Leaders initiating change within an organization usually believe they are way ahead on the learning curve in terms of what the business needs in order to succeed. Yet many companies attempting to transform themselves to improve competitiveness don’t succeed. The efforts seem to be right on target using initiatives meant to reengineer products and services, restructure hierarchies or revise corporate culture, and yet change proves to be temporary as people slide back into old habits. Making temporary changes is not transformative.
Convincing people to change is not always easy because they get comfortable in their familiarity with routines. You can’t just send an email or issue a directive from the top and expect people to fall into line because many either don’t recognize the need to change or simply don’t want to make the effort without understanding the benefits that will accrue. Therefore, management is tasked with closing the gap between the need to transform the business and the employee’s interest in changing.
The change process is not something that happens quickly in most cases. You don’t construct a house until the foundation is laid, and that is true for change initiatives also. The foundation for business transformation begins with leaders who recognize the need for change and that ‘doing business as usual’ is unacceptable if the company is to remain innovative and competitive. Management, then, proceeds to develop a process (and not just a plan) to invigorate the business beginning with engagement of the workforce and then widens and deepens the process from that point.
The start of the transformation process doesn’t have to be a major shakeup that causes disruption. It can begin with the knowledge that the business has become less competitive, is facing a potential crisis or wants to take advantage of a major opportunity. As a result, senior managers determine a change effort is needed to turn the business towards a redesigned vision.
The change process can begin with management and employee conversations that communicate a vision and explore employee needs, concerns, relationships with other stakeholders, and suggestions for improvement. Though the transformation or change process will need to reach a point where more structured group meetings or methods of communication are used, there is a powerful message delivered throughout the company when leaders make a point of interacting with the workforce to learn how people are connected, the competencies that are underutilized, and the obstacles to change. This is opposed to leadership calling for big meetings dealing with major changes and quickly injecting an element of uncertainty or even fear in the organization.
Starting the change process with empowering conversations sets the right tone and elicits input needed for strategizing. It is imperative that leadership provide transparency and honesty and the resources needed to deliver on the vision. Resources are not just budgets and people. The workforce that must accept and participate in the change process needs to understand that there is no hidden management agenda or ulterior motive for initiating the change. Giving the human resource talent information and decision making authority eliminates suspicions and encourages innovative activities, ideas and actions.
Daily Decisions Lead to Change
Beginning the change process by first recognizing the powerful role that individuals play in the business makes sense. All employees make small and large decisions every day that influence business results. Engaging employees in a change process can generate an alignment of those decisions with the business vision as communicated by managers. The change process then becomes a self perpetuating process in that each positive result for the business leads to rewards for the workforce in terms of autonomy, creative expression, expanded participatory roles, increased job security, clear accountability, and improved information flow. In other words, people have a self-interest in participating in the change process.
Of course, the change process does not begin and end with everyday conversations. That would give power to a few when you want to develop an inclusive and diverse process that utilizes the full power of the workforce. One of the reasons people become disengaged is because they believe they have no control over their jobs and their voices are not heard by decision makers. The teams and groups that evolve from the conversations need to include a wide range of participants, including people who may typically be overlooked in a traditional organization.
Including a diversity of people in the change process will increase networking opportunities and encourage the exchange of ideas. People who are allowed to freely communicate and exchange ideas will promote innovation. Along the way, they will also develop a supportive foundation for change that will permeate the business. Employees encouraged to form productive alliances, communities for progress, and talent groups can anchor change in the corporate culture. In other words, change should be the way things are done in the business and not just a stand alone short term effort.
Culture of Change
Transparency, trust, fairness, honesty, openness and effective communication must be the qualities defining engagement processes to effectively contribute to change. Without these qualities, participants may be hemmed in by distrust and the belief that the change process is nothing more than another exercise meant to validate decisions already made by management.
A culture of change means new behaviors, innovative ways of thinking, approaches and ideas that are embedded in the company’s social norms and values. Without this embedding, change becomes temporary and people will slowly return to their old ways of doing things. Change should not be a threatening, mystifying experience for employees. It should be an ongoing process that is focused on the corporate vision.
The change process will flatten an organization and that promotes a diversity of ideas. Most of us think of organizations in terms of hierarchy, but engagement promotes vertical levels that breakdown silos, promote collaboration across functionality and promote a widely competent organization. The fact is that the change process model is ideally suited to businesses initiating diversity programs. Forward thinking companies bringing diverse talent into the organization must be prepared to take full advantage of the diversity of ideas and approaches the talent brings. Using an engagement change process provides the ideal forum to insure that top talent is retained and plays an active role in helping the company achieve its goals. Through communication and networking, the gap between the need to change and the people’s awareness of the need to change can be closed.