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Wishing you a
happy and successful 2005!
Welcome to the fourth edition of
our quarterly newsletter - Implement.
changefirst
provides tailored solutions for clients to build
sustainable change capability through knowledge, skill
and process transfer. In that spirit Implement
will focus on giving you information and advice on how
to improve your change implementation performance. We
also know you are incredibly busy so Implement
will always be short and action oriented.
David Miller
Managing
Director
Must
Read:
Execution - The
Discipline of Getting Things Done by
Larry Bossidy and Ram Charan
To Review or order a copy click here
Change Methodology Transfer
New
Appointments
David
Goldberg
Leanne
Baird
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Introduction
In any
organisation trying to implement major change there is a
significant dilemma that sponsors and agents have to
manage. This dilemma is caused by two pressures: one to
achieve results and the other to include people in the
process of change.
In this article
we will briefly examine these pressures and their effect
on sponsors/agents, before giving advice on what can be
done to manage these pressures
effectively.
Pressure 1: Achieve
results
For whatever reason since the collapse of the
dotcom bubble, executives have refocused themselves on
the 'numbers' and they are demanding strong 'bottom
line' performance. Great revenues with a hint of profits
'sometime in the future' somehow doesn't cut it anymore.
The pressure is on for business results and 'make it
quick'!
In many ways this has had a positive influence on
change efforts. Change comes about as a result of people
doing things differently rather than talking about doing
them resulting in no tangible action. If organisations
are to change faster and more comprehensively than their
competitors then a strong bias to action supported by a
highly effective execution capability is a 'must' to
create meaningful strategic change. The big problem is
that many organisations, for whatever reason, find
effective change execution difficult. As Larry Bossidy
(ex-CEO of Honeywell) commented 'Things that are
supposed to happen don't happen' .
Pressure
2: Need for Inclusion
Societal and business
changes have created a demand for more inclusion among
people at all levels of the organisation. The
traditional top-down, command and control approach no
longer seems effective, except in extreme circumstances.
We see this need for inclusion reinforced by two trends:
- People in many organisations are
becoming increasingly exhausted by change efforts. As
a result sponsors and agents are looking for ways to
increase involvement which will improve 'buy-in' and
energy to engage in the
change.
- There is a desire to create a
more positive view of change by trying to replace the
old 'top-down' change planning in favour of one where
people create their own future. The rationale is that
people won't resist a future they
created. Additionally, it will feel less
like change and more like on-going improvement. All of
which, of course, is true.
In summary, the second
pressure is the demand to include people and use this
inclusion as a major vehicle to drive
change.
There is no doubt in our minds that
employee involvement in change is absolutely critical
for execution success. The big problem here is that this
critical need for inclusion in many organisations has
metamorphosed into 'happy talk'. Where this happens,
there seems to be a belief that 'just' talking gets
change done. So as long as people leave a meeting
feeling positive then the change agents or sponsor's
work is completed. Unfortunately when people face
challenges to their values or substantial changes in
their expectations this belief is woefully
inadequate.
Effect on Change
Sponsors and
Agents
As it was put so
practically (and eloquently) by Harold
Leavitt (Stanford Organisational Behaviour Professor)
..managers must manage more participatively, more
collaboratively, and more creatively, but also more
systematically, more tightly, and more rapidly'
. In other words somehow sponsors have to be able
to drive for change results using inclusion as a
powerful lever of
transition.
So how can Change Sponsors and Agents deal
with this
dilemma?
The answer
to this is obviously complex but three actions stand
out:
1. Keep the organisation
focused on business critical changes. To meet the twin
pressures of results and inclusion organisations will
be stretched to fully implement more than the most
critical change
imperatives.
2. Become
skilled in designing and facilitating involvement
strategies that really engage people. There is a 30
year old change maxim - 'plan long / act quick'
which more than ever holds true in this
environment. This includes:
- Giving sufficient time
for discussion and two-way communication,
particularly in the design stages of the
change.
- Moving to action quickly
and decisively once your people are engaged in the
change. Move from people talking about the change
into involving people in doing things and taking
action.
3. Motivate
and train sponsors to adopt a more flexible style that
is a balance of inclusion but also gives real
direction to the change effort.
Summary
At the end of the day we live in a world where
the most important statistics are sales, profits, cash
and share prices. The dilemma is that this has to be
achieved when people have high expectations of being
included and consulted. Sponsors and agents face the
challenge of obtaining results but in a way that is
inclusive and engaging not demotivating and
disruptive.
Larry Bossidy and Ram Charan Execution
The Discipline of Getting Things Done Random House
2002
Harold Leavitt Top Down HBS
Press 2005
Introducing David
Goldberg........
David is a consultant with over 20 years experience
working with blue-chip organisations across Europe.
Davids experience includes facilitating executive
teams to find innovative solutions to problems; coaching
senior managers on effective change leadership; and the
skills and knowledge transfer of change management best
practice.
He has an MA from Cambridge University in Computer
Science.
Introducing Leanne Baird........
Leanne is
responsible for co-ordinating delivery for our key
client engagements. She works closely with our team of
consultants and our clients counterpart, to ensure
programme delivery is carried out successfully and our
high service levels are maintained.
Leanne
graduated in 2001 from Southampton Institute with a BA
Honours in
Criminology. |
