"One key reason why 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, to make implementation work." [Fevzi Okumus]
Change management is a messy business fraught with complexity and many things that can, and usually do, go wrong. This is reflected in the 70% failure rate of all change initiatives.
Underlying the many things that can and do go wrong, are a number of related factors:
# The over-emphasis on process rather than people
# The failure to take full account of the impact of change on those people who are most impacted by it
# The lack of process to directly address the human aspects of change
# A lack of clarity and lack of communication
# The lack of a language and contextual framework to articulate and manage the necessary processes of change
# Failure to address the energy and emotions associated with change
# Failure to understand the difference between "new capabilities" and "realised benefits" [and why it matters]
# Failure to understand and apply the "business as usual" test to establish whether it is "incremental change" or a "step change" [and failing to understand why this matters]
To navigate these pitfalls and achieve a successful change initiative requires attention to 3 key domains, namely:
(1) Leadership that directly addresses the transitions and emotional dimension of those impacted by the change, and provides inspirational motivation.
(2) A change model and methodology that covers "the multiple factors that must be addressed"
(3) Action management that shows and assists people with the specifics of exactly what is required of them.
Here is a brief Practitioners' Masterclass highlighting key themes within these 3 domains.
Leadership
Change initiatives need to be led and managed. The major failure of leadership in most change initiatives is that there isn't any!
What is required is leadership that recognises the importance of the emotional dimension, and specifically that understands the 2 levels of change impact:
(1) Organisational change - new processes, procedures and structures
(2) Personal transition - emotional and psychological
Most change initiatives employ methods that ignore the emotional dimension of the personal transition. Ignoring the transition is a major cause of change resistance and change failure. Leading your people through this transition is as important as managing the organisational change
Leadership that is capable of addressing these factors requires high levels of emotional intelligence - which is frequently not evident in senior executives.
So, for any business leaders reading this I will say this: "Your level of emotional awareness - and the extent to which you embrace and harness the emotional dimension of your organisation - is directly linked to change success and ongoing organisational performance."
Culture
Culture can be defined simply as how people behave within a group context.
Organisational culture is the single biggest determinant of how an individual will behave within an organisational environment. Culture will over-ride education, intelligence and common sense
So, you cannot make a successful step change [and realise the benefits] without changing your organisational culture
To change the culture you need:
(1) To identify it and understand it
(2) A framework and language to communicate it
(3) Tools and processes to change it
Change models and methods
"A good understanding of the multiple factors that must be addressed" is arrived at with a change model and methodology that bridges the gap between the high level "big-picture" strategic vision and a successful implementation at the front-line. There are a number of change models that are popular and frequently used, notably John Kotter's "8 Step Change Model" and the Prosci "ADKAR Change Model". These, and other models, have great merit and provide a structured focus to the management of a change initiative.
The difficulty with these and most established change models is that, quite understandably, they 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 gaps.
The 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 sufficiently holistic and broad in scope to fully address the human factors that are the commonest causes of failure.
There is currently not a change model that sits between the leadership dimension and the strategic review process, and the lower level of project and task-level management and implementation.
Programme level implementation
For this reason, I have adapted some of the core concepts and processes of programme management added a preliminary cultural analysis combined with a pre-programme review and planning process utilising my EEMAP process©, and I offer these to you in the form of a simple, programme-based model, designed to fill the strategy-project gap.
In summary, my programme-based model is designed:
# To facilitate the key thought processes that are necessary for a successful change initiative
# To support the leadership processes outlined by Kotter, Bridges Transition Model and to provide a framework and context for the project / task level ADKAR model
It has 5 main objectives:
(1) To bridge the gap between vision and implementation
(2) To ensure that the "cultural analysis" and "pre-programme review and planning process" do take place
(3) Clarity about how and why things will be different after the change
(4) To identify, assess and mitigate the impacts of the change on all those who will be affected by it
(5) Ensure that the envisaged organisational benefits are realised
Task level implementation
A common mistake that many managers make is to assume that because they have told people what they want to happen then it will happen. It won't!
Although people will hear what you say when you outline your vision and strategy, and will probably agree with you, at the individual level, most of them are not able to translate it into productive purposeful action.
People are very different in the ways they process information, interpret life, and in the ways they are motivated. This is not because they are stupid, and does not necessarily mean that they are resistant to your vision and strategy, but it does often mean that the jump from vision and strategy to practical implementation is too big for them to make - without support.
This means that managing change, at the task level, requires hands-on detailed management [micro management on occasions] in the specifics of what to do and how to do it. This is especially necessary during the early stages.
As change leader, it really is your responsibility not to make assumptions, and to "grind out" and communicate those actionable steps.
So often, this just doesn't happen. Leaders don't lead and managers don't manage. It is assumed that: "they've been told what to do and they'll go away and do it". Wrong! It is assumed that there isn't time and it isn't necessary to take the time to translate the ideas communicate those actionable steps. Wrong again!
It is up to you to define and communicate those actionable steps, and to manage your people through the process of implementing and integrating those steps as the new modus operandi.
Showing posts with label Strategy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Strategy. Show all posts
Change Management - Strategies For Managing Change - A Practitioners Quick Guide
Before proceeding with a proposed change initiative, you need to be very clear about this:
# The organisational need for the change
# The specifics of what will change
# The benefits of the change
# The impacts of the change
Here is a Practitioners Quick Guide to a change initiative. It is based on these simple, fundamental questions:
(1) Blueprint for change - why am I doing this and how is it going to be different when I've made the change?
The more detail and clarity you have about this, the greater the chance you have of being able to communicate it to your staff and customers - and the higher the probability that you will actually achieve it! In terms of how your changed organisation will be different, you need to know precisely:
# How it will be different?
# Where it will be different?
# Why it will be different?
# When it will be different?
(2) Benefits of change- how is it going to benefit the organisation and how will I know it has benefited the organisation?
For each anticipated benefit you need to know the following:
# Description - what precisely is it?
# Source - What new capabilities will make it possible?
# Observation - what differences should be noticeable before and after?
# Attribution - where in the future business operations does it arise?
# Measurement - how will it be measured?
# Dependencies - on other projects, tasks, risks and issues?
# Timescales - when is it expected to occur and over what period of time will realisation of the benefit take place?
# Management - who is responsible for ensuring that the organisational change delivers the benefit
(3) Impacts of change - who is it going to affect, how will it affect them and how will they react?
