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Starting The Change Process
Starting The Change Process
Contents
Contents.................................................................................................................... 3 Welcome................................................................................................................... 4 Why the astonishingly high 70% failure rate?............................................................ 5 5 Guiding principles to incremental and step change ................................................. 7 Assessing the case for change.................................................................................... 8 The single biggest issue re managing change............................................................. 9 8 key strategies for managing change ...................................................................... 10 4 key steps to incremental change ........................................................................... 12 How to shape your step-change initiative ................................................................ 16 The 3 Keys to realising the benefits of step change.................................................. 17 Recognising the emotional dimension of leadership ................................................ 18 How to reduce the risk of failure of any major business initiative ............................ 19 How to create a programme..................................................................................... 21 Leadership quotes ................................................................................................... 23 Strategic questions .................................................................................................. 27 How I can help you ................................................................................................. 30
Welcome
Firstly, I want to say welcome as a visitor to http://www.strategies-for-managing-change.com and thank you for subscribing to this free report. However, if you havent done so already, may I take this early opportunity to invite you to subscribe to my fortnightly Ezine? Have a quick look here: http://www.strategies-for-managingchange.com/starting-the-change-process.html Let me give you a quick heads up. This site was launched in early 2009. My intention was - and remains - to build a change management themed informational site, specifically for the non-expert director or manager, and to broaden the range and scope of what this site offers so that it becomes a truly valuable resource - ultimately the premier online resource. I do hope you find these materials interesting and of value. Feel free to contact me at any time stephenwarrilow@tiscali.co.uk Best Wishes Stephen Warrilow
This document is a brief introduction to some of the key themes and key points that you need to consider in starting the change process. So what is change management? The traditional project approach to change management - sees it as a set of tasks that if executed successfully get a result. In other words the typical process led approach which has failed so consistently and so spectacularly over the last 20 years! In my view, at root, change management is about process and people. But even process is just about people doing stuff... so ultimately it's all about people and processes that work for people.
There are 3 main reasons for the astonishingly high 70% failure rate of ALL business change initiatives:
(1) Gap
The gap between the big-picture strategic vision and successful implementation - at the front-line.
(2) Resistance
The "hidden and built in resistance to change" of organisational cultures, and the lack of processes and change management methodologies to address this.
(3) Impact
Failure to take full account of the impact of the changes on those people who are most affected by them.
Research findings
Prosci is the recognized leader in business process design and change management research, and is the world's largest provider of change management and reengineering toolkits and benchmarking information. [This is not a commercial - I'm just establishing their credentials!] They are the publishers of "Prosci's Best Practices in Business Process Re-engineering and Process Design" which is based on research with 327 organisations worldwide. The objective of this study is to provide real-life lessons from the experiences of project teams recently or currently involved in business process re-engineering projects.
Key findings in the latest report show: (1) "More effective change management" - is the main thing that project teams would do differently on the next project. (2) Top management support of teams and their projects means they were more likely to complete their project at or above expectations. (3) The planning stage was universally regarded as the most important phase in the project - because this was where scope and roles were defined. (4) The primary obstacle to a successful implementation was resistance to change. This was mentioned 6 times more that any other factor. Clearly the single biggest reason for the astonishingly high 70% failure rate has been the over-emphasis on project process rather than the people aspects - the failure to take full account of the impact of change on those people who are most impacted by it. Closely allied to that reason is the lack of process to directly address the human aspects of change. Properly applied, this is exactly what the holistic and wide view perspective of a programme-based approach to change management will deliver.
Clarity - in all areas - especially of the business need for the change, of the
specifics of the change, the benefits of the change, and most importantly the impacts of the change.
Communication - constant communication - two-way communication that explains clearly what is happening or not happening and why; that listens actively and demonstrates to people that you have thought through the impacts of the change on them; and that you are prepared to work with them to achieve what you want - i.e. their commitment to the change - by addressing what they want and in making it work for them.
Consistency - in all aspects of the way in which you lead the change - manage
the implementation - handle the communication - and ensure the realisation of the benefits of the change.
Commitment to inspiring and leading the workforce ideally with transformational leadership and total ownership of the programme and visibility in that role.
Capability - constant attention to the management of the tasks, activities, projects and initiatives that are delivering the capabilities into your organisation that will deliver the benefits that you are seeking, thus ensuring that your people have the full resources and capabilities they need to support them through the change.
