How to Deliver Successful Change Management (Part 1)

As a change management speaker I’m often asked about the frequently quoted statement that 70% of organisational change management initiatives and transformations fail. The truth is that’s a misinterpretation of the evidence. My view is, and other transformation experts agree, that a significant majority, maybe 60 – 70%, never get to full implementation to deliver anything like the benefits anticipated. That’s the reality.

How can we make sure our change is in that top successful 30% and we are an effective change leader ? This article gives you insights and ideas for action to achieve it based on my 30 years of delivering major organisational transformations and as a change management speaker hearing about the real world challenges leaders have every week.

If we can achieve this our organisations will not only deliver change and transformation effectively but will also be effective in everything else they do.

There are many models and theories of change but I’m not sure how much value these have for those working hands on day to day implementing major change. Successful change is about practical tools and actions people can implement in the real world more than theories.

Change is all around us all the time. Our whole lives are a journey through constant change. That can help us grow and develop to fulfil our potential or it can prevent growth and development. The same applies at work and the key success factor in delivering effective organisational change is understanding how individuals are likely to respond to change. Once you understand that, you can ensure that the change you wish to achieve will be received positively by people and so then succeed.

Many organisations are still failing to recognise the importance of creating a receptive audience for change. Any cursory review of articles on successful change and transformation going back at least 25 years shows there are a set of consistent actions which are likely to deliver successful change, making sure people are with you, not against you, is a top requirement. So the soft side of change is key to at least 50% of potential success in my view.

As a change management speaker and advisor here are my thoughts on the key elements of successful change management strategies which will help you in planning, implementing and embedding your change or transformation.

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Start with the people not the plan!

Too often over my career I have seen credible change and transformation plans wrecked on the rocks of poor positioning and presentation which failed to present an engaging and compelling reason why people should implement the change proposed. I regularly hear stories as a change management speaker and advisor of failed change initiatives where I’m asked what might have gone wrong – most are exactly this.

It’s worth bearing in mind from the start most people have to keep the organisation running as well as implementing the change, one reason change fatigue is an issue. So it’s extra work on top of business as usual. Therefore they want to know why the change is needed, what’s the end objective, what’s the plan, what’s the benefit for the organisation and, above all, for them.

Often articles about successful change launch into how change practitioners should construct a great rational plan, the important planning tools such as critical path analysis and ensuring you have contingencies. All of these elements are of value but, too often, they miss the most critical element – how do you get people on board with your proposed change and thus move the organisation’s culture to be receptive to change before you even implement ?

This is the best starting point because everything else is easier if you have an understanding of that and can make it happen before you implement your change.

Change my habits ? Why ?

As human beings we like to have regular activities in our lives which maintain stability. We get into a regular routine and we do this because our brain is pre-programmed to minimise energy expenditure. So regular routines avoid the need for additional thinking and create habits which use very little conscious brain energy.

To some degree any change is going to disrupt our regular routines. That causes our brain to very quickly assess the perceived value of us taking a new course of action

based on the information we have been given. Is it worth the time and effort of doing it for the benefit that we are going to get ? Does it “feel” right ?

We do this hundreds of times a day unconsciously for every action we undertake but we also do this every time we are presented with a change at work.

It’s not that we don’t like change, our brains love to grow and develop, enjoy new experiences and insights so we are always open to change. This creates new connections in our brain which really keeps it sharp and active and makes us feel good. But we only respond positively to change if we see that we will receive benefits and that we are able to have some form of input into, or control of, what is going to happen to us.

Much of our perception of change is not always rational, using our conscious mind, it’s built in our sub-conscious, our gut feelings, based on many factors which we don’t even know we are considering, example non – verbal signals from our boss or senior leaders.

One thing I learnt on my neuroscience course which is worth remembering as a leader, and as a person, is that our brains have a mind of their own. They are making decisions you don’t even know about which you then consciously agree with, unsurprisingly.

So any proposed change has to make rational sense and feel emotionally right, answering the basic “what’s in it for me” question.

Even if the change is only about some form of technological advancement, the adoption of a new system, that is easier than something that requires major behavioural change, but it still needs to make rational and emotional sense.

That all sounds self obvious but the problem I see as a change management speaker and advisor is that too many change initiatives and their leaders fail to understand how really important getting this right is because they don’t understand what they are facing if they don’t.

You will never beat evolution!

If your change management plan is not presented in a way that those involved perceive as positive they will, at a minimum, be apathetic and disengaged. If they perceive it in anyway to be negative, this is likely to trigger our 250,000 year old brain based defence mechanism. This will cause emotionally powered resistance. Such resistance may not be visible but that does not mean that it is not there.

Understanding this “brain based” dynamic is key to the planning and implementation of change. Being focused on the people as much as on the plan significantly increases the likelihood that your change is going to be successful. As a change management speaker and advisor I really stress the importance of getting people brains on your side not against you.

Key points:

Without the people who need to deliver the change engaged and positive it will fail.
You need to understand how to get everyone on your side psychologically – both rationally and emotionally.
Effective change management is as much about psychology as it is about project management.

How to deliver successful change - Chris Roebuck

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Change Management – What’s the point?

One of the most vital criteria for successful change is that there has to be a good reason to make it. This is likely to be some event or information which reveals this requirement; some change in the business environment, a new technology , new processes, or change in business strategy via a new strategic vision.

This will then indicate where the organisation potentially needs to go. That becomes your vision and key objectives then start to become clear. Your change journey is how you get from where the organisation is now to that destination.

Cause or symptom?

However one of the traps that leaders and organisations frequently fall into with a change process, particularly when dealing with change driven by problems, is a failure to distinguish between the symptoms of the problem and the real cause.

For example in a discussion with a chief executive it was his view that he had different issues to deal with; poor performance, poor customer service, poor communication and low levels of employee engagement in different places. But a deeper discussion revealed that these were the symptoms not the problem.

The core problem was poor leadership which manifested itself in different ways in different places. So if you’re thinking about making changes to address challenges you are facing, really dig deep to ensure you are dealing with the real cause and not just symptoms.

Dealing with symptoms won’t stop the problem, just put you into a long term battle with the real cause which will keep throwing up more symptoms once you have dealt with the previous ones.

No compelling benefit = no engagement.

As well as a reason for change there needs to be a clear benefit delivered or people will think there is no point investing time, effort and other resources if it’s not going to produce a return on that investment. This is critical because we have all seen organisations engaged in change which takes time and effort but where the need for change and the benefits of that change don’t present a compelling case.

Sometimes we just go through the motions of making the change because we think it’s what we should do without analysing whether it’s the optimal thing to do and delivers a clear benefit. But then the change never gets fully implemented or emedded.

Making sure there is a compelling reason and ROI for your change demonstrates to all the point of it, if you can’t do that then maybe its not worth making the change. Doing nothing and not changing is as much a course of action as doing something.

It’s important to take a systematic approach that sets out the benefits that we anticipate the change will deliver. The obvious benefits relate to how it will enhance the organisation in some way, that’s the business case, but even at this early stage it’s really important to think about the benefits which those engaged in delivering the change will get personally.

Therefore before you even start planning you need to establish a clear need for change, clear vision, objective, and potential organisational and individual benefits. Back to our “whats in it or me”. This will enable you to develop a great plan, a smooth transition and help ensure a successful change effort.