How do you know you need change management?
Photo by Edu Lauton on Unsplash
To answer this question, it may be helpful to start with defining what change is. Definition.com describes it as follows:
“to make the form, nature, content, future course of (something) different from what it is or what it would be if left alone.”
If you look up the synonyms for change you get words like transformation, modification, shift, switch, advance, adjustment to name a few.
You get the idea.
Translated into business activity, the typical list includes organizational structure changes, office moves, acquisitions, software or IT project implementations, and any initiatives that alter your organization’s day to day work processes or task delivery. Any shifts or transitions in your business due to Covid 19 can also be added.
Simply stated, it’s anything that requires someone to alter a habituated behaviour or commonly applied viewpoint - the bigger the behaviour modification, the more detailed the strategy needs to be. Without a strategy the required behaviour shift is left largely to chance with the assumption that people will ‘get it’ from the training and communication alone.
This is like setting a goal of having a bodybuilder physique in one year and thinking the exercise and weight lifting plan alone will get you the result. Without the supplementing pieces like the detailed meal plans, rest cycles, and discipline strategies that you need to follow you will fall woefully short of your target. You might be in better shape overall, but you likely won’t end up with the chiseled physique you set out to create.
Bringing targeted behaviour analysis to your transition discussions will add new depth and insight into how to plan your initiatives. Once you’ve tried it, you will use it continually. Not only does it help you define the human behaviour and mindset elements, it starts to clarify the types of support your teams will need during the transition.
What does it mean to explore the human elements? It’s targeted discussion that begins to identify the people impact of things like:
What exactly is changing and why?
What are the impacts to the business and employees?
Are you well positioned for the outcome you are envisioning? (e.g. if your business service is centered around delivering design services and you are changing to a SAAS model, your existing workforce may not be suited to that type of work or will be demotivated by that type of service delivery.)
With guided effort you can start building a change mindset in your business that will help you get better at achieving the transition outcomes you desire. While it is not easy if you haven’t used it before, I would offer that true change is much harder without a strategy in place.
The next time you are heading into a discussion about beginning a transition initiative, ask yourself how you will analyze and include the behaviour shift elements in your plan. Would you benefit from incorporating a change management strategy into your initiative? If your change fits into the descriptions above, the answer is yes.
To learn more about how to adopt change strategies into your planning process or to inquire about business coaching here.