Recognise the difference between organisational change and the individual transition - the emotional dimensions that accompanies those changes:
# Transition is not the same as change
# Change is what happens to you - externally
# Transition is what you experience - internally
3 simple questions to start the process
# What is changing?
# What will actually be different because of the change?
# Who is going to lose what?
(4) Communicating change - what can I do to help them accept the change and to get them "on side"?
The single biggest barrier to effective workplace communication in a change management situation is quite simply the disconnection between the change leader and those who are or will be impacted by the change.
The key FACTUAL questions that your communication strategy needs to address:
# What are the objectives?
# What are the key messages?
# Who are you trying to reach?
# What information will be communicated?
# When will information be disseminated, and what are the relevant timings?
# How much information will be provided, and to what level of detail?
# What mechanisms will be used to disseminate information?
# How will feedback be encouraged?
# What will be done as a result of feedback?
The key EMOTIONAL questions that your communication strategy needs to address:
# What is changing?
# Clearly express the change leader's understanding and intention
# What will actually be different because of the change?
# Who is going to lose what?
(5) Risks of change - what risks and issues do i have to face and how can i mitigate those risks?
The preparation for and documentation of the Blueprint for change will have identified most of the issues that you are likely to face. You now need to take this a stage further and examines risk in terms of the:
# Potential
# Likelihood
# Timing
# Impact
Risk is assessed across various levels:
# Strategic level
# Programme level
# Project level
# Operational or "business as usual" level
The risk assessment process should involve all key stakeholders who are impacted by the change. The risks are logged in a risk log and regularly reviewed.
(6) Steps to change - what steps do I have to take to make the changes and get the benefit?
This is the area where most people are strongest and focus most of their attention: "What steps do I have to take to make the changes and the get the benefit of this change?"
Key elements include:
# Your first big decision is the "Business as Usual" test - is it Incremental Change or a Step Change? If it's a step change, then you need some form of structured methodology and people to fulfil the leadership and management roles.
# A project management led approach is not enough. You need the wider perspective of a programme-based approach to manage the links, overlaps and dependencies between tasks and projects, and to apply the principles outlined in this guide.
# As you plan the change initiative, you need an overall schedule of all of the initiatives and projects that are going to deliver the new capabilities that will realise the benefits.
# This needs to be supported by the collation of all project documentation e.g. business case, description, dependencies, risks, deliverables, dates etc.
# The over-riding purpose of the programme plan is to ensure that nothing jeopardises the delivery of the capabilities and realisation of the benefits
(7) Leading and managing change - how am I going to lead and manage all this so that it happens and I succeed?
Most change methods ignore the emotional dimension of the personal transition. Ignoring the transition is a major cause of change resistance and change failure. Leading your people through this transition is as important as managing the organisational change
Many directors and senior managers have the emotional detachment and objectivity to make clear, sound strategic decisions yet seem to lack the "counter-balancing" self-awareness and emotional intelligence to realise the impact of their decisions. This omission frequently [and unnecessarily] delays or jeopardises the implementation of their strategic vision and the realisation of the organisational benefits
The primary causes of failure in change initiatives are all people related, and to do with emotions. So change leadership requires some very special qualities in the person[s] leading the change. This is more to do with "being" than "doing". What you do, and how you do it will be largely determined by how you are as a person.
# Are you inspired in your heart and mind, and do you show it?
# Are you connected to yourself, the world and the people around you? [I don't mean as a concept but as felt or sensed reality]?
# Do you have a vision and communicate it with passion and purpose?
# Do you allow your emotion to speak to others in a way that transcends their mind, and speaks to their heart?
# Do you pay personal attention to others in a way that engages them and generates their trust and commitment?
# Do you genuinely care about others, what they want, and how you can help them meet their objectives as well as yours?
# The organisational need for the change
# The specifics of what will change
# The benefits of the change
# The impacts of the change
Here is a Practitioners Quick Guide to a change initiative. It is based on these simple, fundamental questions:
(1) Blueprint for change - why am I doing this and how is it going to be different when I've made the change?
The more detail and clarity you have about this, the greater the chance you have of being able to communicate it to your staff and customers - and the higher the probability that you will actually achieve it! In terms of how your changed organisation will be different, you need to know precisely:
# How it will be different?
# Where it will be different?
# Why it will be different?
# When it will be different?
(2) Benefits of change- how is it going to benefit the organisation and how will I know it has benefited the organisation?
For each anticipated benefit you need to know the following:
# Description - what precisely is it?
# Source - What new capabilities will make it possible?
# Observation - what differences should be noticeable before and after?
# Attribution - where in the future business operations does it arise?
# Measurement - how will it be measured?
# Dependencies - on other projects, tasks, risks and issues?
# Timescales - when is it expected to occur and over what period of time will realisation of the benefit take place?
# Management - who is responsible for ensuring that the organisational change delivers the benefit
(3) Impacts of change - who is it going to affect, how will it affect them and how will they react?
Recognise the difference between organisational change and the individual transition - the emotional dimensions that accompanies those changes:
# Transition is not the same as change
# Change is what happens to you - externally
# Transition is what you experience - internally
3 simple questions to start the process
# What is changing?
# What will actually be different because of the change?
# Who is going to lose what?
(4) Communicating change - what can I do to help them accept the change and to get them "on side"?
The single biggest barrier to effective workplace communication in a change management situation is quite simply the disconnection between the change leader and those who are or will be impacted by the change.
The key FACTUAL questions that your communication strategy needs to address:
# What are the objectives?
# What are the key messages?
# Who are you trying to reach?
# What information will be communicated?
# When will information be disseminated, and what are the relevant timings?
# How much information will be provided, and to what level of detail?
# What mechanisms will be used to disseminate information?
# How will feedback be encouraged?
# What will be done as a result of feedback?
The key EMOTIONAL questions that your communication strategy needs to address:
# What is changing?
# Clearly express the change leader's understanding and intention
# What will actually be different because of the change?
# Who is going to lose what?
(5) Risks of change - what risks and issues do i have to face and how can i mitigate those risks?
The preparation for and documentation of the Blueprint for change will have identified most of the issues that you are likely to face. You now need to take this a stage further and examines risk in terms of the:
# Potential
# Likelihood
# Timing
# Impact
Risk is assessed across various levels:
# Strategic level
# Programme level
# Project level
# Operational or "business as usual" level
The risk assessment process should involve all key stakeholders who are impacted by the change. The risks are logged in a risk log and regularly reviewed.
