change management

organizational and personal change management, process, plans, change management and business development tips
Here are some rules for effective management of change. Managing organizational change will be more successful if you apply these simple principles. Achieving personal change will be more successful too if you use the same approach where relevant. Change management entails thoughtful planning and sensitive implementation, and above all, consultation with, and involvement of, the people affected by the changes. If you force change on people normally problems arise. Change must be realistic, achievable and measurable. These aspects are especially relevant to managing personal change. efore starting organizational change, as! yourself" #hat do we want to achieve with this change, why, and how will we !now that the change has been achieved$ #ho is affected by this change, and how will they react to it$ How much of this change can we achieve ourselves, and what parts of the change do we need help with$ These aspects also relate strongly to the management of personal as well as organizational change. %ee also the modern principles which underpin successful change. &or a wonderful e'ample of managing successful ethical change in modern times, see (Three #ins(. )o not sell change to people as a way of accelerating (agreement( and implementation. (%elling( change to people is not a sustainable strategy for success, unless your aim is to be bitten on the bum at some time in the future when you least e'pect it. #hen people listen to a management high* up (selling( them a change, decent diligent fol! will generally smile and appear to accede, but +uietly to themselves, they(re thin!ing, ,-o bloody chance mate, if you thin! I(m standing for that load of old bolloc!s you(ve another thin! coming., /And that(s 0ust the amenable types * the other more recalcitrant types will be well on the way to ma!ing their own particular transition from game!eepers to poachers.1 Instead, change needs to be understood and managed in a way that people can cope effectively with it. Change can be unsettling, so the manager logically needs to be a settling influence. Chec! that people affected by the change agree with, or at least understand, the need for change, and have a chance to decide how the change will be

managed, and to be involved in the planning and implementation of the change. 2se face*to*face communications to handle sensitive aspects of organisational change management /see Mehrabian(s research on conveying meaning and understanding1. 3ncourage your managers to communicate face*to*face with their people too if they are helping you manage an organizational change. 3mail and written notices are e'tremely wea! at conveying and developing understanding. If you thin! that you need to ma!e a change +uic!ly, probe the reasons * is the urgency real$ #ill the effects of agreeing a more sensible time*frame really be more disastrous than presiding over a disastrous change$ 4uic! change prevents proper consultation and involvement, which leads to difficulties that ta!e time to resolve. &or comple' changes, refer to the process of pro0ect management, and ensure that you augment this with consultative communications to agree and gain support for the reasons for the change. Involving and informing people also creates opportunities for others to participate in planning and implementing the changes, which lightens your burden, spreads the organizational load, and creates a sense of ownership and familiarity among the people affected. %ee also the e'cellent free decision*ma!ing template, designed by %haron )rew Morgen, with facilitative +uestions for personal and organizational innovation and change. To understand more about people(s personalities, and how different people react differently to change, see the personality styles section. &or organizational change that entails new actions, ob0ectives and processes for a group or team of people, use wor!shops to achieve understanding, involvement, plans, measurable aims, actions and commitment. 3ncourage your management team to use wor!shops with their people too if they are helping you to manage the change. 5ou should even apply these principles to very tough change li!e ma!ing people redundant, closures and integrating merged or ac+uired organizations. ad news needs even more careful management than routine change. Hiding behind memos and middle managers will ma!e matters worse. Consulting with people, and helping them to understand does not wea!en your position * it strengthens it. 6eaders who fail to consult and involve their people in managing bad news are perceived as wea! and lac!ing in integrity. Treat people with humanity and respect and they will reciprocate.

e mindful that the chief insecurity of most staff is change itself. %ee the process of personal change theory to see how people react to change. %enior managers and directors responsible for managing organizational change do not, as a rule, fear change * they generally thrive on it. %o remember that your people do not relish change, they find it deeply disturbing and threatening. 5our people(s fear of change is as great as your own fear of failure.

responsibility for managing change

The employee does not have a responsibility to manage change * the employee(s responsibility is no other than to do their best, which is different for every person and depends on a wide variety of factors /health, maturity, stability, e'perience, personality, motivation, etc1. 7esponsibility for managing change is with management and e'ecutives of the organisation * they must manage the change in a way that employees can cope with it. The manager has a responsibility to facilitate and enable change, and all that is implied within that statement, especially to understand the situation from an ob0ective standpoint /to (step bac!(, and be non*0udgemental1, and then to help people understand reasons, aims, and ways of responding positively according to employees( own situations and capabilities. Increasingly the manager(s role is to interpret, communicate and enable * not to instruct and impose, which nobody really responds to well.

change must involve the people - change must not be imposed upon the people
e wary of e'pressions li!e (mindset change(, and (changing people(s mindsets( or (changing attitudes(, because this language often indicates a tendency towards imposed or enforced change /theory '1, and it implies strongly that the organization believes that its people currently have the (wrong( mindset, which is never, ever, the case. If people are not approaching their tas!s or the organization effectively, then the organization has the wrong mindset, not the people. Change such as new structures, policies, targets, ac+uisitions, disposals, re*locations, etc., all create new systems and environments, which need to be e'plained to people as early as possible, so that people(s involvement in validating and refining the changes themselves can be obtained. #henever an organization imposes new things on people there will be difficulties. 8articipation, involvement and open, early, full communication are the important factors.

