Another Fine ProgramUnderstanding the Life Cycle of

Change Management

Why submit to change? A full 2/3 of all change initiatives fail

according to a study completed by McKinsey & Co studying hundreds of Total Quality Management programs.

Same study showed 70% of reengineering efforts failed as well.

Harley Davidson management coined the term “Another Fine Program” – making light of skepticism when they roll out a new initiative.

Richard Beckhard, Organizational Change pioneer has identified that

Organizations are a human community – a living organism

Change is not a one time occurrence

Even with buy-in and “true believers – these initiatives rarely succeed

Change Leadership

Change Managers include any staff member able to implement change including:

• Executives, Managers, Supervisors• Project leaders• Key staff members• Employees with direct control on resources

Role of Leaders through changeKey Manager Responsibilities:• Communicating the organization’s business strategy• Addressing broad-based employee concerns to increase visibility into the rationale behind change• Demonstrating the importance of the change• Identifying key employees to engage and customizing engagement solutions for these individualsCommunication and Retention Activity Checklist:Build a commitment to change via consistent, timely, honest, accurate communicationClarify the vision, plans, and progress of the change initiativeCapture and address all questions and issuesMaximize participation in the change processFrequently reinforce common themes and messagesCommunicate proactivelyEnable two-way discussion and dialogueBe responsive and adapt to resolve issuesEvaluate and modify communication and approach to helping employees manage change as neededIdentify a group of top employees that it is critical to retain by considering the risk and impact of low engagement or departure of

each of these individualsEngage identified individuals in one-on-one conversations to communicate that the organization values themDiscuss what the organization can do to ensure that these individuals are retained and engaged, and create customized

engagement plansHold managers accountable for delivering on these plansTips When Acting on the Above Activities:Do not get defensive when answering questions; it is common for people to react negatively when first presented with changeAlways answer questions honestly with the facts; it is acceptable to say, “I don’t know, but I will find out for you.”Channel employee concerns that you yourself cannot address through a pre-appointed individual who can share these concerns

with senior leaders driving the changeEncourage employees to ask whatever is on their mind; however, it is helpful to first anticipate and solicit difficult questions

Study of Change Management Includes:

Communication Skills

Conflict Management

Leadership Development

Organizational Identity

Managing Workforce Diversity

Teambuilding

Strategic Planning

Imagine

Not Enough Time

Challenges of

Initiating

“We Don’t have time for

this stuff”

No Help (Coaching & Support)

“We don’t know what

we’re doing”

“We have no help!”

True Believers & Non-Believers

Diffusion

Assessment & Measurement

Fear and Anxiety

Walking the Talk

Not Relevant

Governance

Strategy and Purpose

“We Don’t have time for

this stuff”

Challenges of Sustaining

Challenges of

Redesigning

& Rethinking

Growth Processes of Profound

Change“They aren’t

going to follow

through”

“Am I safe?Can I trust others?

Can I trust myself?”

“This stuff isn’t working?”

“I have no idea what these people are

doing?”

“Who’s in charge of this

stuff?”

“We keep reinventing the wheel”

“Where are we going?”

“What are we here for?”

“They’re acting like a

cult”

“They don’t

understand us!”

“We have the

right way!”

“They won’t give up the

power”

10 Limits to Growth

• Time Management• No Help (coaching or support)• Not Relevant• Walking the Talk• Fear and Anxiety• Assessment and Measurement• True Believers and Non-Believers• Governance• Diffusion• Strategy and Purpose

• No help – coaching– Ask the question, “What don’t we know how to

do?”– Get in front of training and support needs– Partner leaders with a knowledgeable, “safe” source

to discuss leaders own doubts/frustrations going through process

– Build coaching techniques into responsibility of all team members (allowing feedback to happen openly)

– Identify committed open members to work with to develop key feedback tracks

Task: Purpose

Write on a slip of paper how/why I am willing to participate in this initiative

Review individual rationales and then build on team reasoning with further discussion to support this change

Building Relevance• Communicate clear understanding among line leaders of necessity of

change• Communicate impact of change for:

– Organization– Team/division– Individuals

• Tie training efforts to gaining business results• Revisit progress and relevance periodically

– Schedule routine time – or begin meetings with check-ins from each team member

Intellectual understanding – emotional engagement – sustained action

Building Trust

Facilitators and Leaders must demonstrate:• Belief in the success of change• Being open to challenges/questions• Ability to rally with revisions, setbacks• Consistency in communication

Sustaining Change

• Avoid coercion when implementing change• Use setbacks as opportunity to learn• Maintain open communication• See diversity as an asset• Create safe environment to have “unknowns”

Assessment and Measurement

• Understand growth can take time – results may not be apparent immediately

• Recognize each obstacle cleared• Assign team member(s) with duty of assessing

progress – learning techniques to measure• Be sure to learn from these measurements –

not just report them• Measure soft skills as well as hard results

Growing Outward

• As the specific group achieves success they must avoid becoming a segregated group causing distrust and division in organization

• Invite input from outside sources – both up and downstream

• A clear message and success can lay the foundation for agreement among other teams

Formalizing ChangeThere are 2 perspectives on governing progress:• Pilot team – establishing independence,

freedom, autonomy• Balance of organization – requiring adherence

to newly developed process, policy, etc.

• Build accountability into all teams• Provide training, space where necessary

Redesigning An Airplane Mid-Flight

• Give leaders on impacted teams authority to innovate, discover, adjust to unforeseen impacts

• Build cross-communication for teams

Acceptance

• Work to create a learning environment that can be nimble and capable of hearing and learning new ways of thinking

• Allow for transparency in developing change – will support legitimacy when implementing change

• Allow line leaders to conduct research to stay abreast of new techniques

Definition

• Establish opportunities to explore scenario thinking – identifying any blind spots

• What does it mean to be “The best mid-size media organization”

• Analyze a change process -

HR FOCUSDue to the incredibly broad and far reaching

areas of study and importance under Change Management HR has the ability to impact this life cycle in any number of ways from:

• Training Opportunities (specifics for staff and coaching & communication skills for leaders)

• Organizational Strategic discussion• Resource allocation• Assisting the bridging of change among

teams/divisions/etc.

Organizational growth requires change.

Change is unchartered territory – clearing obstacles – controlling the controllables will create a culture that is inclusive and capable of providing appropriate response to new circumstances.

Resources• Peter Senge. “The Dance of Change”, • http://www.ddiworld.com/pdf/ddi_employeeengagement_mg.pdf -

Whitepapers on:• Richard Wellins, Paul Bernthal, Mark Phelps, Development

Dimensions International. “Employee Engagement: The Key to Realizing Competitive Advantage”

• Natalie Petouhoff, PhD, Tamra Chandler and Beth Montag-Schmaltz. “The Business Impact of Change Management”

• Robert Rogers and B. Jean Ferketish, PhD. “Creating a High-Involvement Culture Through A Value-Driven Change Process”

Individual Change Management Skill Development• DowJones.net – Management Essentials• Prosci ADKAR Model, Jeffrey Hiatt