(6) Steps to change - what steps do I have to take to make the changes and get the benefit?
This is the area where most people are strongest and focus most of their attention: "What steps do I have to take to make the changes and the get the benefit of this change?"
Key elements include:
# Your first big decision is the "Business as Usual" test - is it Incremental Change or a Step Change? If it's a step change, then you need some form of structured methodology and people to fulfil the leadership and management roles.
# A project management led approach is not enough. You need the wider perspective of a programme-based approach to manage the links, overlaps and dependencies between tasks and projects, and to apply the principles outlined in this guide.
# As you plan the change initiative, you need an overall schedule of all of the initiatives and projects that are going to deliver the new capabilities that will realise the benefits.
# This needs to be supported by the collation of all project documentation e.g. business case, description, dependencies, risks, deliverables, dates etc.
# The over-riding purpose of the programme plan is to ensure that nothing jeopardises the delivery of the capabilities and realisation of the benefits
(7) Leading and managing change - how am I going to lead and manage all this so that it happens and I succeed?
Most change methods ignore the emotional dimension of the personal transition. Ignoring the transition is a major cause of change resistance and change failure. Leading your people through this transition is as important as managing the organisational change
Many directors and senior managers have the emotional detachment and objectivity to make clear, sound strategic decisions yet seem to lack the "counter-balancing" self-awareness and emotional intelligence to realise the impact of their decisions. This omission frequently [and unnecessarily] delays or jeopardises the implementation of their strategic vision and the realisation of the organisational benefits
The primary causes of failure in change initiatives are all people related, and to do with emotions. So change leadership requires some very special qualities in the person[s] leading the change. This is more to do with "being" than "doing". What you do, and how you do it will be largely determined by how you are as a person.
# Are you inspired in your heart and mind, and do you show it?
# Are you connected to yourself, the world and the people around you? [I don't mean as a concept but as felt or sensed reality]?
# Do you have a vision and communicate it with passion and purpose?
# Do you allow your emotion to speak to others in a way that transcends their mind, and speaks to their heart?
# Do you pay personal attention to others in a way that engages them and generates their trust and commitment?
# Do you genuinely care about others, what they want, and how you can help them meet their objectives as well as yours?
8 Key Strategies For Managing Change
In my experience of practical strategies for managing change, I have identified 8 key areas that need to be considered and addressed in order to maximise your chances of success with a change initiative.
(1) Drivers
Assessing the case for change: Kurt Lewin's force field analysis work provides useful background and a practical tool for assessing the case for change - a necessary first step and an integral aspect of your strategies for managing change.
(2) Business As Usual
The single biggest and most important early decision that you will make, is to decide whether the change can be handled within the context of business as usual or not.
(3) Resources and Capabilities
The size of your organisation together with your knowledge base will determine what resources to consider to implement your strategies for managing change.
(4) Leadership
Is change just about the management or, does it involve leadership? If so, what's the difference? How you define and exercise leadership in the present climate will be a significant determinant in your organisation's fortunes and is thus a key aspect of your strategies for managing change.
(5) Cultural Impacts
What are the effects of your business culture on change management? Organisational culture - is more important than you may realise. It determines how your people will respond to a change initiative.
(6) Preparation and Planning
The amount of time allocated to the pre change programme review and planning process is variable - the size of the proposed change and how business critical it is, are useful guidelines. But whatever time is allocated, it is time very well spent as the process is designed to make you: think deeply about your proposed change; understand as fully as possible the impact it is likely to have, and work out clearly exactly how you are going to reap the benefits from the change.
(7) Macro management
Of all possible strategies for managing change, at the macro level, the programme management based approach to change management is the one most likely to ensure that you avoid the 70% failure rate. This approach has as it goal, the full realisation of the business benefits that will be derived from the delivery of the new capability. It is this holistic approach that links vision to strategy and all the way through to implementation and successful benefit realisation.
(8) Micro management
Managing change in a day to day business as usual context requires hands-on detailed micro management in the specifics of how to do it, and especially during the early stages. It is up to you to define and communicate those actionable steps, and to manage your people through the process of implementing and integrating those steps as the new modus operandi.
(1) Drivers
Assessing the case for change: Kurt Lewin's force field analysis work provides useful background and a practical tool for assessing the case for change - a necessary first step and an integral aspect of your strategies for managing change.
(2) Business As Usual
The single biggest and most important early decision that you will make, is to decide whether the change can be handled within the context of business as usual or not.
(3) Resources and Capabilities
The size of your organisation together with your knowledge base will determine what resources to consider to implement your strategies for managing change.
(4) Leadership
Is change just about the management or, does it involve leadership? If so, what's the difference? How you define and exercise leadership in the present climate will be a significant determinant in your organisation's fortunes and is thus a key aspect of your strategies for managing change.
(5) Cultural Impacts
What are the effects of your business culture on change management? Organisational culture - is more important than you may realise. It determines how your people will respond to a change initiative.
(6) Preparation and Planning
The amount of time allocated to the pre change programme review and planning process is variable - the size of the proposed change and how business critical it is, are useful guidelines. But whatever time is allocated, it is time very well spent as the process is designed to make you: think deeply about your proposed change; understand as fully as possible the impact it is likely to have, and work out clearly exactly how you are going to reap the benefits from the change.
(7) Macro management
Of all possible strategies for managing change, at the macro level, the programme management based approach to change management is the one most likely to ensure that you avoid the 70% failure rate. This approach has as it goal, the full realisation of the business benefits that will be derived from the delivery of the new capability. It is this holistic approach that links vision to strategy and all the way through to implementation and successful benefit realisation.
(8) Micro management
Managing change in a day to day business as usual context requires hands-on detailed micro management in the specifics of how to do it, and especially during the early stages. It is up to you to define and communicate those actionable steps, and to manage your people through the process of implementing and integrating those steps as the new modus operandi.
Strategies For Managing Change - How to Manage and Mitigate Risks and Issues
Failure reasons in change management are many and varied. But one thing is painfully clear: Any organisational initiative that creates change - or has a significant change element to it - has a 70% chance of not achieving what was originally envisaged. So risk management and mitigation is clearly an extremely important aspect of the change management process.