#or!shops are very useful processes to develop collective understanding, approaches, policies, methods, systems, ideas, etc. %ee the section on wor!shops on the website. %taff surveys are a helpful way to repair damage and mistrust among staff * provided you allow allow people to complete them anonymously, and provided you publish and act on the findings. Management training, empathy and facilitative capability are priority areas * managers are crucial to the change process * they must enable and facilitate, not merely convey and implement policy from above, which does not wor!. 5ou cannot impose change * people and teams need to be empowered to find their own solutions and responses, with facilitation and support from managers, and tolerance and compassion from the leaders and e'ecutives. Management and leadership style and behaviour is more important than clever process and policy. 3mployees need to be able to trust the organization. The leader must agree and wor! with these ideas, or change is li!ely to be very painful, and the best people will be lost in the process.

change management principles

9. At all times involve and agree support from people within system /system : environment, processes, culture, relationships, behaviours, etc., whether personal or organisational1. ;. 2nderstand where you<the organisation is at the moment. =. 2nderstand where you want to be, when, why, and what the measures will be for having got there. >. 8lan development towards above -o.= in appropriate achievable measurable stages. ?. Communicate, involve, enable and facilitate involvement from people, as early and openly and as fully as is possible.

John P Kotter's 'eight steps to successful change'

@ohn Aotter(s highly regarded boo!s (6eading Change( /9BB?1 and the follow* up (The Heart Cf Change( /;DD;1 describe a helpful model for understanding and managing change. 3ach stage ac!nowledges a !ey principle identified by Aotter relating to people(s response and approach to change, in which people see, feel and then change /see a more detailed interpretation of the personal change process in @ohn &isher(s model of the process of personal change1" Aotter(s eight step change model can be summarised as" 9. Increase urgency * inspire people to move, ma!e ob0ectives real and relevant. ;. Build the guiding team * get the right people in place with the right emotional commitment, and the right mi' of s!ills and levels. =. Get the vision right * get the team to establish a simple vision and strategy, focus on emotional and creative aspects necessary to drive service and efficiency. >. ommunicate for buy-in * Involve as many people as possible, communicate the essentials, simply, and to appeal and respond to people(s needs. )e*clutter communications * ma!e technology wor! for you rather than against.

?. !mpo"er action * 7emove obstacles, enable constructive feedbac! and lots of support from leaders * reward and recognise progress and achievements. E. reate short-term "ins * %et aims that are easy to achieve * in bite* size chun!s. Manageable numbers of initiatives. &inish current stages before starting new ones.

F. #on't let up * &oster and encourage determination and persistence * ongoing change * encourage ongoing progress reporting * highlight achieved and future milestones. G. $a%e change stic% * 7einforce the value of successful change via recruitment, promotion, new change leaders. #eave change into culture.

ideas on illustrating change management issues

#hen people are confronted with the need or opportunity to change, especially when it(s (enforced(, as they see it, by the organization, they can become emotional. %o can the managers who try to manage the change.

)iffusing the emotional feelings, ta!ing a step bac!, encouraging ob0ectivity, are important to enabling sensible and constructive dialogue. To this end, managers and trainers can find it helpful to use analogies to assist themselves and other staff to loo! at change in a more detached way. Cn this site there are several illustrations which can be used for this purpose, depending on the type of change faced, and the aspect that is to be addressed. Here are a few e'amples, useful for team meetings, presentations, one*to*one counselling or self*reminder, particularly to help empathise with others facing change" Cn the %tories section loo! at (Murphy(s 8lough( /negative thin!ing : obstacle to change1 and (#e(ve always done it that way( /not +uestioning need for change1. oth good aids for understanding and e'plaining why people * all of us * find it difficult to change assumptions, conditioned thin!ing, habit, routine, etc. 6oo! also at the Mon!ey %tory, as to how policies, practices, attitudes and even cultures can become established, and how the tendency is to accept rather than +uestion. @ust as the state of (unconscious incompetence(, needs to be developed into (conscious competence( to provide a basis for training, so a person(s sub&ective emotion needs to be developed into ob&ectivity before beginning to help them handle change. -one of us is immune from sub0ectivity, ignorance or denial. The lessons and reminders found in stories and analogies can help to show a new clear perspective. Aesop(s &ables section has other short and beautifully simple analogies useful for illustrating aspects of causing or dealing with change, for e'ample /all on the Aesop(s &ables section1" The Crow and the 8itcher /change being provo!ed by pressure or necessity1 The -orth #ind and the %un /gentle persuasion rather than force1 The 6ion and The Ass /enforced change * might is right1 The Crab and his Mother /lead by e'ample and evidence * or you(ll not change people1 The Miller, his %on and the Ass /no single change is li!ely to please everyone * everyone wants something different1 The Ca! and the 7eeds /the need for tolerance * changer or (changees(1