Force field analysis is the creation of the American social psychologist Kurt Lewin, widely regarded one of the early 20th century founders of modern psychology, who developed the change model - known as "Lewin's Freeze Phases" - and which still forms the underlying basis of many change management theories models and strategies for managing change. In Lewins view, organisations can be seen as systems in which the current situation is not a static pattern, but rather an "equilibrium" - or dynamic balance of forces working in opposite directions. Thus, any change that may occur is dependent on a shift in this balance or equilibrium where the driving forces need to exceed the restraining forces. According to Lewin: "An issue is held in balance by the interaction of two opposing sets of forces - those seeking to promote change (driving forces) and those attempting to maintain the status quo (restraining forces)". Force field analysis provides a framework for looking at the factors or forces that influence a potential change situation, and is thus a useful tool for assessing the viability of a change initiative.
The output of this analysis will establish the foundations for the business case for change and the input to programme based approach to managing the change.
In my experience of practical strategies for managing change, and based on my studies and research, I have identified 8 key areas that need to be considered and addressed in order to maximise your chances of success with a change initiative.
(1) Drivers
As already discussed, Lewins force field analysis work provides useful background and a practical tool for assessing the case for change a necessary precursor for the creation and implementation of a programme based approach to managing change, and an integral aspect of strategies for managing change.
(4) Leadership
Leadership versus management - is change just about the management or, does it involve leadership? If so, what's the difference? How you define and exercise leadership in the present climate will be a significant determinant in your organisation's fortunes and is thus a key aspect of your strategies for managing change. What are the leadership styles that are most effective in leading change and especially in the current environment? How do you inspire your people in tough times? How do you provide inspirational motivation to people living with the constant insecurities engendered by the current economic climate?
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Organisational culture - is more important than you may realise. It determines how your people will respond to a change initiative.
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In managing change in the workplace it is extremely important to draw the distinction between incremental change and step change. Whilst the broad principles of leading and managing change in the workplace are universal it is very important to establish very early on whether or not what you are proposing can be regarded as incremental change and realistically can be accomplished within the constraints of business as usual, or not. If it cant be accomplished within business as usual, then it is a step change and needs to be handled as a specific initiative - with the appropriate level of senior sponsorship and practical support of a structured programme management based process. The bulk of the content of this site addresses "step change" - i.e. change which needs to be handled outside of the constraints of business as usual however, in this section, I am going to address managing change in the workplace as incremental change, that is, change within the context of business as usual. Given that the single biggest reason for the astonishingly high 70% failure rate of ALL business change initiatives has been the over-emphasis on process rather than people coupled with the failure to take full account of the impact of change on those people who are most impacted by it. So clearly the approach that I am recommending has to address this with processes that work for people. Here are the 4 key steps to managing incremental change in the workplace:
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What is changing?
Put together a short clear statement of under 60 seconds duration that summarises why the change is necessary and your intentions what organisational benefit you hope to realise.
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specifically the support that you will be providing to translate your change concept into a tangible organisational benefit.
Emotional resonance
In terms of the emotional resonance aspect of your communications, remember Martin Luther King who did not stand up in front of the Lincoln Memorial and say: "I have a great strategy" and illustrate it with 10 good reasons why it was a good strategy. He said those immortal words: "I have a dream," and then he proceeded to show the people what his dream was - he illustrated his picture of the future and did so in a way that had high emotional impact. 5 guiding principles of a good communication process for managing change in the workplace: Clarity of message - to ensure relevance and recognition Resonance of message - the emotional tone and delivery of the message Accurate targeting - to reach the right people with the right message Timing schedule - to achieve timely targeting of messages Feedback process - to ensure genuine two-way communication
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As leader of the change, you now face the equally if not more difficult challenge of getting the staff to deliver your new change idea and achieve the organisational benefits that you anticipate. The reality is that people are very different in the ways they process information, interpret life, and in the ways they are motivated. Many (probably most) of them are not able to make the leap from hearing and understanding your vision and strategy to translating that into purposeful productive action. This does not mean that they don't understand it, or agree with it, but it does simply mean that the leap is too great for most people to make - without practical assistance. So this means that managing change in the workplace requires hands-on detailed management [micro management on occasions] in the specifics of how to do it, and especially during the early stages. It is up to you to define and communicate those actionable steps, and to manage your people through the process of implementing and integrating those steps as the new modus operandi. In summary, incremental change is all about: Translating vision and strategy into actionable steps Define Communicate Manage Implement Integrate Adopt
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It may seem obvious but you would be surprised but how many times I have asked the question of directors considering some form of change initiative: "Why are you doing it and how will it benefit you and how will you know it's benefited you?" - and got a vague or general answer along the lines of "we'll be... bigger... better... closer to our customers... reduce our costs... etc"
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(1) Leadership
The critical importance of the emotional dimension of leadership. We speak of "change management" but in truth change has to be led as well as managed. This is especially true if it is a step-change that needs to be handled as a separate initiative outside of the constraints of business as usual. The style of leadership that is needed is a leadership that connects with people and that directly addresses what is important to them.
