Leadership - Be positive - change management
Be positive - change management
People
The problem with change management is that it affects people. If it didn’t it would be easy.
People generally hate change, especially major change.
Organisations may well initiate change following a logical assessment of facts, for example, financial reports or marketing reports.
These may be very rational in their approach but people are not. They know that political climates exist and they will react completely differently to a similar set of circumstances.
Communication
Communication is a strong requirement for change management success.
People need to hear clearly not what the end result is in terms of facts but what the vision is of the future and what it means to them.
Setting the scene
Change means risk not only for the organisation but more importantly for the individual.
If you are unsure of the impact of the change on yourself you will fear that change.
The more senior you are the less fear you are likely to exhibit as you are likely to have some if not a lot of control over activities.
Change should only occur if there has been a perceived ‘need’ for change. Whilst many people will fear ‘change’ fear itself is often a huge motivator for the change.
The ‘vision’ sets out where you will be at some time in the future. This should make everyone have enthusiasm for getting there and should mean something for the organisation, departments, teams and individuals.
Surrounding this vision the organisation must have the ‘capacity’ to achieve it. This will cover resource, skill sets and trust in the plan.
If management show early signs of mismanaging belief in the plan and trust soon go out of the window together with enthusiasm.
The period of the change can be months to years. It is important to keep people on board with progress reports. This is most important in the early stages when you are trying to gain momentum so make sure that you achieve some early gains and publicise them.
Everyone realises there is a risk when change occurs and so does a leader. It is up to the leader to try to remove the perceived risks and smooth the flow of change.
Many people will be against the change at the beginning and throw up all sorts of barriers and reasons to remain in the current state.
You need to try to change the hearts and minds of some, if you can, and look for common ground to convince them that their fears are groundless.
The ‘need’ for change suggests there is a current problem.
There must be a consequence of doing nothing.
This should be plainly stated and perhaps restated at intervals in order to reinforce the need for change.
This play on the fear of doing nothing must be backed up by believable facts.
We mentioned above that fear is reduced the more control that you have. You can reduce the fear of many by allowing some input into the change, and hence control, for individuals.
The middle game
The enthusiasm for change will go up and down in a fashion that is very common to most change processes.
The diagram shows a typical reaction to change over time.
Initially, enthusiasm rises after early successes, then a realisation sets in as risks become more transparent and a lot of hard work is required.
Eventually, there is light at the end of the tunnel and enthusiasm resumes and rises towards change completion.
When enthusiasm is at its lowest many people will want to give up. A leader can’t afford to think this way.
This is precisely where persistence and positive thinking can just tip the balance on the way to success.
Networks
Hierarchical structures tend to be less common now with flatter structures taking over.
The problem with flatter structures is that the power base is spread thinner so your direct influence becomes less.
This is often the situation in flatter matrices as you become a more experienced leader.
You have little direct power but need to interact with many people in other teams and departments to complete tasks.
Certain people in any organisation hold the power. Being aware of the key ones is very useful.
Project sponsor
The project sponsor is naturally a very influential figure. It is rarely your immediate boss and can be one or two more rungs up the ladder.
If your boss is poor, in terms of leadership, the project sponsor becomes a good source of experience and can act as a coach or mentor.
Keep well in with the project sponsor as he or she is often in a good position to clear any tricky traffic jams.
The boss
It pays to have a good boss that you have good relations with.
Their authority may not make everything happen and that is why you will need a network of key individuals.
Secretaries
In terms of gaining the right contacts and getting an audience with them secretaries are key. Many managers would be lost with out their highly efficient assistants. They can be a source of a lot of information if you treat them with the respect that they deserve.
They will often know the existence and whereabouts of specific information saving lots of time.
You will be able to get some idea of the current mood of the manager, his or her workload etc. All of this may hold you in good stead when you go to ask them for a favour.
The team
It is easy to believe that your only source of resource is your team. Important though they are, you will need input from other teams and departmental individuals as well to maximise your labour and technical expertise input.
Technical input
Many projects rely on a high level of technical input. This can be anything from, for example, specific engineering expertise to analytical input.
In the latter case, quality control holds a lot of power when trying to move onwards in a project. If you can persuade someone to carry out an analysis sooner rather than later your project will progress that much faster. Access to technical expertise is very important for maintaining momentum.
If you ask people for their help, opinion and input it is much more likely that they will freely give it.
Key personnel
In any organisation there are key people that strictly speaking have little or no authority but plenty of experience and are well liked.
Because of this they get to hear a lot of information and are valuable and reliable sources of knowledge. Find out who these people are and get to know them.
Be a little aware of trying to go straight to the top and cutting out the middle men. This may seem the simplest technique.
The problem is others will feel left out and can start to circulate negative comments about you.
Also, if you keep going to the top to solve your problems you will outstay your welcome. It won’t be long before the top influencer will easily recognise that you can’t handle many situations and will form a dim view of your abilities.
The problem with any network is that it takes time to cultivate it. Before people will tell you critical and strategic things you want to know they must be able to feel comfortable with you. For this you must build trust and talk to people on the same wavelength.
This will mean identifying values and interests and hobbies. Get people to talk about their favourite subject – themselves. Don’t talk – listen.
If you say you will do something for someone make sure you do it. It will give you credibility and the person may now owe you a favour.
The build up of trust will vary in its pace from person to person.