A programme management based approach to change leadership and change management will cause you to clearly think through all of the key aspects of how you are going to deliver your vision. So as you think about and plan your proposed change - these are the 8 questions that will set you on the right course:
(1) How's it going to be different when I've made the change?
(2) Why am I doing this - how's it going to benefit me?
(3) How will I know it's benefited me?
(4) Who's it going to affect and how will they react?
(5) What can I do to get them "on side"?
(6) What are the risks and issues that I'll have to face?
(7) What steps do I take to make the changes and get the benefit?
(8) How am I going to manage all this so that it happens and I succeed?
The risk question comes in at number six because if you carefully work through the earlier questions you will go a long way to anticipating and mitigating a lot of the obvious risks - not least the people related risks and issues.
Creating a simple risk management strategy and risk log
However as you progress through your change initiative, the nature, likelihood and impact of perceived risks will change over the duration of the programme. Also, some risks will become greater as a result of another unforeseen event occurring, and new risks may need to be identified as implementation progresses.
It is extremely useful to take a structured approach to this by creating a simple risk management strategy and reviewing it regularly; and creating, maintaining and updating a "risk log" as risks change. This will shape how you approach the following:
- Allocating responsibilities and processes for risk monitoring and control
- Identifying new risks as they emerge
- Maintaining and updating your risk log
- Assessing risks and developing possible countermeasures
- Prioritising, actioning, controlling, escalating and reporting risks
Of all the strategies for managing change, and leading change, the programme management based approach is the most likely to ensure that you avoid the staggering and needless 70% failure rate.
A programme management based approach to change leadership and change management will cause you to clearly think through all of the key aspects of how you are going to deliver your vision. So as you think about and plan your proposed change - these are the 8 questions that will set you on the right course:
(1) How's it going to be different when I've made the change?
(2) Why am I doing this - how's it going to benefit me?
(3) How will I know it's benefited me?
(4) Who's it going to affect and how will they react?
(5) What can I do to get them "on side"?
(6) What are the risks and issues that I'll have to face?
(7) What steps do I take to make the changes and get the benefit?
(8) How am I going to manage all this so that it happens and I succeed?
The risk question comes in at number six because if you carefully work through the earlier questions you will go a long way to anticipating and mitigating a lot of the obvious risks - not least the people related risks and issues.
Creating a simple risk management strategy and risk log
However as you progress through your change initiative, the nature, likelihood and impact of perceived risks will change over the duration of the programme. Also, some risks will become greater as a result of another unforeseen event occurring, and new risks may need to be identified as implementation progresses.
It is extremely useful to take a structured approach to this by creating a simple risk management strategy and reviewing it regularly; and creating, maintaining and updating a "risk log" as risks change. This will shape how you approach the following:
- Allocating responsibilities and processes for risk monitoring and control
- Identifying new risks as they emerge
- Maintaining and updating your risk log
- Assessing risks and developing possible countermeasures
- Prioritising, actioning, controlling, escalating and reporting risks
Of all the strategies for managing change, and leading change, the programme management based approach is the most likely to ensure that you avoid the staggering and needless 70% failure rate.
Strategies For Managing Change - Your Communication Strategy - Say What You Mean and Mean What You
A good Communication Strategy is at the heart of any successful change management process. The more change there is going to be then the greater the need - and especially about the reasons, the benefits, the plans and proposed effects of that change. It is important that an effective communication strategy is defined and actioned as soon as possible and then properly maintained for the duration of the change management programme.
There are 2 aspects to a change management communication strategy: firstly the balance between information content and emotional resonance; and secondly the stage of the initiative, in other words before the change and during.
The structural and content aspect of your communications
You will benefit greatly from the discipline of a programme-based approach to leading and managing your change initiative, as your communication strategy will be based around the following:
- Stakeholder map and analysis [everyone who is going to be impacted by the change and your assessments of those impacts and their reactions]
- Blueprint [the clear definition and statement of the changed organization]
- Vision statement and pre-programme planning process [the high-level vision and the follow-up pre-planning process to unpack the vision and analyse the impacts]
- Programme plan [the steps that will be taken to make the changes and get the benefits - a schedule of projects and projects and initiatives]
The key FACTUAL questions that your communication strategy need to address
- What are the objectives?
- What are the key messages?
- Who are you trying to reach?
- What information will be communicated?
- When will information be disseminated, and what are the relevant timings?
- How much information will be provided, and to what level of detail?
- What mechanisms will be used to disseminate information?
- How will feedback be encouraged?
- What will be done as a result of feedback?
The key EMOTIONAL questions that your communication strategy need to address
In terms of the emotional resonance aspect of the communications, John Kotter makes the point that great change leaders are great at telling visual stories with high emotional impact. Kotter illustrates this the anecdote of Martin Luther King who did not stand up in front of the Lincoln Memorial and say: "I have a great strategy" and illustrate it with 10 good reasons why it was a good strategy. He said those immortal words: "I have a dream," and then he proceeded to show the people what his dream was - he illustrated his picture of the future and did so in a way that had high emotional impact.
William Bridges focuses on the emotional and psychological impact and aspect of the change - and poses these 3 simple questions:
(1) What is changing? Bridges offers the following guidance - the change leader's communication statement must:
- Clearly express the change leader's understanding and intention
- Link the change to the drivers that make it necessary
- "Sell the problem before you try to sell the solution."
- Not use jargon
- Be under 60 seconds in duration
(2) What will actually be different because of the change? Bridges says: "I go into organizations where a change initiative is well underway, and I ask what will be different when the change is done-and no one can answer the question... a change may seem very important and very real to the leader, but to the people who have to make it work it seems quite abstract and vague until actual differences that it will make begin to become clear... the drive to get those differences clear should be an important priority on the planners' list of things to do."
(3) Who's going to lose what? Bridges maintains that the situational changes are not as difficult for companies to make as the psychological transitions of the people impacted by the change. Transition management is all about seeing the situation through the eyes of the other guy. It is a perspective based on empathy. It is management and communication process that recognises and affirms people's realities and works with them to bring them through the transition. Failure to do this, on the part of change leaders, and a denial of the losses and "lettings go" that people are faced with, sows the seeds of mistrust.
