In this Video Stephen Hanman shares some great tips on Change Management.
“Change Management and Organisation and Supply Chain Development is what I’d like to talk about.
Change within our organisations has been constant for about 15 years.
Change can be divided into 2 types:
1. Small steps
2. Big steps
The how to on Change Management needs to consider the 4 organisational elements of:
1. Identity of the organisation
2. Relationships
3. Processes
4. Resources
Identity – is about who is the organisation? Why does it is exist? What is it about?
The workplace culture:
Relationships – is about the type of relationships internally and externally. Where are they on the continuum between adversarial and collaborative? How does power and trust plays itself out in the organisation?
Processes – which provides the picture of physical activities, how work gets done.
Resources – which is about what physical and human resources are required to get the work done.
Transformational or Big Step Change is delivered by managing all four elements detailed above in the organisation. Often, the solution to change and issues that comes with it lives with the elements above it. For example, processes maybe breaking down within an organisation because of unhealthy interfaces or relationships between people or departments and that is what needs to be addressed. The bottom two of processes and resources tend to focus on the technical whereas the top two elements are focus around people, commitment and motivation. Often, in a change management project, the organisation can be overwhelmed with issues when Pandora’s box is opened for the first time. Success depends on what has happened before.
Success in changing an organisation needs the following combination:
Dissatisfaction in the current situation + A vision of what the future could look like + The first steps to move towards that vision
These 3 aspects must aggregate and add to be greater than the resistance to change within the workplace.
Dissatisfaction without vision leads to just frustration. First steps without dissatisfaction or vision is equal to a series of failed starts. A picture that illustrates a change model may assist; it is not a blueprint but rather an archetype of picture for working with organisational change.
The illustration unfolds from left to right it starts with:
1. Clarity about the need to change, to make something different, to bring something new into organisation life.
2. Orientation phase is where the current issues and irritations are explored, it’s all about gathering information. Every answer comes from a question, but often in change management, the real question is revealed over time. It is often different form the original thought about a change, the aim flows from here.
3. Find the right people to carry the change, a manager alone can’t do it. When the orientation phase is complete, the organisation sets out on the journey. The frame work has two boundaries: (1)At the top you need to understand the future possibilities and options and (2)At the bottom the realities of ‘what is’ and the factors that will keep things achievable and realistic.
4. What is organisations current reality? Change always includes tension between the past and the future. Often, the limitations of the past hinder the path to the future. It is the aim of the change process that brings them into the right relationship and focus. A group of people of people, the guiding coalition, are needed to carry the change. They create a statement of intent to re enforces the aim.
The first real action to change is self-survey, where people meet and confront themselves in the situation. They are then able to see new skills that are required to make the change work. The challenge for the project manager is to sense how many people have passed this point? How many have lived in to what the change means for themselves? It requires communication and involvement. This change model embraces the human being as one who thinks, feels and acts. Successful change requires action at these 3 levels, people need to think about the change, then they feel the impact of the change on themselves and then change their actions to embrace the new way of doing things. People, often middle managers, often hit a wall when they live into the change.
People will resist the new by having:
1. Doubts about whether the new is better, this is part of the thinking process
2. Feelings of anxiety and resentment about the perceived changes and the impact on them.
3. They’ll have fear that leads them to inaction when old working habits are challenged. A common fear is losing their jobs.
Getting through or around the wall means projects can begin, the cycle needs to be:
a. Plan
b. Do
c. Review
d. Learn from this projects on the way in achieving the aim.
A change challenge is to take care to create the right conditions for success, where will the time come from to do my own job and this change project is often asked. A reasonable rule of thumb is to allow 15% of Time and $$$ to enable successful change resourcing for it to be successful. Change unfolds at varying rights of integration across the organisation, there are always some early adaptors and some later. It is not a technical process but one must embrace the alternatives of people’s reactions.
A critical step is to design, resource and implement a complete communication process around the change. The WIIFM which is ‘what’s in it for me’ must be articulated clearly. Derailment is an outcome with this communication process if not done well.
To summarise:
- It is always challenging as it deals with the human condition
- It must be managed consciously with a strongly held aim by a guiding group of people
- We need to allow time for people in their thinking and feeling about the change
- We need to deal with potential resistance with a comprehensive communication strategy
- When momentum shifts to a commitment to change, we need to ensure that the organisation is ready to act
Be bold and be successful bringing a core group with you into the future. Go well. Thank you.
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