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Manage Impacts of Change

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Manage Impacts of Change

The Challenge

Change initiatives often fail for people reasons even when technology works. Where projects are used to change, those outside the project commonly build resistance that almost seems proportional to project size. In some cases individuals who feel left out are just as happy to see others’ initiatives fail. Since people take much longer to adapt to new ways than it takes to change the ways they work, the cycle seems impossible to stop without proactive, cultural intervention. Even good people act negatively when they are not considered appropriately during change initiatives; and, systems can be put in place to consider input. Add to this the typical productivity dip following change initiatives even under the best of circumstances and the fact that training is not always initially effective continues to build the case for much more emphasis on people in change initiatives. Even trained individuals may not be motivated to perform; so, motivation throughout an initiative can be the great chasm to cross.

The Approach

People must be at the core of every change since they are the only resource that can manage other resources. In truth the most common business problems can be best understood by those that have to live with them every day, so excluding this input can be very defeating. Since people work better in collaborative atmospheres it is important to include their representation so their opinions are heard on the future of the organization. Even though each culture has a different set of acceptable norms that may dictate participatory boundaries, some participation is key to acceptance. Many negative behaviors can be avoided by simple measures that make sense. Participation and ownership are keys to obtaining buy-in; what people build they will support and make work.

The Solution

Modern organizations must change constantly to keep pace with changes in business and society. Where consistency and mass production were once the norm encouraging and espousing the benefits of not changing, today mass customization and meeting needs of each customer has become the norm requiring organizations to rethink how they approach fundamental performance within the enterprise. Quality is achieved through process, yet the processes of today need to allow flexibility and provide information to performers so they can build change skills. Meanwhile large change initiatives still have huge impacts due to the inflexibility of people in most organizations. While changing cultural norms for innovation and change, there needs to be strong practice to keep people informed and educated on change initiatives and the need to help with that evolution. The whole lifecycle of change needs to be addressed to help individuals buy-into the process and to own responsibility to make something new perform to the level required. Managing impacts of change may initially be somewhat reactive, yet as strengths in change management develop the activity becomes more proactive and help to build a culture of acceptance for change and focused on delivery excellence at each unique opportunity.

The Benefits

Individuals gain a greater understanding for changes and more readily buy into them. A training mentality often transforms into a learning culture built on experience and innovation. New roles and skills are mutually developed to aid learning and outcome effectiveness. Organizations grow in thei capacity to understand the lifecycle used to help people change. Knowledge grows significantly to appreciate the potential for anxiety, mistrust and other negative factors as well as for techniques to lead people through change. Leaders learn to listen and find less reason to invoke authority to force change. The whole lifecycle of change becomes less relevant due to continuous attention to developing a culture accepting and thriving in change. Productivity and ability to meet goals and objectives in ways not thought possible can emerge. Progress to schedule and attention to efficiency can increase through ownership. Ultimately people are ready when required for the new system to start operations.

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