Don't make people an afterthought

If Kotter’s first step of change (creating a sense of urgency) isn’t fully processed, employees will not see the true need for the change. They will be more inclined to want to stay the same (nobody likes change…right?! Especially when it’s not seen to be a priority). As a result leaders won’t achieve the responsiveness that is needed for the change to be a success. To help negate this organisations should create a sense of urgency by making it clear that the existing situation cannot continue as-is with examples of what a disaster can look like. Introducing an aggressive timeline helps to act as a catalyst for the sense of urgency.

Avoiding boring you with the concept of a Forcefield analysis (but if you’re really interested you can find out here), employees who don’t believe in the change are one of the greatest threats to succeeding.

All change comes hand in hand with critics, however it is very important to provide people with a channel to provide feedback and respond constructively. You can help to get them on board by demonstrating that you have processed their feedback and embedded mechanisms into the Ways of Working to address their issue. Another way to get them on board is to make them part of the team, make them accountable for the delivery of an aspect of the change. If managed correctly, your biggest critics can be your biggest advocates when they become on-side.

Most large organisations have complex structures and systems and can be very fragile, therefore introducing the right pace for the change is imperative. We have seen many organisations try to follow aggressive timelines however often this has led to a ‘slapdash’ approach which is not recommended for operation continuity. On the other end of the spectrum taking a much slower approach to the change will remove a sense of urgency, from that point on keeping stakeholders motivated becomes a major challenge. We recommend working at a pace where there is a sense or urgency, however taking time to ensure all Risks Assumptions, Issues and Dependencies are identified and actively managed throughout the lifecycle of the change.

Changes shouldn’t have to be something employees NEED to go through, it should be what employees WANT to go through. This can be achieved by generating curiosity, encouraging creative ideas, and making it an enjoyable journey for the organisation in its entirety. Opportunities to make the workforce part of the change can be a very effective approach to build enthusiasm around the change.

The communication that wins the hearts and minds of the organisation may not only come from the leadership team, or Line Managers, the most effective communications often come from an esteemed colleague that believes in the change. Effective communications can be encouraged by assigning Change Ambassadors and creating online anonymous forums and workshops.

People are more likely to listen to a stranger that has experience in executing change, rather than their colleague whose specialities lie elsewhere. At the same time change specialists are likely to be brought in as a dedicated resource than a colleague who has a day job and may not even be truly convinced in the need for the change.