The power of change
Managing Change – is there a winning formula?
I have worked with a number of companies over the last 20 years within a variety of different industries and I have seen many different ways that companies implement change initiatives – whether they are major or minor.
What has really interested me, is some of the mistakes that I see time and again, and how they easily they could be avoided. Don’t get me wrong, I am not saying that all companies make mistakes, a good number I have worked with have been extremely successful, so I started to think about the common themes I see when change does go wrong?
Whilst I don’t profess to be an expert in change management, I do have three top tips that should help change be more successfully integrated and also help everyone see the positives in change.
1: Never underestimate the power and influence of a strong leadership team
Leaders that take time to on-board and listen to their team through the change process will reach a more successful outcome than those who choose not to engage or listen to their team. I know that is a bold statement, but I do believe it to be true and I have seen it on more than one occasion.
Companies that choose to include, invest in and listen to their leadership team during the change process, already have the start of the winning formula.
Your leadership team will then steer the team through murky waters and ensure that everyone remains on board and work together. In turn, the team trusts their leader and will engage when they see a problem.
Cohesive and supportive leadership teams understand the change vision and work with the teams to promote understanding whilst ensuring that day to day activities continue to function and that the change initiative doesn’t derail the operation.
I’ve seen good and bad leadership in change situations and those that get the best results are always inclusive, empathetic problem solvers who are able to articulate the vision and reason for the
2: Tools are just tools unless they are used
There are so many good change tools out there by some extremely talented change experts. However, tools remain tools unless everyone works hard to understand and embed them as part of the change process. They are meant to be used and if this doesn’t happen, tools remain part of a ‘tick box’ exercise that serves no purpose apart from being a reminder of how part of the change process failed.
If you decide to use tools as part of your change project, they need to be understood and owned by everyone, and not remain the property of one person to ‘police’. Ensure everyone understands the tools, that they are of use for your project and (most importantly) that you do something with the analysis that these tools reveal to you.
3: Engage and communicate
Never underestimate the power of honest engagement and 2-way communication. I have been lucky enough in a couple of my roles to have been supported by the best communications professionals, and their understanding comms has been truly appreciated. (Helen Goldsmith I am talking in particular about you!)
I would question how any change team, that doesn’t forward think a clear approach towards engagement and comms, thinks it can be successful in engaging hearts and minds. For anyone to understand a change initiative there needs to be a forum for receiving information and asking questions. The most successful comms and engagement plans I have seen think about all audiences, pre-empt the possibilities and don’t make things overly complicated.
Obviously, there is so much more I could write on change, and there are so many more tips for success. But these are three that are important to me and I always have them on my radar.
I would be really keen to hear your thoughts on change, it is such an interesting area and you can always learn something new.
Angela Webster
NB - Photography and images provided by the wonderfully talented Ellie Webster.