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Many thought leaders in the world of change management and change leadership are now speaking vociferously about the importance of the emotional dimension of leadership and the need to address the human dimension of change. In the current climate of uncertainty people need leadership that offers a measure of re-assurance and certainty of conviction about the direction in which they are being led. This is important because people cannot work effectively if they are experiencing emotional turbulence. Their ability to get work done depends on their emotions being under control. A leader has to address those often unconscious and unexpressed fears along the way in order to help people keep them under control. Elisabeth Kubler-Ross was a Swiss physician/researcher who undertook seminal work on the grief process. The Kbler-Ross model was first introduced in her 1969 book "On Death and Dying" in which she describes five stages of emotional and psychological response to grief, tragedy and catastrophic loss. However the wider business significance of her work has been the realisation that people go through similar responses when faced with lesser but still significant changes in their working and personal lives. The major significance of the Kubler Ross model is that it maps the emotional responses that your staff is likely to experience if or when you announce a major step-change and especially if [as in the current climate] this is likely to contain bad news. This highlights very clearly the emotional terrain that your staff are likely to be experiencing, and the necessity for clear yet compassionate leadership - and especially through the initial phases of the change.
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This simple diagnostic process causes you to: Test the impact of any step at any stage in a change initiative Identify the issues that will arise Identify those people most affected by it Understand the impacts and how, where and why failure may occur Establish exactly what has got to be done to make it a success This is the typical approach working out the steps, allocating the tasks and expecting a result but without assessing the impacts and issues!
TASK 1
TASK 2
TASK 3
Where we want to be
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The line of progress from A to B [the line of Evolution] from task to task and step to step is not a straight line. There are always dependent issues [or Exposures] that accompany each task and step and that have to be resolved before a successful transition takes place to the next step. Once a task [or set of set of tasks] has been identified, then you need to think carefully about all of the impacts and exposures that will arise and have to be resolved before you can successfully progress to the next task. This process can and should involve as many people [as is possible] who may be affected by your change initiative. The more functional and departmental involvement in this process the better as the analysis will be more comprehensive. You need to analyse, categorise and prioritise [across all functional areas] the issues that are associated with each step. It is important to pay particular attention to the people impacts, and to identify risks and issues for each.
The EEMap approach moving from task to task via recognition and resolution of all dependent issues
Evolution Line Tasks to progress
Where we want to be
A
Where we are now
ISSUES
ISSUES
ISSUES
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When you are implementing a step change, of all change management methodologies, the programme management based approach offers you the highest chance of mitigating risk and avoiding the 70% failure rate because: 1. It is holistic and takes a wider perspective 2. It focuses you on addressing issues and aspects that otherwise get overlooked. 3. It addresses the people impacts and issues arising as a direct and indirect result of your change initiative.
A Programme is all about delivering the overall business benefits in line with the strategic vision and over a longer period of time than a project. Whereas a Project has a definite start and finish point, with the aim of the delivery of an output that may be a product, service or specific outcome. Programme management focuses on the management of all key stakeholder relationships and the delivery of defined business benefits and in addition to managing the project portfolio will also include the management of any other activities that are necessary to ensure a complete delivery. Whereas Project management has narrower terms of reference with clear, specific and (relative to the overall Programme) limited scope of its deliverables.
Here are the key components of a programme-based approach to leading a step change: (1) "How am I going to manage [or lead] all of this so that it happens and I succeed?" Programme organisation structure (2) "Why am I doing this - how's it going to be different?" Blueprint (3) "How will I know it's benefited me?"
Stephen Warrilow Lynton Glenthorne Ltd www.strategies-for-managing-change.com
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Benefit profile & management (4) "Who's it going to affect and how will they react?" Stakeholder map (5) "What can I do to get them 'on side'?" Communications strategy (6) "What steps do I have to take to make the changes and get the benefit of this change?" Programme plan & project portfolio (7) "What could go wrong - what are the risks and issues I'll have to face?" Risk log & management
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Leadership quotes
Different perspectives on leadership Leadership quotes can sound trite - but sometimes they can trigger a shift in awareness that leads to a new insight. In that context, here is a selection of leadership quotes that I find interesting. They are all related to the general theme of change, and are not in any order of priority, or significance.
