Change Management for Organizations. So, as you look to closing one season and planning for the next, CHANGE is always on our horizon. Whether we plan it or not.
And especially in the current global world, that is constantly going through its VUCA challenges.
Therefore, organizations that wish to enjoy the success of this reality, need to optimize their internal and external strategies and operations in kind, and in TIME.
Because it’s becoming the new COMPETITIVE EDGE for triumphing in ANY market, capturing and retaining high performing talent, and securing lasting sustainability.
Change management – often referred to as some form of “organizational transformation” – has been a cornerstone of our specialty and business for over a decade. And in my career, for over 20 years.
Be it with organizations, teams or individuals.
But we’ve never seen such a demand for this kind of work as we have in the last few years.
It seems that the pandemic sharpened our personal and professional lens for the importance, urgency and impact of pivoting, evolving, and innovating. Like we never have before.
In our Work and Life.
This deep, complex and meaningful process of change management, on any level, but particularly the organizational, is the most difficult.
It often fails. And usually due to elements that could have been better understood, addressed and solved for, in time to create lasting success.
Change Management for Organizations Looking to TRIUMPH:
Here we want to share with you some fundamentals of what is absolutely CRITICAL for creating effective, powerful, and sustainable positive change in organizations of ANY KIND.
1) You need a Powerful Vision towards your New Bliss
People get excited about something they can understand, visualize and get behind.
No one ever got inspired by a half-assed idea, lacking clarity, passion or clear outcomes.
Because it’s NOT SAFE. And it gives no clear direction for how to move forward.
So, if you’re in a leadership position, within your own or another’s organization, ensure that your plans for change address the following, to begin:
1) What is the END RESULT you want to achieve?
2) WHY is it important, valuable and relevant to ALL?
3) What are the CORE NEXT STEPS you plan to achieve it?
4) What is your TIMELINE for the change (how long do you plan it will take)?
5) What do Your People need to KNOW and PREPARE to ensure its success?
This initial clarity allows you and your employees to breath. Also, reflect, come together to polish it further. And then, proceed with motivation, inspiration and energy for what’s to come.
2) Your Leaders need to get ON BOARD
How can we expect our people to mobilize and extend themselves around a given change, if they feel that their very leaders are ambivalent about it?
Everyone wants employees who are responsible, engaged and dedicated.
But not everyone is willing to GIVE them what they need to get there.
And this very important opportunity and challenge, lies with the organization’s leadership, FIRST.
Before you go announcing and organizing your people around various initiatives, ensure that your core leadership has done their DUE DILIGENCE. To properly understand, evaluate and plan the proposed change.
It doesn’t mean that EVERYTHING has to be clear and confirmed.
But it’s critical that leaders come together to first collaborate and align around the core vision and key next steps. So they can better lead their individual regions, departments and the like.
Otherwise, a whole lot of unnecessary headaches, meetings, conflicts, etc. will be what takes up your calendar. Also your mental and physical resources (not to mention, financial ones as well).
3) To ADVANCE, you need Consistency and Coherence
There’s a reason your employees haven’t started their own entrepreneurial ventures.
It’s because they don’t wish to deal with the particular responsibility, work, stress and sacrifice, required of running one’s own operation.
And that’s great! Because that’s talent within your own organization willing to work for you. As long as you also do your part in giving them what they need to truly excel.
So, they look to their leaders, while hopefully being empowered to be intrapreneurial leaders in their own right.
But no one feels safe with an authority figure who is constantly changing their mind.
And in doing so, constantly changing the conditions, operations and expectations that affect their day-to-day. As well as the security and experience of their very work.
This is why the previous step (2) is so important, but it’s important to reinforce it in this one (3).
Because we cannot play with the hearts and minds of those dedicated to bringing our success forward.
So get clear, get aligned, and THEN start communicating and executing in a way that sends a single clear message for success.
As even then, however important and necessary the change you have planned, it will still be a MAJOR transition and challenge for Your People.
4) Engaging Your People is the KEY to truly integrated change
Your change is not just about you, your department, your business.
It’s ACTUALLY about EVERYONE who will be impacted by it.
So don’t spoon feed them passively, impose and insist.
Bring them INTO the vision so they can be active, insightful and inspired participants in ensuring your desired change is truly effective.
How do you do that?
There’s a LOT to cover here, and more than for one post.
Not to mention, that each case has its particular nuances.
But here’s a few great starters:
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Survey your People’s insights
BEFORE you do anything! Find a thoughtful, intelligent, calming way to truly understand what they’re feeling, thinking, doing, as it pertains to the change you wish to execute. And best to have more than one form of doing this.
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Include them in creating CORE OBJECTIVES
Values and goals you define together with Your People from the beginning, will become THEIRS as well, boosting their own sense of ownership, motivation and investment to ensure they get achieved.
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Incentivize them PROACTIVELY and POSITIVELY towards your desired change
“What gets REWARDED gets done”. But make sure the rewards are effective and here’s an important secret: money is not always the best incentive. Check out Dan Pink’s fantastic TEDTalk on “The Puzzle of Motivation” which shares proven evidence on what truly motivates people, especially in the workplace.
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Keep them ACCOUNTABLE for their work and results
The other famous truth is “what gets MEASURED, gets done”, meaning make sure that the ways you track, measure, and evaluate the performance of your employees towards the change you’re looking to implement, is something that is truly reliable and valid for you both. And that your managers are well trained to understand how best to do this.
5) Eat Change for Breakfast…
A dear and respected former boss of mine said to me one day, “Nev, we have to eat change for breakfast”. And he said this as we were right in the middle of the Barclays buyout of Lehman Brothers back in 2008.
I served on the Change Management Committee of this massive venture. And let me tell you, it was a hell of an organizational transformation process.
No matter how extensive your initial process of evaluating, strategizing and planning your desired change, it will ALWAYS work out differently than you expected.
That’s the nature of the beast.
Still, it’s SO important to do the due diligence of erecting a solid, relevant, reliable, and sustainable strategy and plan to begin with.
With the knowledge, that it WILL change.
We say here that “strategy” is the “most intelligently created vision and plan for your HOW”. Without it, you’re leading BLIND.
But if you’re not willing to effectively track, measure, evaluate and communicate your REAL results once it’s launched in the real world, all that planning is for NOTHING.
We all NEED to understand how all of our effort, ideas and actions impact the bottom line – and our livelihood in that process.
Yet if change is something you resist, ignore or downright reject…it will have its way with you. Instead of YOU making it work to your advantage, in the best way possible.
So learn to “eat change for breakfast” and celebrate it.
Life would be damn boring without it.
Check out our more extensive diagram of the Change Management Pillars for every and any organization:
How is your organization planning to change in the new season?
Would you like some help with that?
Don’t hesitate to get in touch and we will lovingly and confidentially address all of your questions and ideas.
