Driving organizational change with 6 proven strategies
We’ve all seen it. The executive leadership team reviews the business results, assesses the market, performs a SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats), and comes up with large-scale transformation initiatives. Let’s reorganize the departments! Let’s get the service people to become sales agents! Let’s recruit a more diverse workforce! Let’s get everyone back in the office!
They roll out the organizational transformation plan with great fanfare. They spend a lot of time and money. Everyone gets their marching orders. And the transformation effort fails. The change sputters out and people become discouraged and cynical.
Well, that’s OK. Next year we’ll try again, using the same playbook.
Of course, it’s not OK. This approach to driving organizational change is a giant waste of resources. It causes anxiety and skepticism. And the organization fails to adapt to changing circumstances or innovate in ways that are crucial to its success.
There is another way. There are companies that have figured out successful transformations and how to drive change effectively. A recent article from Harvard Business Review outlined six top tips:
Find out who your company’s internal influencers are and deploy them as change agents. Years ago, I consulted with a national retail chain that had grown rapidly. To manage that growth, they needed to centralize functions that had previously lived in the individual stores. Rather than using a top-down communication approach, they identified store leaders who were respected by their peers and used them to deliver the change message. It worked.
Give everyone a voice. When people help to shape change, they are much more likely to embrace it. Instead of a big meeting with a lot of elaborate fanfare, hold smaller meetings where participants can figure out how to make the changes work in their own part of the company.
Focus on the big changes everyone knows are necessary. Show how your current change plan will address the difficult, big, complex problems. That way people won’t see it as just a silly, make-work plan.
Map out the small changes. This may sound like a contradiction with the last point. But it’s vital that people see the change as attainable. So lay out a series of small changes that will lead to success. As Lao-Tzu said, “The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.”
Forget the slogans and the T-shirts. Anyone who has been in your company for a while won’t be won over by gimmicks. Focus instead on the actual behaviors that will drive the change — and model those behaviors.
Be prepared for conflict. Change is always disruptive. People don’t like disruption. So bring in an external facilitator to help manage and moderate the inevitable resistance and friction.
We’ve helped many companies successfully drive important transformation initiatives and change how they do business. If you’d like to learn more, contact us at ggolden@gailgoldenconsulting.com
