Managing change: quick guide to getting there

“It ought to be remembered that there is nothing more difficult to take in hand, more perilous to conduct, or more uncertain in its success, than to take the lead in the introduction of a new order of things. Because the innovator has for enemies all those who have done well under the old conditions, and lukewarm defenders in those who may do well under the new. This coolness arises partly from fear of the opponents, who have the laws on their side, and partly from the incredulity of men, who do not readily believe in new things until they have had a long experience of them.”

― Niccolò Machiavelli

I’ve been thinking about change a lot recently. I see the changes in the world around me, the changes large and small I have been a part of, and changes that are inevitable as I look to the future. As I ponder these things, I think more and more about the process of change and how challenging it is to initiate new ways of doing things.

There have been a multitude of books, articles, web sites, blogs, white papers, etc., written about making change successful in organizations both large and small. What I will share with you are my experiences and thoughts about what has worked and failed in those efforts during my career.

I once was a member of a steering committee selected to drive a major change in a manufacturing organization I worked for. At the time, I was an operations manager with some 80 people or so working for me. Part way through the process, my job changed and I was part of a start up team for a major new facility. This was a busy time!

The objective was to take a typically structured manufacturing organization and create a flatter, more empowered (see my blog on empowerment, if you would like read more on this topic) design. This vision was in sharp contrast to the siloed, tops down approach that had existed for decades. It required a significant adjustment to the culture and ways of doing business. Creating natural work groups and team approaches necessitated huge amounts of training. It was during this time I became a Master Facilitator and Team Skills instructor (please excuse the shameless plug). This experience, which lasted years, informed my thinking about change and how to go about it. I learned what worked well and what flopped.

Most of all I learned it was hard. And messy. And risky. See the Machiavelli quote above. I have enjoyed this quote for years, as it really drives home what I experienced as a change agent. Ultimately, though, it was successful, which made it all worthwhile.

So what factors go into successful change management? I like to break it down to just a few key elements. Obviously, there is a lot that goes into each, but it is not my intent to write one of those many existing books on change management in this blog.

• Reason for change and vision

• Absolute commitment from the top

• Dedicated resources to drive the change

• Involvement at all levels of the organization

• Overcommunication

• Metrics of success

• Adjust as needed

Reason for change and vision

Change for the sake of change does not necessarily bring a successful outcome or improvement. Having a strong business case for the desired change is absolutely essential. I am a firm believer in continuous improvement and the idea that constructive dissatisfaction of the status quo is healthy, but to change just to make a change is akin to aimless action. Something good might come out of it, but it becomes a matter of luck rather than skill. Once the business case is made for the change, creating a vision of what the new world will look like, act like and feel like is very important. This needs to be done in concrete terms of work, culture and outcomes. This vision must be shared widely.

Absolute commitment from the top

Of all the dangerous and debilitating negative influences to making change successful the most critical is waffling from the leadership of the organization. I have been in situations where I was asked to make a change happen only to have it fail when the going got tough. The leadership folks weren’t committed to the change. Increased cost, disruptions to the operation, and other messy events are to be expected, so it is fundamental that the “shot callers” all be fully bought in with eyes open. I have also been involved with complex change efforts where this buy-in was absolute. It was still a messy process, but successful in the end due to this deep-seated belief the changes were necessary and valuable.

Dedicated resources to drive the change

There must always be a guide on a journey that has a defined goal. We use maps on road trips (or GPS these days) to make sure we don’t lose our way. Spiritual guides help people find a path for those who are lost in other ways. The change process must also have expert support from those who understand the change process and can guide the organization through difficulties and barriers that will arise. The folks in the organization will do most of the work, but having a guru to lend support, guidance, and yes, sometimes acting as a cheerleader, is a key element to successful transition.

Involvement at all levels of the organization

Anyone who is affected by the change has much at stake. There is typically a lot of fear associated with change (“Is my job at risk? What if I don’t like the changes? Will I become outdated and less valued in the new system?”). By involving those who will feel the impact of change from the beginning, it helps allay those fears and improves buy-in. Not only that, but the people closest to the work will have invaluable insights into the effects of the changes and how they might be improved.

Overcommunication

There is nothing like a lack of communication to drive rumors and false expectations. When undergoing change, it is essential to communicate all elements of the changes being made as they are understood. Frequent meetings with the stakeholders explaining what is happening is easy to do and important. Use all methods available; email, newsletters, postings, advertisements, perks (tee shirts, key chains, etc.) to keep the effort in front of the folks’ minds. Removing the mystery can help reduce the fear and resistance that is common in major change efforts.

Metrics of success

I am a data driven guy, so it is natural for me to want to have a way to tell if the changes I am making are having the desired impact. This is part of the early decision-making process. I believe that if you can’t (or don’t) measure what you are doing, it’s really hard to effectively improve it or even know if you have. In the business case justification, be sure to select a few, critical metrics that will reasonably reflect the value of the changes being made. Otherwise, how would you know it was a good thing or just a colossal waste of time?

Adjust as needed

Going through changes, major or minor, often brings new learning. When a process that has not been examined in years is scrutinized, one may find there are many things that need to be modified for it to meet the new way of doing business. Sometimes, these little surprises may be prohibitively expensive to enact, so a conscious decision to adjust the plan a bit is the right thing to do. Do be careful about this as too many of these minor deviations could result in drifting away from the central objective. Just be aware that unwavering adherence to the plan has the potential to be as destructive to success as not having a plan at all.

It is not my intent that this be an all-encompassing treatise on change management. I do wish to get you thinking about change as something that CAN be managed and CAN be successful with proper preparation, skill, and commitment. If you are interested in exploring the topic further, there are scads of web sites dedicated to this topic.

I’d like to close with this thought:

“Change is hardest at the beginning, messiest in the middle and best at the end.” ― Robin Sharma

Make it happen.