Change Management
Why does change management matter, and why is it that so many organisations get it wrong? Change management matters because most change initiatives fail. In fact, published research estimates that it fails about 60% of the time!! What is loud and clear is that the failure to introduce effective change can have a negative impact on an organization. It can lead to a loss of key employees, a reduction of engagement, and a loss of market position, and really that’s just the tip of the iceberg. The truth is, change doesn’t need to be painful. In fact if done well, and careful planning and reflection takes place, it can be a positive process.
So, what is change management? It can be many things. That’s right, it doesn’t just relate to the big picture stuff, it can relate to change at any level of an organisation. In a nutshell, change management is just a structured approach for ensuring changes are implemented smoothly and thoroughly, with careful consideration of the wider impact of change particularly on people, individuals and the teams that deal with that change. That’s why what I’m going to share with you today can be applied to any industry and to any level of an organisation. Whether you are in the IT or technology industries, law, energy, waste or environment, public or private, the same underlying principles apply.
Approaches to managing change are as broad as the types of organsiations that exist. That means the first question that you need to ask yourself is, what is the change that you are making, and what does it mean in your organisation? Once you’ve got it clear in your head what the change is you are making, you can move onto planning, implementing and communicating it to the critical mass.
As a general rule, most people fear change. If it’s not broke why fix it, right? So be prepared, for resistance from individuals, or groups of individuals. This resistance can be placed into two broad categories: resistance to the content, and process of change. An understanding of the neuroscience behind why people resist change, and emotionally intelligent leaders will help you deal with resistance. A further negative impact on effective change management can come from organizational issues such as lack of effective leadership and project management skills, and poor communication.
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The most recognized authority on change, Professor John Kotter, from Harvard Business School’s eight steps for implementing successful transformation, is a useful model to follow when implementing change. How can you use it to implement change? I’ll give you some ideas below.
1. Establish Urgency
As a rule of thumb you need 75% of management to ‘buy into’ the change for it to be successful. That’s why its super important to think about how you can motivate people to change, and think about how to develop a sense of urgency around the need for that change. Communicating clearly, concisely, and honestly why the change is needed, is critical here.
2. Forming a Guiding Coalition
A team of leaders who can champion change will help to inspire and pull people together. Make sure they are from different levels and parts of your organization, the ‘lower’ they are in the organization’s hierarchy the better.
3. Create a strategic vision
People can get behind a clear vision and strategy. ‘Buy in’ occurs when people get people involved. Make sure you and the change members are all able to communicate the vision clearly and concisely, or involve staff in the process. There’s no point of having and vision and strategy that no one can communicate, or that no one believes in.
4. Communicate
When making change you should talk about change at every opportunity that you get, not just at staff briefings. Be open to listening to staff concerns and fears, with honesty and openness. Embody the change in your practice, and get your leaders to do the same.
5. Empower your team members to act
This is where you provide support, feedback and resources to leaders so they can implement that change in their own way.
6. Create short-term wins
Success is motivating, so set easy to win change goals so success is achievable early on. This will build a momentum for change.
7. Consolidate your gains
Don’t declare victory too early, because this is a reason why so many projects fail. Success can generate more ideas, so continue to set goals and analyse and reflect on how you can make continuous improvement.
8. Anchor the changes in corporate culture
Here is where you need to make the change stick. Keep talking about the change, include it in your staff training, use the change principles to inform your hiring choices, and recognize those who supported the change early on.
Change takes time, lots of planning and patience, but if implemented with careful consideration, it need not fail, or be a negative process. In fact, you may just find that it may be a positive experience, one that has a huge effect on your current culture.