With our shared experience of change as part of the way we work and live, why is it that organizations often fail when trying to initiate change efforts? Whether the change is a re-organization, the implementation of a HR initiative, a major system implementation, or a merger or acquisition, success is illusive. Yet change is imperative to remaining competitive. The need to change quickly while also maintaining high levels of performance and morale is critical for organizational success.
So, how can leaders increase their chances of success in leading organizational change? There are five key steps to consider in ensuring successful change:
#1. Establish a clear business case
A business need or opportunity typically sparks organizational change. What is striking, and disconcerting, is how often that triggering need becomes lost in the subsequent change effort. This haziness around the rationale can result in initiatives that drift away from their purpose, slowly disappear, or become an end rather than a means.
Every organizational initiative can and should be anchored with a business case for doing it. This way, the change effort will not be subject to the fluctuations in business and economic conditions (e.g., revenues are down, let’s stop developing leaders). Instead, the change initiative is altered or stopped only in the face of a change in business strategy.
#2. Assess the desire for change
Once the business case is established, it is necessary to increase awareness of the need for change. It takes people to make a change work. Knowing their issues, determining their readiness, creating a desire for change, and learning of potential obstacles are critical. Determining commitment and desire for change provides a realistic picture of what it will take for the change to succeed.
In addition, recognize that the success of any change effort fits under a broader umbrella of corporate culture. Identifying current and desired culture helps change efforts take into account cultural beliefs, values, and assumptions. Decisions can be made whether to modify the change effort to be in line with the current culture, or modify the culture to be more supportive of the needed change.
#3. Articulate and measure clear outcomes
Put measures to your change efforts and be bold about stating them. It often seems that the fear of not meeting an objective keeps an organization from articulating anything specific, especially in the people side of the business. Organizations need to work hard to figure out what is appropriate to measure. Ask yourself relentlessly, “Is this change (action, behavior) getting us what we want?”
#4. Determine knowledge, skills, and abilities
For the change effort to succeed, there is a need to identify the knowledge and skills necessary to implement and support the change (e.g., knowledge of the vision for change, skills to complete tasks during the transition phase, and desired state). Once the knowledge and skills are identified, evaluate employees’ overall ability to perform these skills, implement the needed actions, or act on the knowledge. This will help you determine what kind of communication, training, support, and/or guidance is needed moving forward.
#5. Institutionalize the change
The specific strategies of this step are dependent upon the content and nature of the change and the culture of the organization. In order to institutionalize change, identify the reinforcements that will help sustain the change over time. A few considerations include:
·     Develop a comprehensive communication strategy that lasts beyond the transition stage to the point where results are visible;
·     Connect the change effort wherever possible to existing systems and procedures; make it part of the fabric of the organization and be intentional about it;
·     Provide the necessary support, tools, information, and processes to ensure that people can thrive in the changed environment; and,
·     Align rewards with the desired change (e.g., rewards should encourage the desired behaviors).
Diane Hamilton is the owner and founder of Calibra, a coaching and consulting firm based in Madison, Wis.