5 guiding principles of a good change management communication strategy
So, in summary the 5 guiding principles of a good change management communication strategy are as follows:
- Clarity of message - to ensure relevance and recognition
- Resonance of message - the emotional tone and delivery of the message
- Accurate targeting - to reach the right people with the right message
- Timing schedule - to achieve timely targeting of messages
- Feedback process - to ensure genuine two way communication
Failure reasons in change management are many and varied. But one thing is painfully clear. Any organisational initiative that creates change - or has a significant change element to it - has a 70% chance of not achieving what was originally envisaged.
The root cause of all this failure is lack of clarity and a lack of communication. This is what a Programme Management based approach to change is all about and why it so important.
There are 2 aspects to a change management communication strategy: firstly the balance between information content and emotional resonance; and secondly the stage of the initiative, in other words before the change and during.
The structural and content aspect of your communications
You will benefit greatly from the discipline of a programme-based approach to leading and managing your change initiative, as your communication strategy will be based around the following:
- Stakeholder map and analysis [everyone who is going to be impacted by the change and your assessments of those impacts and their reactions]
- Blueprint [the clear definition and statement of the changed organization]
- Vision statement and pre-programme planning process [the high-level vision and the follow-up pre-planning process to unpack the vision and analyse the impacts]
- Programme plan [the steps that will be taken to make the changes and get the benefits - a schedule of projects and projects and initiatives]
The key FACTUAL questions that your communication strategy need to address
- What are the objectives?
- What are the key messages?
- Who are you trying to reach?
- What information will be communicated?
- When will information be disseminated, and what are the relevant timings?
- How much information will be provided, and to what level of detail?
- What mechanisms will be used to disseminate information?
- How will feedback be encouraged?
- What will be done as a result of feedback?
The key EMOTIONAL questions that your communication strategy need to address
In terms of the emotional resonance aspect of the communications, John Kotter makes the point that great change leaders are great at telling visual stories with high emotional impact. Kotter illustrates this the anecdote of Martin Luther King who did not stand up in front of the Lincoln Memorial and say: "I have a great strategy" and illustrate it with 10 good reasons why it was a good strategy. He said those immortal words: "I have a dream," and then he proceeded to show the people what his dream was - he illustrated his picture of the future and did so in a way that had high emotional impact.
William Bridges focuses on the emotional and psychological impact and aspect of the change - and poses these 3 simple questions:
(1) What is changing? Bridges offers the following guidance - the change leader's communication statement must:
- Clearly express the change leader's understanding and intention
- Link the change to the drivers that make it necessary
- "Sell the problem before you try to sell the solution."
- Not use jargon
- Be under 60 seconds in duration
(2) What will actually be different because of the change? Bridges says: "I go into organizations where a change initiative is well underway, and I ask what will be different when the change is done-and no one can answer the question... a change may seem very important and very real to the leader, but to the people who have to make it work it seems quite abstract and vague until actual differences that it will make begin to become clear... the drive to get those differences clear should be an important priority on the planners' list of things to do."
(3) Who's going to lose what? Bridges maintains that the situational changes are not as difficult for companies to make as the psychological transitions of the people impacted by the change. Transition management is all about seeing the situation through the eyes of the other guy. It is a perspective based on empathy. It is management and communication process that recognises and affirms people's realities and works with them to bring them through the transition. Failure to do this, on the part of change leaders, and a denial of the losses and "lettings go" that people are faced with, sows the seeds of mistrust.
5 guiding principles of a good change management communication strategy
So, in summary the 5 guiding principles of a good change management communication strategy are as follows:
- Clarity of message - to ensure relevance and recognition
- Resonance of message - the emotional tone and delivery of the message
- Accurate targeting - to reach the right people with the right message
- Timing schedule - to achieve timely targeting of messages
- Feedback process - to ensure genuine two way communication
Failure reasons in change management are many and varied. But one thing is painfully clear. Any organisational initiative that creates change - or has a significant change element to it - has a 70% chance of not achieving what was originally envisaged.
The root cause of all this failure is lack of clarity and a lack of communication. This is what a Programme Management based approach to change is all about and why it so important.
What is the Single Biggest Issue Re Managing Change? And How to Address It
I often get asked the question: "In your experience, what is the single biggest issue affecting directors who are considering or embarking on a change initiative?"
This is good question and hard to answer because there are several key things that need to be addressed. But the single biggest early decision is to decide whether the change can be handled within the context of business as usual or not.
In other words is it incremental change or step change?
Addressing the following points arrives at the answer to that question:
(1) How's it going to be different when I've made the change?
(2) Why am I doing this - how's it going to benefit me?
(3) How will I know it's benefited me?
(4) Who is it going to affect and how will they react?
(5) What can I do to get them "on side"?
(6) What are the risks and issues that I'll have to face?
(7) What steps do I take to make the changes and get the benefit?
(8) How am I going to manage all this so that it happens and I succeed?
If the change involves any of these following factors then it will definitely need to be handled as a "step change" and treated as a specific initiative that sits outside of business as usual. The factors are: complexity, size, scope and priority.
So often I meet with directors and they complain that their staff "don't get it" or haven't "bought into" the change - or the vision for the change. Whereas I often find that is not the case, the issue is that they are just too busy. Let me illustrate this:
A couple of years ago I was invited to meet with the Operations Director and CEO of an NHS Health Trust. Their problem was that they were trying to drive through an initiative to improve utilisation of operating theatres - raising performance from 85% to 90% and they felt that their clinical directors and senior medical staff just weren't buying into it and supporting it. They felt that it was "them and us" scenario - "management versus medics".
The significance of this initiative was great because in the target driven environment in which UK Health care trusts operate, the achievement of this target unlocked 4m pounds sterling of annual central government funding [some 5% of their total funding].
Furthermore, they were investing an additional 10m pounds sterling in new operating theatres and productivity was key to them achieving the required ROI.
At the time of my visit, they were achieving the required targets only by buying in expensive third party resource.
Once I had met with a number of the key clinical staff, the real issue rapidly became very apparent: it was not that they didn't "buy in" - quite simply they were all too busy with their day to day responsibilities to be able to engage with this initiative.
What was needed was to take this outside of "hospital business as usual" and to make the appointment of a senior manager - freed up from the day job for a 3 months - to take complete ownership of the initiative and to ensure the prioritisation of it and the allocation of the required time and resource. So this was really all about the answer to question 8.
Last time I spoke with them, this is exactly what they did, and they succeeded.
