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It occurred to me while working on a paper for an upcoming change management conference that silos will always exist in some way. There are times when that is a good thing.
Tight intact project teams
Virtual organizations tasked with specific deliverables
Boards of Directors (OK that one is good and bad)
Transactional functions
I am potentially using the picture on the left to illustrate a change entity in an organization. The straight spokes represent functions and the circular connections illustrate project, program, initiative, transformational effort (from the inside to the outside).
Change success (the accomplishment of business objectives near and long term) requires connecting work and motivation to vision/idea/change and vice-versa. That means strategy must make sense and the "make sense" must be transferred to the employees in a way they will accept.
While this seems obvious I find most executives understanding it only on a surface level.
If this loop of idea and work does not exist and/or is not understood then that is the first step in the process of introducing change ideas. With a clear understanding of what it takes to get things done, assuming a change idea will facilitate that process, anyone in the organization should be able to communicate an idea.
This is a preview of Preparing for the next great idea- Extra ingredients for Change Management . Read the full post (174 words, estimated 42 secs reading time)
There are many times in business where I watch "best practices" being repeated (and cringe). In change that happens when the practitioners get together to decide what works. The process of coming to that decision is much like the one they would use for “readiness assessments” usually based on a resistance model. If the stakeholders they ask say they resisted less as a result of the model or approach then the practitioners feel they have a best practice. And so the loop feeds itself.
If you start with one assumption- in this case a resistance model- and that assumption is wrong you can never have a best practice.
This is a preview of Best practices- Assumptions that feed the loop . Read the full post (140 words, estimated 34 secs reading time)
 – thinking that change can be "managed"
- reliance on tools, templates and method
- using inexperienced change agents
Middle of the organization change tends to draw clients and consultants into an exercise in creating "engagement".
If somebody likes to run they run. Good luck "engaging" someone who does not.
The core problem is that most organizations do not truly have OCM (Organizational Change Management) built into their corporate strategy. So "change engagement" tends to spend time addressing symptoms rather than root causes. "Un-engagement", lack of sponsorship and hit and miss buy-in are the cough, the sneeze and the runny nose.
This is a preview of 3 mistakes (client/consultant) of middle of the organization Change Management . Read the full post (218 words, 1 image, estimated 52 secs reading time)
Connecting the work of individuals to the strategy of the organization. Placing the strategy of the organization in context with the motivation and work of employees.
If, as a stakeholder, I know how my work fits in and how I can effectively contribute then change management has been successful. If that can be repeated for multiple initiatives, programs and projects then change management has been culturized.
Permanent link to this post (67 words, estimated 16 secs reading time)
Change Management communication has four phases.
Idea communication
Awareness
Project Communications
Gauging success
idea communication-
This is the time that the original idea goes through the process of matching to corporate strategy and connecting to the experience, perspective and knowledge of stakeholders. Obviously not everything can be communicated. A sensible level of transparency during this stage will be rewarded in later phases with increased participation and productivity.
awareness-
Plan ahead for levels of growth by structuring your organization with a change component.
Each layer of growth in a firm typically adds a layer of titles; each new title has the potential to create a new silo. Eventually it becomes difficult to move the organization fast enough to grow again.
If from the first stage of growth someone is responsible for horizontal connections (collaboration, communication, training across functions, diagonal mentoring etc) your culture will build around working together on the companies business objectives.
This is a preview of Planning for Change from the Beginning- Change Management for fast growth companies . Read the full post (225 words, 1 image, estimated 54 secs reading time)
You do have one?
Placing an external change management resource high in an organization is incredibly powerful. Leveraging that power in a way that is honest and effective is an approach few C-level executives choose to use. I will make the assumption that this is a tool at the bottom of the box that you did not know you had.
This is what has happened when I have lived this role for a client-
The employees are shocked and surprised like a kid who gets two pieces of candy at the store instead of one.
This is a preview of C-level leverage of your Change Management Trusted Advisor . Read the full post (287 words, 1 image, estimated 1:09 mins reading time)
Historical approaches and a vertical perspectives are not working.
The resulting trend is horizontal change management. Horizontal is the positions of equal "rank" within verticals- like VP sales to VP IT. So there are up eight horizontals depending on the size of the organization.
The next trend is to place work in context with the whole. The whole being org. strategy, big picture, end state, direction of growth etc. Once a stakeholder knows how their work fits (which motivates them to participate) then they need to know when and with what effort that participation is needed.
This is a preview of Change Management Trends – Horizontal Change Management . Read the full post (360 words, estimated 1:26 mins reading time)
Change is so loaded with energy you can almost smell the flame.
What will you, along with your change practitioner need to do to start, contain, fuel and manage that fire?
Start-
Change can begin spontaneously from hidden sparks of energy, It can be the result of an external environmental influence, like a lightning bolt in nature. Or it can be a perfectly built campfire ready for a match to begin the controlled burn. Be aware of how change can, will and could start in your organization and take the steps to have resources and process to deal with the different catalysts for energy.
This is a preview of Energy- Fueling and Controlling the fire of Change . Read the full post (401 words, 1 image, estimated 1:36 mins reading time)
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