As anyone who has ever tried to give up smoking or get fit knows, change can be hard to do – even when that change is personally important.
So how does an organization entice its employees to truly embrace change?
There are some great systems for managing the mechanics of change: ensuring that those impacted are appropriately identified, communicated, trained etc .. These are critical and will ensure that change is well planned and implemented.
Threshold questions
BUT, there are some threshold questions that need to be considered well before any of the above. Questions that might mean that a change should never progress beyond the initial concept:
- How is the change going to positively enable business performance?
- Is the leadership truly committed to the change and understand the full impact of the change? This doesn’t mean just passively approving it at a meeting and then vaguely listening to updates on its progress –but really believing in the change and being prepared to make other decisions around systems, structures, rewards etc to enable the successful introduction of the change.
- What’s in it for those affected by the change?
Taking this approach may be bad news for those in business land who dream up new initiatives to introduce into the unsuspecting organization; initiatives that are often removed from the reality of business performance.
But more time upfront considering the ‘what’ and the ‘why’ of the change – will mean ultimately mean the ‘how’ is easier to define. All of which means a change that is good for business and a change that sticks.
Want More?
If you would like to discuss how I could help you look at this issue, get in touch.
And if you’re still hungry for more you can find my leadership book here which has some great resources on how to manage yourself and your team during times of change.
Until next week, happy leading.