This is good question and hard to answer because there are several key things that need to be addressed. But the single biggest early decision is to decide whether the change can be handled within the context of business as usual or not.
In other words is it incremental change or step change?
Addressing the following points arrives at the answer to that question:
(1) How's it going to be different when I've made the change?
(2) Why am I doing this - how's it going to benefit me?
(3) How will I know it's benefited me?
(4) Who is it going to affect and how will they react?
(5) What can I do to get them "on side"?
(6) What are the risks and issues that I'll have to face?
(7) What steps do I take to make the changes and get the benefit?
(8) How am I going to manage all this so that it happens and I succeed?
If the change involves any of these following factors then it will definitely need to be handled as a "step change" and treated as a specific initiative that sits outside of business as usual. The factors are: complexity, size, scope and priority.
So often I meet with directors and they complain that their staff "don't get it" or haven't "bought into" the change - or the vision for the change. Whereas I often find that is not the case, the issue is that they are just too busy. Let me illustrate this:
A couple of years ago I was invited to meet with the Operations Director and CEO of an NHS Health Trust. Their problem was that they were trying to drive through an initiative to improve utilisation of operating theatres - raising performance from 85% to 90% and they felt that their clinical directors and senior medical staff just weren't buying into it and supporting it. They felt that it was "them and us" scenario - "management versus medics".
The significance of this initiative was great because in the target driven environment in which UK Health care trusts operate, the achievement of this target unlocked 4m pounds sterling of annual central government funding [some 5% of their total funding].
Furthermore, they were investing an additional 10m pounds sterling in new operating theatres and productivity was key to them achieving the required ROI.
At the time of my visit, they were achieving the required targets only by buying in expensive third party resource.
Once I had met with a number of the key clinical staff, the real issue rapidly became very apparent: it was not that they didn't "buy in" - quite simply they were all too busy with their day to day responsibilities to be able to engage with this initiative.
What was needed was to take this outside of "hospital business as usual" and to make the appointment of a senior manager - freed up from the day job for a 3 months - to take complete ownership of the initiative and to ensure the prioritisation of it and the allocation of the required time and resource. So this was really all about the answer to question 8.
Last time I spoke with them, this is exactly what they did, and they succeeded.
What is the Biggest Issue Re Implementing Change? And How to Over Come It
Obviously there are many factors working against a successful implementation of any business project or initiative that contains a significant change element. In fact, there is a 70% chance of the initiative not achieving what was originally envisaged.
So what is the biggest issue re implementing change? And how do you overcome it?
This all boils down to: translating vision and strategy into actionable steps
In this current environment the restructuring, refocusing and re-engineering is only the start.
As business leader, you now face the equally if not more difficult challenge of getting the staff to deliver your new vision and achieve the revenue forecasts.
People are very different in the ways they process information, interpret life, and in the ways they are motivated.
Many (probably most) of them are not able to make the leap from hearing and understanding your vision and strategy to translating that into purposeful productive action.
This does not mean that they don't understand it, or agree with it, but it does simply mean that the leap is too great for most people to make - without practical assistance. But, most people are capable of doing extra-ordinary things when they are motivated to do so.
At the macro level the root cause of this is lack of clarity and lack of communication about the people aspects of how to manage change - and even more fundamentally - the lack of a language and contextual framework to articulate and manage the necessary processes of change that will work for people.
At this level, a major part of the solution to this lies in employing a programme management approach to change - because:
(1) It is holistic and takes a wider perspective.
(2) It focuses you on addressing issues and aspects that otherwise get overlooked.
(3) It addresses the people impacts and issues arising as a direct and indirect result of your change initiative.
At the micro level, delivering a strategy and changing a culture requires hands-on detailed management - micro management on occasions - in the specifics of how to do it - especially during the early stages.
So at this operational level people need to be enabled and supported to develop the capabilities to deliver your strategy and become what you want them to become [or as close to that as is realistically possible].
Here are 3 very good places to start:
(1) Clarifying decision-making around return - this includes factoring in risk assessment and mitigation [as well as opportunity] to quantify outcomes and the likelihood of outcomes.
(2) "Grinding out" in practical, manageable detail exactly what the high level strategy/vision/values things actually mean for the "troops" in action - the specific actionable steps.
(3) Establishing the clear linkages and connections between vision -> senior management decisions->task-level implementation -> and results: in the delivery of the strategy.
So what is the biggest issue re implementing change? And how do you overcome it?
This all boils down to: translating vision and strategy into actionable steps
In this current environment the restructuring, refocusing and re-engineering is only the start.
As business leader, you now face the equally if not more difficult challenge of getting the staff to deliver your new vision and achieve the revenue forecasts.
People are very different in the ways they process information, interpret life, and in the ways they are motivated.
Many (probably most) of them are not able to make the leap from hearing and understanding your vision and strategy to translating that into purposeful productive action.
This does not mean that they don't understand it, or agree with it, but it does simply mean that the leap is too great for most people to make - without practical assistance. But, most people are capable of doing extra-ordinary things when they are motivated to do so.
At the macro level the root cause of this is lack of clarity and lack of communication about the people aspects of how to manage change - and even more fundamentally - the lack of a language and contextual framework to articulate and manage the necessary processes of change that will work for people.
At this level, a major part of the solution to this lies in employing a programme management approach to change - because:
(1) It is holistic and takes a wider perspective.
(2) It focuses you on addressing issues and aspects that otherwise get overlooked.
(3) It addresses the people impacts and issues arising as a direct and indirect result of your change initiative.
At the micro level, delivering a strategy and changing a culture requires hands-on detailed management - micro management on occasions - in the specifics of how to do it - especially during the early stages.
So at this operational level people need to be enabled and supported to develop the capabilities to deliver your strategy and become what you want them to become [or as close to that as is realistically possible].
Here are 3 very good places to start:
(1) Clarifying decision-making around return - this includes factoring in risk assessment and mitigation [as well as opportunity] to quantify outcomes and the likelihood of outcomes.
(2) "Grinding out" in practical, manageable detail exactly what the high level strategy/vision/values things actually mean for the "troops" in action - the specific actionable steps.
(3) Establishing the clear linkages and connections between vision -> senior management decisions->task-level implementation -> and results: in the delivery of the strategy.
Strategies For Managing Change - 9 Questions That I Highly Recommend
As you consider your strategies for managing change - there are 3 implicit questions: (a) What do I need to know? (b) What works? (c) How do I apply it?
