|
Newsletter - June 2011
The four keys to successful organisational change
Too often the senior management of organisationsis frustrated by how hard it is to successfully implement change in their organisation. Often, part of the problem is that the management has invested so much time and effort in developing the change, that they are fully commited by the time they first communicate it to employees. Because they are so commited they assume that their employees will share their commitment on learning about the change. Unfortunately, this erroneos belief by management ignores the 4 keys to gaining commitment to change:
1. Understand that building commitment is a process
Simply communicating and implementing the change is never enough. Change is an extensive process. It begins with making sure you contact everyone affected, in a timely manner. Information is power, so informing some groups well in advance of others is a recipe for disaster. Next step is to test understanding of the change and provide avenues for staff to clarify their issues.Then you need to assess whether the perception of staff about the change is positive or negative.You must deal with negative perception before moving on, or you will encounter resistance.
Before moving to implementation you need to outline the actions to be taken and how they impact each individual, because ultimately implementation takes place one person at a time. Time and flexibility is also required during implementation, to make any necessary refinements to ensure the change works. Finally you need to ensure that everyone has adopted the "new" way, rather than reverting to the old way.
2. Know that commitment comes at a cost
Commitment is expensive; don't order it if you can't pay for it. Gaining commitment is both complex and costly. The investment is usually comprised of time, money, and energy. You will either pay for commitment or you will pay for resistance - but you will pay.
3. Recognize the difference between intellectual and emotional levels involved in a change
Our heads and our hearts move at different rates. The capacity that we have to intellectually observe, form an opinion, decide, and act, is greater than our capacity to move through the same sequence emotionally. Therefore, as we participate in change we often make an intellectual commitment that far exceeds our emotional one. Such split-level commitment produces confusion.
When moving through the stages of gaining commitment, balance the intellectual and emotional gains. Sell the mind with reason. Sell the heart with passion.
4. Slow down to increase the speed
Engage change as a flow, not a force. This approach to change reduces resistance. By slowing down, it is possible to have the time for opening communication, involving others, fostering empowerment, and developing synergistic working relationships, thereby generating genuine commitment to the change.
Managing organisational change is a key leadership skill. To earn more about leadership skilling go to:
www.developmentinpractice.com.au/solutions/leadership.html
|
