solutions for the top 5 change management mistakes
TRANSCRIPT
Mistake #5: Launching too quickly
Whether due to pressures from senior leaders, a Change Leaders own desire to get moving, or other factors a poorly scoped and has:ly planned change ini:a:ve is doomed to struggle or fail from the start.
Solu%on #5: “Measure twice and cut once”
Use a documented process for managing change and don’t take short cuts. Taking :me to carefully vet and plan a change effort is cri:cal for success. In the words of Winston Churchill, “He who fails to plan is planning to fail.” (See: Prosci)
Mistake #4: Delaying too long
There will never be a perfect plan and there is almost always addi:onal data that could be considered. But, change ul:mately requires prudent and :mely ac:on.
Solu%on #4: Define the decision parameters
• Implement a feedback loop by establishing a :meline-‐based logic tree that iden:fies key dependencies with “go/no go” factors. (See: Precision Tree)
• Limit the “no go” factors to only the most significant items that would put the project or the organiza:on in serious jeopardy.
• Get common agreement from decision makers in advance about “no go” factors (this will hold the Change Leader accountable).
• Determine the implica:ons for “no go” decisions and who will communicate what when to ensure the people side of change is well managed.
Mistake #3: Giving an unwanted giJ
• Limiting the breadth of stakeholders within the organization can be a costly mistake.
• We have repeatedly seen change in a particular department (HR, Accounting, Sales, Purchasing, Distribution, Inventory, Fulfillment, Marketing, etc.) take place without thinking through upstream and downstream implications.
• Viewing the project stakeholder scope too narrowly can lead to designing, building, and delivering a less than optimal outcome
Solu%on #3: Be generous with stakeholders
• Fight the desire to limit team size • The thought that “too many cooks in the kitchen who could spoil the
broth” is hard to argue with, but you are beTer off choosing to manage the tension of geUng the best out of “cooks” across the organiza:on.
• Use a RACI chart to manage expecta:ons. • A useful exercise: during ini:al scoping, imagine the change has
already happened. Role play problems upstream and downstream that could happen (no maTer how unlikely). If you get to a ques:on that cannot be answered by the people in the room, somebody is missing. If you can answer all the ques:ons in the room, iden:fy a team/department not represented and run the scenarios by them.
Mistake #2: Making assump%ons
• As a general rule, when working with people you should start from a posture that always assumes intelligence, but never assumes knowledge, understanding, or buy-‐in.
• Making assump:ons is a par:cularly dangerous mistake in the areas of es:ma:ng the impact of change on people and the cost of change to the boTom line.
• Senior Leaders must hold Change Leaders accountable for rigorous evalua:on and tes:ng of assump:ons.
Solu%on #2: Replace “should” with “could”
• Change Leaders are prone to determining what should be done.
• Organiza:ons are o[en beTer served by a scenario-‐based approach that presents what could be done.
• Taking a could approach forces evalua:on of op:ons and explores assump:ons from mul:ple angles.
• If a Change Leader cannot present scenario based op:ons with carefully veTed pros and cons they have not done their due diligence and Senior Leaders should reject the plan un:l scenarios are presented.
Mistake #1: Neglec%ng the people
• User adop:on is the most challenging aspect of most major change efforts
• People present a complex, diverse and o[en ambiguous set of challenges that add complexity to major change ini:a:ves.
• When mishandled, these complica:ons have the poten:al to lead to roadblocks that stall and/or kill change efforts and chew through company resources (money, :me, and energy).
Solu%on #1: Engage and mo%vate
• The people side is all about mo:va:on. • Avoid focusing exclusively on telling and extrinsic mo:va:on (“carrots
and s:cks”) • Influencing user adop:on starts with listening and finding the path
toward ac:va:ng employee engagement and buy-‐in. • There will always be outliers that resist change to the biTer end. But,
for most employees, engagement and intrinsic mo:va:on comes from being permiTed to make their best contribu:on and feeling valued.
• BoTom line: Organiza:onal Effec:veness and Change Managers help
create compe::ve advantage by fostering a culture of employee engagement and organiza:onal agility.
• For more on employee engagement see Gallup. • For more on mo:va:on see work by K. Thomas and/or P. Marciano