The 7ich Man and the Tanner, /time softens change * given time people get used to things1 The Ass and the Mule /agree to reasonable change now or you can ris! far worse enforced change in the future1

&ob reorganization, tas% analysis, &ob transfer due to I' development or outsourcing etc
&irst see the modern principles which underpin successful change. It(s not always easy or perhaps even possible to consider matters at such depth, but try to if you can, or try to persuade others above in their ivory towers to thin! about the fundamental integrity of the situation, instead of short*term profit, or satisfying greedy shareholders. There are various approaches to tas! analysis and 0ob reorganization, whether prompted by outsourcing or IT development. Henerally change process of this sort is pragmatic, and it(s difficult to identify transferable processes, templates, etc. 3'amples of pro0ects don(t generally find their way into the public domain, although the li!elihood is increasing of government pro0ect pdf(s becoming available on the web as this sort of information is increasingly re+uired to be available to the public. IT vendor case studies and trade 0ournals of the IT and outsourcing sectors can also provide indicators of best practice or transferable processes. There are some useful software tools now available, which are helpful, especially if the change involves a high level of comple'ity and a large scale. As a broad guide when managing this sort of change, these aspects are important for the process"

7eally understand and clarify mutual e'pectations about the level of detail and cost that the pro0ect re+uires. %ometimes it(s possible to see it what you need on a table nap!in. The organisational conte't, and other strategic drivers, personalities and politics are often more significant influences than the tas! analysis. If you are a consultant or pro0ect manager, agree e'pectations on a pragmatic basis. Agree the templates and systems to be used and the the level of report data re+uired for the decisions to be made. Assume that the situation can be improved * it generally can be, so while it(s essential to capture all activities based on current 0obs, many of these can be absorbed, superseded, updated, etc., when you begin to loo! at the ideal situation /(blan! sheet of paper(1 possibilities, soI

A new overview analysis enables fresh unencumbered loo! at the whole, which suggests new and better ways of doing things. A flip chart and a few creative minds are the main pre*re+uisites. It ma!es a great wor!shop session and is good for creating ownership and buy*in for ma0or change. It(s a good process also to cascade down to departments to bring out ideas for improved processes and new ways of doing things. In terms of capturing all current processes and inputs, the individual 0ob analysis templates need to enable 0obs to be bro!en down into sub* tas!s, and elements within sub*tas!s. This is a tric!y one, and not practicable in certain J*Theory cultures, nevertheless, be aware of the high probability of upsetting people whose 0obs are threatened by change and try to develop a way of anticipating and reducing damaging fall*out. Treat people at ris! with the respect they deserve and avoid !eeping them in the dar! * involve threatened people wherever possible so they can see what(s happening and why. If possible encourage the e'ecutive team to ta!e the same humane approach, and try to establish counselling and support resources if none e'ist already. Analyses are more helpful if they identify critical vs essential tas! elements * this will help you to help the decision*ma!ers to be more pragmatic /not least because by applying pressure to some of the (essential( elements will reveal them to be habitual dispensable or traditional replaceable elements1. &low diagrams identify subtas! lin!age /inter and intra1, variation and chronology. ehaviour needs identifying aside from processes. %tandards, performance tolerance, K reliability, etc., should be indicated in tas! analysis as applicable to the sub*tas! or activity concerned.

other points about people and change

%trong resistance to change is often rooted in deeply conditioned or historically reinforced feelings. 8atience and tolerance is re+uired to help people in these situations to see things differently. it by bit. There are e'amples of this sort of gradual staged change everywhere in the living world.