The rate of change is not going to slow down anytime soon. If anything, competition in most industries will probably speed up even more in the next few decades. [John P. Kotter]
Change is hard because people overestimate the value of what they have - and underestimate the value of what they may gain by giving that up. [James Belasco and Ralph Stayer]
Unless you are prepared to give up something valuable you will never be able to truly change at all, because you'll be forever in the control of things you can't give up. [Andy Law]
People don't resist change. They resist being changed! [Peter Senge]
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Even those who fancy themselves the most progressive will fight against other kinds of progress, for each of us is convinced that our way is the best way. [Louis L'Amour]
All is connected ... no one thing can change by itself. [Paul Hawken]
We would rather be ruined than changed, We would rather die in our dread Than climb the cross of the moment And let our illusions die. [W. H. Auden]
Your success in life isn't based on your ability to simply change. It is based on your ability to change faster than your competition, customers and business. [Mark Sanborn]
Everybody has accepted by now that change is unavoidable. But that still implies that change is like death and taxes - it should be postponed as long as possible and no change would be vastly preferable. But in a period of upheaval, such as the one we are living in, change is the norm. [Peter Drucker]
Culture does not change because we desire to change it. Culture changes when the organization is transformed; the culture reflects the realities of people working together every day. [Frances Hesselbein]
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The most successful businessman is the man who holds onto the old just as long as it is good, and grabs the new just as soon as it is better. [Robert P. Vanderpoel]
Change is the law of life and those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future. [John F. Kennedy]
An important scientific innovation rarely makes its way rapidly winning over and converting its opponents; it rarely happens that Saul becomes Paul. What does happen is that its opponents gradually die out and that the growing generation is familiarized with the idea from the beginning. [Max Planck]
He that will not apply new remedies must expect new evils; for time is the greatest innovator. [Francis Bacon]
Everything is in a process of change, nothing endures; we do not seek permanence. [Masatoshi Naito]
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Faced with the choice between changing one's mind and proving that there is no need to do so, almost everyone gets busy on the proof. [John Kenneth Galbraith]
Whosoever desires constant success must change his conduct with the times. [Niccolo Machiavelli]
The greatest danger in times of turbulence is not the turbulence; it is to act with yesterday's logic. [Peter Drucker]
http://www.strategies-for-managing-change.com/practitioners-masterclass.html
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Strategic questions
Before starting out on your change management initiative - some strategic questions to ask yourself. This list is not exhaustive but is intended as an aide-memoir to kick start your thought processes and to help you avoid the 70% failure rate:
(1) Have you thoroughly addressed the originating strategic review questions?
Where have we come from? Where are we now? Where do we want to be?
(3) How would you describe the company, its culture and core processes now - (key characteristics) - key issues (actions and behaviours) - major focus (areas of impact)?
Have you defined some sort of cultural frameworks of your organisation - to show "this is what we look like"?
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(4) What do you want the business to look like after everyone's changed - how will the specifics of the culture and core processes have changed?
Where are the gaps between now and where you want to be? What steps are needed to close the gaps? What are the implications of this? Do you know the steps to be undertaken to get from: "where are we now" to "where we want to be"? Have you identified for each step, the implications, issues and exposures that have to be addressed to progress to the next step?
(6) Do you have a clear blueprint that defines your organisation after the change?
Is this Blueprint fully communicated to all staff? Is it going to be actively used in a structured manner to maintain focus throughout the duration of your change initiative?
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(7) Do you have a clear definition and documentation for each specific benefit to be realised by this change?
What is it and what difference will it make - where in organisation does it arise how will its achievement be measured? Have you documented what differences should be noticeable between now and the close of the change initiative? Do you have planned processes to put in place to ensure that these benefits are achieved? Do you have a mechanism for measuring the improvements arising from the realisation of each benefit? Are these benefits communicated to staff?
(8) Have you documented the "stakeholder map" all those who have an interest in the change? And specifically how the change will impact them?
Have you analysed the impact of the programme on their area of interest and the likely issues that will arise?
(10) Do you have an issues and risk management strategy (for the change)? Have you identified what can go wrong and put countermeasures in place?
What are the processes that will ensure that it is enacted effectively? What are the processes that will ensure that it gives you early visibility of issues and risks?
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http://www.strategies-for-managing-change.com
http://www.strategies-for-managingchange.com/starting-the-change-process.html
http://www.strategies-for-managingchange.com/lessons.html
http://www.strategies-for-managing-change.com/ask-the-changemanagement-expert.html
Stephen Warrilow Lynton Glenthorne Ltd www.strategies-for-managing-change.com
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http://www.strategies-for-managing-change.com/practitionersmasterclass.html
http://www.strategies-for-managing-change.com/change-managementtemplates.html
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Phone consultation - by arrangement. Email me first at: stephenwarrilow@tiscali.co.uk Personal on-site consultation, mentoring, interim, contract support Email me first at: stephenwarrilow@tiscali.co.uk - and then we'll arrange an informal exploratory phone call
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Stephen Warrilow Lynton Glenthorne Ltd 2 Beach Mews The Beach Clevedon Bristol BS21 7QU UK +44 1275 349878 +44 7860 215986 Follow Me On Twitter http://www.twitter.com/How2LeadChange Facebook - Strategies for Managing Change http://tinyurl.com/2g42bu8 Website - Strategies for Managing Change http://www.strategies-for-managing-change.com
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