Trouble is, we so often get stuck on old assumptions, and as Marshall McLuhan once said: "Most of our assumptions have outlived their uselessness."
It may seem obvious but you would be surprised but how many times I have asked the question of directors considering some form of change initiative: "Why are you doing it and how will it benefit you and how will you know it's benefited you?" - and got a vague or general answer along the lines of "we'll be... bigger... better... closer to our customers... reduce our costs... etc"
The 9 key questions
So as you think about and plan your proposed change - these are the 9 questions that will set you on the right course:
(1) In broad terms - how do you see it being different and better after the change? Have you told your staff? Did they share your view?
(2) What is your company like now, in terms of your culture and core processes - the key issues you face and how you all behave?
(3) Specifically how will the business be different after the change and in what ways will that change be noticeable?
(4) Do you have a clear definition of what your changed organisation will look like? Have you documented this?
(5) Have you defined and documented each of the specific benefits to be achieved though this change? (i.e. what is it - what difference will it make - where in organisation does it arise - how will its achievement be measured??)
(6) Have you communicated these benefits to your staff? And have you received and responded to their feedback?
(7) Have you documented in a list all those who are involved in the change? And specifically undertaken a brief analysis of how the change will impact them?
(8) Have worked out a communication strategy- and that one that will work two-ways and feedback to you?
(9) Have you identified what could go wrong and what you might need to do to avoid that happening?
Of all strategies for managing change - the programme management based approach is the most likely to ensure that you avoid the staggering and needless 70% failure rate. These 9 questions are based on this approach and some of the key stages of how to manage change successfully.
Trouble is, we so often get stuck on old assumptions, and as Marshall McLuhan once said: "Most of our assumptions have outlived their uselessness."
It may seem obvious but you would be surprised but how many times I have asked the question of directors considering some form of change initiative: "Why are you doing it and how will it benefit you and how will you know it's benefited you?" - and got a vague or general answer along the lines of "we'll be... bigger... better... closer to our customers... reduce our costs... etc"
The 9 key questions
So as you think about and plan your proposed change - these are the 9 questions that will set you on the right course:
(1) In broad terms - how do you see it being different and better after the change? Have you told your staff? Did they share your view?
(2) What is your company like now, in terms of your culture and core processes - the key issues you face and how you all behave?
(3) Specifically how will the business be different after the change and in what ways will that change be noticeable?
(4) Do you have a clear definition of what your changed organisation will look like? Have you documented this?
(5) Have you defined and documented each of the specific benefits to be achieved though this change? (i.e. what is it - what difference will it make - where in organisation does it arise - how will its achievement be measured??)
(6) Have you communicated these benefits to your staff? And have you received and responded to their feedback?
(7) Have you documented in a list all those who are involved in the change? And specifically undertaken a brief analysis of how the change will impact them?
(8) Have worked out a communication strategy- and that one that will work two-ways and feedback to you?
(9) Have you identified what could go wrong and what you might need to do to avoid that happening?
Of all strategies for managing change - the programme management based approach is the most likely to ensure that you avoid the staggering and needless 70% failure rate. These 9 questions are based on this approach and some of the key stages of how to manage change successfully.
Strategies For Managing Change - Do Or Die? How to Survive the Recession
Of all the strategies for managing change, in the current climate the only one that really matters is staying in the game. So the only current certainty is that there is no certainty. This really does mean change. Forced change. Reactive change. Planned change. And given the 70% failure rate of ALL business change management initiatives to deliver the promised benefits - getting it right is now business critical.
In a business context, organisational processes, behaviours and cultures evolved for a fixed and static environment have a very limited effectiveness in the fluid reality that we are currently experiencing.
Survival of the most responsive
Charles Darwin famously said that: "It's not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the ones who are most responsive to change"
Survival depends on continuous change. For your organisation to survive and prosper in this climate your feedback processes and behaviours need to be aligned to the reality of your market environment - or you die.
In a recent interview, business guru Edward Lawler said: "...we shouldn't think of change as aberration anymore, we should think of it as actually dynamic stability, because it is stable, because we can anticipate it, therefore, we ought to be ready for it..."
But in reality it's even harder than that. It's not just about catching up with what is changing all around you; it's about doing it faster than your competition.
So in a very real sense your survival and success in business life isn't merely based on your ability to simply change - survival and success is based on your ability to change faster.
So how to survive this recession?
A very good place to start is outlined in the principles of the Prosci AKBAR model- and here they are in summary:
- Awareness of the need for change
- Desire to make the change happen
- Knowledge about how to change
- Ability to implement new skills and behaviours
- Reinforcement to retain the change once it has been made
But the blunt reality is that continuous change is hard work and deeply unpopular . People get change fatigue and resistant. They are understandably resistant to the personal effects of the recession - especially fear of uncertainty - especially job security and financial security.
The good news is that one of the best strategies for managing change - one of the very best ways of mitigating these issues and risks and surviving in a recession is to use a programme management approach to change - because:
(1) It is holistic and takes the wider perspective.
(2) It focuses you on addressing issues and aspects that otherwise get overlooked.
(3) It addresses the people impacts and issues arising as a direct and indirect result of your change initiative.
In a business context, organisational processes, behaviours and cultures evolved for a fixed and static environment have a very limited effectiveness in the fluid reality that we are currently experiencing.
Survival of the most responsive
Charles Darwin famously said that: "It's not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the ones who are most responsive to change"
Survival depends on continuous change. For your organisation to survive and prosper in this climate your feedback processes and behaviours need to be aligned to the reality of your market environment - or you die.
In a recent interview, business guru Edward Lawler said: "...we shouldn't think of change as aberration anymore, we should think of it as actually dynamic stability, because it is stable, because we can anticipate it, therefore, we ought to be ready for it..."
But in reality it's even harder than that. It's not just about catching up with what is changing all around you; it's about doing it faster than your competition.
So in a very real sense your survival and success in business life isn't merely based on your ability to simply change - survival and success is based on your ability to change faster.
So how to survive this recession?
A very good place to start is outlined in the principles of the Prosci AKBAR model- and here they are in summary:
- Awareness of the need for change
- Desire to make the change happen
- Knowledge about how to change
- Ability to implement new skills and behaviours
- Reinforcement to retain the change once it has been made
But the blunt reality is that continuous change is hard work and deeply unpopular . People get change fatigue and resistant. They are understandably resistant to the personal effects of the recession - especially fear of uncertainty - especially job security and financial security.