Also, certain types of people * the reliable<dependable<steady<habitual<process*oriented types * often find change very unsettling. 8eople who welcome change are not generally the best at being able to wor! reliably, dependably and follow processes. The reliability<dependability capabilities are directly opposite character traits to mobility<adaptability capabilities. Certain industries and disciplines have a high concentration of staff who need a strong reliability<dependability personality profile, for e'ample, health services and nursing, administration, public sector and government departments, utilities and servicesI these sectors will tend to have many staff with character profiles who find change difficult. e mindful of people(s strengths and wea!nesses. -ot everyone welcomes change. Ta!e the time to understand the people you are dealing with, and how and why they feel li!e they do, before you ta!e action.

business development driven change

usiness development potentially includes everything involved with the +uality of the business or the organization. usiness development planning first re+uires establishing the business development aims, and then formulating a business development strategy, which would comprise some or all of the following methods of development.

sales development new product development new mar!et development business organization, shape, structure and processes development /eg, outsourcing, e*business, etc1 tools, e+uipment, plant, logistics and supply*chain development people, management and communications /capabilities and training1 development strategic partnerships and distribution routes development international development ac+uisitions and disposals

Henerally business development is partly scientific, and partly sub0ective, based on the feelings and wishes of the business owners or C3C. There are so many ways to develop a business which achieve growth and improvement, and rarely is 0ust one of these a single best solution. usiness development is what some people call a (blac! art(, ie., difficult to analyse, and difficult to apply a replicable process.

fast changing environments

8lanning, implementing and managing change in a fast*changing environment is increasingly the situation in which most organizations now wor!. )ynamic environments such as these re+uire dynamic processes, people, systems and culture, especially for managing change successfully, notably effectively optimising organizational response to mar!et opportunities and threats. Aey elements for success"

8lan long*term broadly * a sound strategic vision, not a specific detailed plan /the latter is impossible to predict reliably1. )etailed five years plans are out of date two wee!s after they are written. &ocus on detail for establishing and measuring delivery of immediate actions, not medium*to*long*term plans. 3stablish forums and communicating methods to enable immediate review and decision*ma!ing. 8articipation of interested people is essential. This enables their input to be gained, their approval and commitment to be secured, and automatically ta!es care of communicating the actions and e'pectations. 3mpower people to ma!e decisions at a local operating level * delegate responsibility and power as much as possible /or at least encourage people to ma!e recommendations which can be +uic!ly approved1. 7emove /as far as is possible1 from strategic change and approval processes and teams /or circumvent1 any ultra*cautious, ultra* autocratic or compulsively*interfering e'ecutives. Autocracy and interference are the biggest obstacles to establishing a successful and sustainable dynamic culture and capability. 3ncourage, enable and develop capable people to be active in other areas of the organization via (virtual teams( and (matri' management(.

%crutinise and optimise ICT /information and communications technology1 systems to enable effective information management and !ey activity team*wor!ing. 2se wor!shops as a vehicle to review priorities, agree broad medium* to*long*term vision and aims, and to agree short term action plans and implementation method and accountabilities. Ad0ust recruitment, training and development to accelerate the development of people who contribute positively to a culture of empowered dynamism.

'troubleshooting' tips for investigating apparent poor performance

If you are ever give the 0ob of (troubleshooting( or investigating /apparent1 poor performance, perhaps in another location or business belonging to your own organisation, or perhaps as a consultancy pro0ect, here are some simple tips" Actually (troubleshooting( isn(t a great word * it scares people. 2se (facilitator( or (helper( instead. It sets a more helpful and cooperative tone. Cn which point, you could well find that the main issue will be people(s resistance and defensiveness to someone coming in to their organisation do what you are doing. #hen you overcome that challenge, then you can start comparing what(s happening with what the organisation sets out to do /mission, values, goals, priorities, targets, !ey performance indicators, processes, measures1I how the people feel about things /staff turnover, retention, morale, attitudes1I and how customers and suppliers feel about things too /actually go out and visit customers, and e'*customers particularly1. 5ou must observe protocols very diligently * introduce yourself properly to people and e'plain who you are and what you are doing. )on(t assume that your tas! gives you the right to be secretive, or to have access to anyone or anything without permission. As! for help. As! for introductions. As! for permission. e polite and courteous. 7espect people more than you would do normally, because they will be sensitive, understandably so. 6oo! at the %haron )rew Morgen facilitation method, which helps with the style and approach you should use. 5ou must aim to help, enable and

facilitate discovery and clarity, not wor! in splendid isolation, as an outsider, who(s come to (sort things out(. And then be led by the people there as to what can be improved. 5ou should adopt the role of a researcher and enabler rather than a problem solver. 8lan lots of +uestions that will help people to tell you how they feel about things * customers and staff and suppliers * and what they thin! can be done to improve things. Avoid as!ing (why( unless they(re really trusting you and wor!ing with you. 2sed early, (why( puts people on the defence and you(ll not find out anything. 6oo! at the customer relationship materials as well * customers will tell you what(s best to focus on, and will give you an early opportunity to facilitate some improvement responses. Also loo! at the employee motivation survey material. It(s li!ely that you(ll have to write a report and recommendations afterwards, in which case try wherever possible to involve the people in what you say about them. 6et there be no surprises. e constructive. Accentuate the positive. e straight and open with people. 3n0oy the e'perience. e respectful and helpful to people and they(ll be respectful and helpful to you.