sitters and advocates are swiftly managed. During times of change, negative, neutral and positive stakeholders have to be managed by the change team. Stakeholder issues that cannot be resolved have to be escalated to the change sponsor to be resolved conclusively.

#5 When communication touches the hearts and minds. Communication is the biggest enabler for change. You need to communicate top-to-bottom and left-to-right and vice versa. You have to communicate change to people of different backgrounds via planned as well as ad hoc communication methods and in both concise and elaborate ways.

#6 When the path to change is fun, exciting and engaging. You need hugely compelling and attractive communication and implementation activities for change programs such as outdoor excursions, team challenges, board games, sports tournaments, competitions, movie and book reviews, social media video uploads etc.

#7 When the reason to change is made personal. Managers should be enabled to help his/her staff interpret or translate the change in personal ways. This awareness and thinking has to drizzle down to each and every staff so that they can connect with the change in a personal ways.

#8 When change is connected to company’s culture. Change that is connected to the company’s core values will stand and speak from a more powerful platform: culture. More often than not, you will always be able to connect an organisation’s change project to its core values. Make the connection and leverage it.

#9 When people are recognized for changing. People need to be recognized and appreciated when they put in extra efforts to change. Managers must carry out this recognition via simple, regular and instantaneous means in-house.

#10 When you measure the change in change. If something is changing, that change has to be measured so that you know where the change program is going. You can brainstorm with the stakeholders to develop a set of quantitative and qualitative metrics.