The good news is that one of the best strategies for managing change - one of the very best ways of mitigating these issues and risks and surviving in a recession is to use a programme management approach to change - because:
(1) It is holistic and takes the wider perspective.
(2) It focuses you on addressing issues and aspects that otherwise get overlooked.
(3) It addresses the people impacts and issues arising as a direct and indirect result of your change initiative.
Before starting out on your change management initiative - some strategic questions to ask yourself
Before starting out on your change management initiative - some strategic questions to ask yourself. This list is not exhaustive but is intended as an aide-memoire to kick start your thought processes and to help you avoid the 70% failure rate.
(1) Have you thoroughly addressed the originating strategic review questions?
- Where have we come from?
- Where are we now?
- Where do we want to be?
(2) What is your vision for the changed company?
- How is this communicated to staff?
- Does your staff share this vision?
(3) How would you describe the company, its culture and core processes now - (key characteristics) - key issues (actions and behaviours) - major focus (areas of impact)?
- Have you defined some sort of cultural frameworks of your organisation - to show "this is what we look like"?
(4) What do you want the business to look like after everyone's changed - how will the specifics of the culture and core processes have changed?
- Where are the gaps between now and where you want to be?
- What steps are needed to close the gaps?
- What are the implications of this?
- Do you know the steps to be undertaken to get from: "where are we now" to "where we want to be"?
- Have you identified for each step, the implications, issues and exposures that have to be addressed to progress to the next step?
(5) How are you going to manage the transition?
- How will you know how you're doing?
- Have you analysed, categorised and prioritised the issues arising across all functional areas impacted by the transition?
- Are you using a structured methodology?
- Do you have the skills in-house to do this properly?
- Who is going to provide overall leadership and ultimate accountability for the initiative?
- Who is going to fulfil the role of day-to-day management of the initiative, its risks, issues, conflicts, priorities, communications, and ensuring delivery of the new capabilities?
- Who is going to fulfil the role of realising the benefits delivered by the change initiative?
(6) Do you have a clear blueprint that defines your organisation after the change?
- Is this Blueprint fully communicated to all staff?
- Is it going to be actively used in a structured manner to maintain focus throughout the duration of your change initiative?
(7) Do you have a clear definition and documentation for each specific benefit to be realised by this change?
(i.e. what is it and what difference will it make - where in organisation does it arise - how will its achievement be measured?)
- Have you documented what differences should be noticeable between now and the close of the change initiative?
- Do you have planned processes to put in place to ensure that these benefits are achieved?
- Do you have a mechanism for measuring the improvements arising from the realisation of each benefit?
- Are these benefits communicated to staff?
(8) Have you documented the "stakeholder map" all those who have an interest in the change? And specifically how the change will impact them?
- Have you analysed the impact of the programme on their area of interest and the likely issues that will arise?
(9) Do you have a two-way communication strategy? Does it work?
- What are the feedback mechanisms and processes that are actually going to make this a two-way communication process?
- What are the processes that will ensure that your people are informed about the use of their feedback to influence the change initiative?
- What are the processes that will raise awareness of the benefits and impacts of the Blueprint?
(10) Do you have an issues and risk management strategy (for the change)? Have you identified what can go wrong and put countermeasures in place?
- What are the processes that will ensure that it is enacted effectively?
- What are the processes that will ensure that it gives you early visibility of issues and risks?
Stephen Warrilow: www.strategies-for-managing-change.com
(1) Have you thoroughly addressed the originating strategic review questions?
- Where have we come from?
- Where are we now?
- Where do we want to be?
(2) What is your vision for the changed company?
- How is this communicated to staff?
- Does your staff share this vision?
(3) How would you describe the company, its culture and core processes now - (key characteristics) - key issues (actions and behaviours) - major focus (areas of impact)?
- Have you defined some sort of cultural frameworks of your organisation - to show "this is what we look like"?
(4) What do you want the business to look like after everyone's changed - how will the specifics of the culture and core processes have changed?
- Where are the gaps between now and where you want to be?
- What steps are needed to close the gaps?
- What are the implications of this?
- Do you know the steps to be undertaken to get from: "where are we now" to "where we want to be"?
- Have you identified for each step, the implications, issues and exposures that have to be addressed to progress to the next step?
(5) How are you going to manage the transition?
- How will you know how you're doing?
- Have you analysed, categorised and prioritised the issues arising across all functional areas impacted by the transition?
- Are you using a structured methodology?
- Do you have the skills in-house to do this properly?
- Who is going to provide overall leadership and ultimate accountability for the initiative?
- Who is going to fulfil the role of day-to-day management of the initiative, its risks, issues, conflicts, priorities, communications, and ensuring delivery of the new capabilities?
- Who is going to fulfil the role of realising the benefits delivered by the change initiative?
(6) Do you have a clear blueprint that defines your organisation after the change?
- Is this Blueprint fully communicated to all staff?
- Is it going to be actively used in a structured manner to maintain focus throughout the duration of your change initiative?
(7) Do you have a clear definition and documentation for each specific benefit to be realised by this change?
(i.e. what is it and what difference will it make - where in organisation does it arise - how will its achievement be measured?)
- Have you documented what differences should be noticeable between now and the close of the change initiative?
- Do you have planned processes to put in place to ensure that these benefits are achieved?
- Do you have a mechanism for measuring the improvements arising from the realisation of each benefit?
- Are these benefits communicated to staff?
(8) Have you documented the "stakeholder map" all those who have an interest in the change? And specifically how the change will impact them?
- Have you analysed the impact of the programme on their area of interest and the likely issues that will arise?
(9) Do you have a two-way communication strategy? Does it work?
- What are the feedback mechanisms and processes that are actually going to make this a two-way communication process?
- What are the processes that will ensure that your people are informed about the use of their feedback to influence the change initiative?
- What are the processes that will raise awareness of the benefits and impacts of the Blueprint?
(10) Do you have an issues and risk management strategy (for the change)? Have you identified what can go wrong and put countermeasures in place?
- What are the processes that will ensure that it is enacted effectively?
- What are the processes that will ensure that it gives you early visibility of issues and risks?
Stephen Warrilow: www.strategies-for-managing-change.com
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