Protect Your Organization by Managing Change

Protect Your Organization by Managing Change

Ben Franklin years ago said that the only things certain in life are death and taxes. But in the business world there is another thing certain, and that’s change. Just note the many changes in technology over the last 10 years or the sweeping changes we have witnessed in the competitive landscape, such as outsourcing and globalization.

And what about the ongoing changes in customer preferences or the many geopolitical changes? Change is the mantra in the upcoming U.S. election. It’s fair to say that in the business world, things are always changing and will continue to change. We can all attest to the wise proverb from centuries ago that now seems more relevant than ever – the only constant is change.

Yet for it’s widespread and enduring nature, change is unpredictable and elusive. In business, we are challenged by it and struggle to successfully manage it. In fact, many companies still conduct business as though their environment will not be affected by it, yet we know the peril of not anticipating or adapting to change. We can all name companies once household names that now no longer exist. So what is it about change that makes it so hard to manage?

For starters, companies make well-intended investments in assets such as buildings, equipment and people. These investments are not reversible or easily changed when needed and we continue to do business the same way for long periods of time, reinforcing consistency across the organization. It’s also a fact that much of organizational life is an adherence to structures that have been developed to help manage operations and control costs and further perpetuate doing things in a rigid, frequently inflexible manner. And we reinforce it by our behaviors and the actions or lack of actions we take.

From hiring leaders and experts who know their business but have a narrow perspective and are unable to “see” another way to the low value organizations place on scanning or searching for alternative practices, we all contribute in some way to continuing the status quo and leading our companies to stagnation rather than creativity and advancement. Even organizations that are able to overcome these forces of inertia by building a more fluid and flexible culture to enable a readiness for change are not guaranteed success in managing change. Change is often confusing and unpredictable and the outcome may bring a new set of issues and problems. But the risk of not changing is also high, perhaps too high.

It’s imperative organizations understand what it takes to successfully manage change and develop the conditions to ensure it. Experts indicate that successful change requires a transition from a current state to a desired future through a process that engages the people affected. Too often organizations undertaking change fail to recognize and incorporate their key stakeholders. Models for successful change management suggest evaluating and addressing several key facets to enable the desired state to be realized and lasting. These include awareness of why the change is needed, desire to support/participate in the change, knowledge of how to change, ability to implement new behaviors, and reinforcement to sustain the change.

It’s not surprising there is no silver bullet for successful change management since situations are unique and contexts vary widely. But reviewing some common attributes shared by companies that have been able to successfully manage change do can serve as some valuable lessons learned as we help our organizations become better at change management.

Listen to stakeholders. Organizations that embrace and encourage feedback from those impacted by change, rather than seeing opinions as obstacles, are better able to adapt and respond to a changing business environment. Such organizations actively establish systems and processes to support and involve customers and users. And this doesn’t mean everyone gets what they want, as there will always be individuals unhappy with some aspect of change.

Establish a change-friendly culture. Instead of rigid structures, organizations that successfully manage change have fluid processes and many assemble teams with diverse employees as needed to solve problems and work on projects. They are constantly scanning their environment and focus on designing and redesigning the organization to best meet current and future needs. And they do this by balancing change with staying true to who they are by not making radical changes that are inconsistent with their values.

Develop an agile leadership style. Organizations that successfully manage change lead by inspiring, empowering, collaborating and involving rather than directing staff to achieve the organization’s vision. They also tend to hire employees who are constantly evolving new approaches for providing value to their customers, who see the world differently and have demonstrated that they are “early” rather than “late” adopters.

Commit for the long-term. Many companies have good intentions but only provide short-term support for change management, such as sending employees to classes or training and then expecting quick results. Organizations that successfully manage know that unless mandated and measured across the organization, new practices will not be implemented and incorporated into the culture of the organization and commit for the long term.

Internalize change. Companies that successfully manage change understand that individual motivation and emotion to something new is driven by meanings attached to situations and that a framework is needed to get to the “heart” and not just the “head” of change to achieve the desired state. They recognize that excitement and fear are healthy and necessary emotions by employees and match their style to the needs of the situation to allow change to be internalized.

So go forward and help lead your organization to an enlightened path and debunk that old notion that the more things change, the more they stay the same. After all, you can’t afford not to change.

By Tony Roig, SPHR