Change Management: Strategies for Managing Change: A Masterclass for Professionals
Website design By BotEap.com“A key reason implementation fails is that practicing executives, managers and supervisors do not have … a good understanding of the multiple factors that must be addressed, often simultaneously, for the implementation to work.” [Fevzi Okumus]
Website design By BotEap.comChange management is a messy business full of complexity and many things that can and do go wrong. This is reflected in the 70% failure rate of all change initiatives.
Website design By BotEap.comBehind the many things that can and do go wrong, there are a number of related factors:
Website design By BotEap.com# Overemphasis on process rather than people
Website design By BotEap.com# Failure to fully take into account the impact of change on the people most affected by it.
Website design By BotEap.com# Lack of a process to directly address the human aspects of change.
Website design By BotEap.com# Lack of clarity and lack of communication
Website design By BotEap.com# The lack of a language and a contextual framework to articulate and manage the necessary change processes.
Website design By BotEap.com# Failure to address the energy and emotions associated with change.
Website design By BotEap.com# Not understanding the difference between “new capabilities” and “benefits gained” [and why it matters]
Website design By BotEap.com# Failure to understand and apply the “business as usual” test to establish whether it is “incremental change” or “step change”. [and failing to understand why this matters]
Website design By BotEap.comTo get around these pitfalls and achieve a successful change initiative, you need to pay attention to 3 key domains, namely:
Website design By BotEap.com(1) Leadership that directly addresses transitions and the emotional dimension of those affected by change and provides inspiring motivation.
Website design By BotEap.com(2) A model and methodology for change that encompasses “the multiple factors that need to be addressed.”
Website design By BotEap.com(3) Stock management that shows and helps people with the details of exactly what is required of them.
Website design By BotEap.comHere is a short Internship Masterclass that highlights the key topics within these 3 domains.
Website design By BotEap.comLeadership
Website design By BotEap.comChange initiatives must be directed and managed. The biggest failure of leadership in most change initiatives is that it doesn’t exist!
Website design By BotEap.comWhat is required is leadership that recognizes the importance of the emotional dimension, and specifically that understands the 2 levels of impact of change:
Website design By BotEap.com(1) Organizational change: new processes, procedures and structures
Website design By BotEap.com(2) Personal transition: emotional and psychological
Website design By BotEap.comMost change initiatives employ methods that ignore the emotional dimension of personal transition. Ignoring transition is one of the main causes of resistance to change and failure of change. Guiding your people through this transition is just as important as managing organizational change.
Website design By BotEap.comLeadership that is able to address these factors requires high levels of emotional intelligence, which is often not evident in top executives.
Website design By BotEap.comSo for any business leader reading this, I’ll tell you the following: “Your level of emotional awareness, and the degree to which you accept and take advantage of the emotional dimension of your organization, is directly related to the success of change and performance. continuum of the organization “.
Website design By BotEap.comCulture
Website design By BotEap.comCulture can be defined simply as the way people behave within a group context.
Website design By BotEap.comOrganizational culture is the most important determining factor of how an individual will behave within an organizational environment. Culture will prevail over education, intelligence and common sense
Website design By BotEap.comTherefore, you cannot make a successful step change [and realise the benefits] without changing your organizational culture
Website design By BotEap.comTo change the culture you need:
Website design By BotEap.com(1) Identify and understand it
Website design By BotEap.com(2) A framework and a language to communicate it.
Website design By BotEap.com(3) Tools and processes to change it
Website design By BotEap.comChange models and methods
Website design By BotEap.comYou get “a good understanding of the multiple factors that need to be addressed” with a change model and methodology that bridges the gap between a “large-scale” high-level strategic vision and a successful front-line implementation. There are several shifting models that are popular and frequently used, notably John Kotter’s “8 Step Shift Model” and Prosci’s “ADKAR Shift Model”. These and other models have great merit and provide a structured approach to managing a change initiative.
Website design By BotEap.comThe difficulty with these and most established models of change is that they understandably tend to cover one major aspect or dimension of the totality of what is involved. That does not invalidate any specific model and supporting methodology, but it does leave loopholes.
Website design By BotEap.comThe main specific criticism that can be made of most of these models is that they are tactical and project-focused; they are not strategic and they are not holistic and broad enough to fully address the human factors that are the most common causes of failure.
Website design By BotEap.comThere is currently no change model that falls between the leadership dimension and the strategic review process, and the lowest level of management and implementation at the project and task level.
Website design By BotEap.comLevel Implementation Program
Website design By BotEap.comFor this reason, I have adapted some of the core concepts and processes of program management, adding a preliminary cultural analysis combined with a pre-program review and planning process using my EEMAP © process, and offer these to you in the form of a simple, program-based model, designed to fill the strategy-project gap.
Website design By BotEap.comIn summary, my program-based model is designed:
Website design By BotEap.com# Facilitate the key thought processes that are necessary for a successful change initiative.
Website design By BotEap.com# Support the leadership processes outlined by Kotter, Bridges Transition Model and provide a framework and context for the ADKAR model at the project / task level.
Website design By BotEap.comIt has 5 main objectives:
Website design By BotEap.com(1) Bridging the gap between vision and implementation
Website design By BotEap.com(2) Ensure that the “cultural analysis” and the “pre-program planning and review process” are carried out.
Website design By BotEap.com(3) Clarity about how and why things will be different after the change.
Website design By BotEap.com(4) Identify, evaluate and mitigate the impacts of the change on all those who will be affected by it.
Website design By BotEap.com(5) Ensure that the anticipated organizational benefits are obtained.
Website design By BotEap.comTask-level implementation
Website design By BotEap.comA common mistake many managers make is assuming that because they have told people what they want to happen, then it will happen. It will not!
Website design By BotEap.comAlthough people will hear what you say when you describe your vision and strategy, and will probably agree with you, on an individual level, most of them are not able to translate it into purposeful and productive action.
Website design By BotEap.comPeople are very different in the way they process information, interpret life, and in the way they are motivated. This is not because they are stupid, and it does not necessarily mean that they resist your vision and strategy, but it often means that the leap from vision and strategy to practical implementation is too great for them to do so, without support.
Website design By BotEap.comThis means that managing change, at the task level, requires detailed and practical management. [micro management on occasions] in the details of what to do and how to do it. This is especially necessary during the early stages.
Website design By BotEap.comAs a change leader, it really is your responsibility to not make assumptions and to “push yourself” and communicate those practical steps.
Website design By BotEap.comVery often, this just doesn’t happen. Leaders do not direct and managers do not manage. It is assumed that: “They have been told what to do and they will go and do it.” Incorrect! It is assumed that there is no time and it is not necessary to take the time to translate ideas and communicate those actionable steps. Again wrong!
Website design By BotEap.comIt is up to you to define and communicate those actionable steps and manage your people through the process of implementing and integrating those steps as the new modus operandi.