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Have you every done the kid safety drill? You know, the one where you get down on the ground and crawl around looking for potential danger? Of course, kid that I am at heart, I rolled, slid and somersaulted too… The world is entirely different down there. That, for awhile anyway, is the world of a toddler.
Or at least allowed to overstay their welcome. Elephants are big, intimidating and comforting all at once. Elephants you want on your side to protect you. Here is why they are allowed to stay in organizations-
I find that the elephant is often called out by stakeholders. Those elephants in the room are usually obvious to all. What is interesting, and an important consideration in approaching change, is that they are often valued and protected. Because when they are, an avenue for avoiding change is reinforced. The elephant will make the change impossible… and we are not going to touch the elephant (a nice circular, insular and protective argument).
As with any buzz term (employee engagement being high on the list of buzzes), group think and assumptions cloud a clear understanding of a motivated individual… Bringing your dog to work might be cool and something to brag about with your friends and running with an impassioned leader may feel good, but having your work matter and understanding why is the ultimate motivator. 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. 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.
These are the core phases of a change management initiative (I know not what you are used to seeing). Idea Engagement Big Picture/Vision Engagement PMO approach Disbanding
Idea- Every change starts with an idea. The idea can develop into change. For that to happen a connection to both stakeholders and the business strategy of the organization will have to be made. The idea needs to become a clear picture of a spot to head to. Engagement- Successful change management communication informs stakeholders of the time and place for their work. Time- is the relationship of stakeholder work and participation to the total amount of time for the initiative, the time frame of the phase(s) they are included in and the period they will need to accomplish their tasks. Place- is the relationship of that work to participation and tasks that occur before and after their own (and possibly a connection of importance to the bigger picture). Well of course this is simple time and project management right? If we communicate what is happening then we are doing a good job.
In a previous “life” I was a rafting guide. I used to marvel at the patterns that took place in the flow of the river. There was always a path where the water moved the swiftest and the smoothest. When it encountered the resistance of rock or sand bar it would move over the top if powerful enough or deflect into the path of less resistance. Guides usually choose to follow that least resistant path. Most of the time I was no different. Occasionally though, on contemplative or mischievous days, I would seek the eddies, the slower running channels and choose a bounce or two here and there off the obstacles.
At the End State lies the alignment of vision, process and people/behavior change to business objectives. There you will find a Pot of Gold full of capital for the next initiative-if you can navigate the change path. It is winding, meandering and typically only the first leg is clear. To smooth out the journey it helps to visualize the last leg of the trip and to be clear about the end state. Like a stream down a hill the path will then appear.
What is the End State?
I am not thrilled, as you know if you have read previous posts, with using the word resistance. In this case let’s say that is what those forcing change see. What they need to see is a harmless frog probably waiting to don the crown. For change management no one is lucky enough to be kissed by the princess (or prince as the case may be). They may be lucky enough with an empathetic and smart change agent to be acknowledged. That is when the frog wears the crown. |
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