Research shows that almost 70% of all change efforts FAIL or are only partially implemented (which is a failure in my book)! That is a staggering number, but what is more staggering is that the statistic is not changing. My lead in question to you is: “Are you contributing to that statistic?
Change is nothing new to leaders or those they lead. Today however, business conditions change far faster than at any other time in history because product and service breakthroughs are quickly copied or become outdated. That requires constant innovation which means constant change. Change isn’t optional, it is essential, and the commitment to change must be full commitment and must be handled differently.
If you Google “successful change management” you’ll get nearly a 150,000,000 hits and therein lies the problem, we’re searching for the wrong thing. The failure of most change efforts have little to do with poor change management, they instead are corrupted by poor change leadership. To understand that as more than just semantics, we first need to understand what change is.
Change has three primary components, the objective; the mechanical factor; and the human factor. In the simplest terms, “change management” is focused on the plan (mechanical) and “change leadership” relates to the fuel that makes it and keeps it running (human factor).
We spend inordinate amounts of time planning our change, preparing for what could happen, preparing for what we know will happen and planning what we are going to do about it when it does happen. In other words focusing on the mechanical factor. Those activities are absolutely necessary and represent “change management” at its core. Unfortunately though, that is where most stop. Once the plan is put together we see a tendency by many to manage it just like everything else is managed on a day-to-day basis. The problem with that approach is that managing change is different. We can manage tasks all day long in a normal environment, but successfully managing change has an absolute requirement for that elusive word we spend a great deal of time talking about or trying to apply to what we are doing, leadership, or in this case, addressing the human factor. This idea is supported by ample research. In 2008 IBM did a study that focused on what it takes for change to be successful, rather than what causes change to fail.
The following list and corresponding result supports that it is the soft stuff (human factor), not the hard stuff (mechanical) that carries the most weight for success.
| • Top Management Support | 92% (soft) | |||
| • Employee Involvement | 72% (soft) | |||
| • Honesty & Timely Communications | 70% (soft) | |||
| • Effective Training | 38% (hard) | |||
| • Organization Structure | 33% (hard) | |||
| • Monetary / Non-monetary Incentives | 19% (hard) | |||
Those six represent both ends of the measurement spectrum. Of the 10 elements noted in the research, six of the 10 relate to the soft stuff (happen to be the top six).
The Human Factor
So what is the problem? Why is change so difficult? Why don’t people accept it and move on? The problem is not actually the change itself. Redesigning or modifying business process can make sense logically, financially or structurally. The problem is not typically the change, but instead what the change does to people who have to deal with the change in process. The change itself is an external effect of change that is an internal. It demands a psychological adjustment to be accomplished before the change can be accepted. People a lot smarter than me refer to this phase as ‘transition;’ it is a three-step process and getting people through it takes time.
Transition, like any other psychological process has its own time frame. It can be optimized like any other process but it cannot be hurried because people are not machines. Each of its three steps is upsetting which is why people can become so emotional about change. Kurt Lewin simplified this three-step process with his “unfreeze, change, freeze” model.
So what exactly is a change leader?
Change leaders are people who have the ability to energize the groups who will be implementing change projects that they may or may not buy into. These leaders fully understand the need for change and demonstrate a significant tolerance for ambiguity and a positive attitude regardless of their discomfort. Change leaders manage change by anticipating, being prepared and responding effectively to barriers. These leaders work to ensure open and receptive environments and ensure that they involve people at all levels in the change initiative. Change leaders also understand cultural dynamics that could come into play and develop practical strategies to achieve the best outcomes for the organization, as well as those working to execute the change.
Change leaders recognize that the change process is not a series of scheduled tasks or activities, but instead a human process that requires a different kind of communication, a different set of activities and a different kind of presence. Change leaders inherently understand that change is tough for many people and act accordingly. They work to quell fear and replace it with hope, understand the value of consistent messaging and complete transparency. Trust is important at all times, but a change leader knows that trust is the ONLY currency that will enlist people during times of significant disruption. What’s more, a change leader is someone who works to ensure that the planned change process is managed through the filter of human impacts. In other words, they set high standards while subsequently caring for their employees. That is the proverbial grease that allows the pieces of the process to work together with minimal squeaking.
Change leaders are part…
Catalyst: In the change process leaders are responsible for catalyzing the change by creating the compelling reason (or explaining) to change. They realize that the greatest enemy to success is inertia.
Soothsayer: Change leaders keep people focused on that which they cannot see. These leaders have the ability to foresee the future and convey that vision to others in a way that is compelling and that creates hope. In addition to the catalytic aspect of this visioning, the leaders use that vision to help their employees see beyond the pain and discomfort associated with the change that helps them remember their current state is temporary.
Sense Maker: They bring comfort through understanding. They practice active listening by asking questions and then listening for the questions behind the questions in the responses they receive. They recognize that everyone wants to understand the reason for the change, but more important want to understand how it is going to impact them.
Provider/Supporter: Change leaders ensure that not only the team responsible for executing the change has the right tools, they also make sure that the people subject to the change have the tools they need and work to help maintain the confidence levels that are often times negatively impacted by the change disruption.
Driver: Change leaders know that change is tough and requires tenacity and commitment, but not blind commitment. They know that the disruption will likely have a negative impact initially, but through their commitment and vigilance they keep others focused on the end rather than the present and help them maintain belief that the “valley of despair” as many call it, can’t and won’t be a new resting place for the organization, nor will where they were before.
Conclusion
There is no magic formula for either leading change or managing change. Every organization, leader and situation are unique. Leading change is more art than science, while managing change is more science than art. Leading change is not simply a matter of the leader’s style or personality, it’s about their philosophy and how they mobilize and inspire others to buy-in and get excited or at least comfortable with a future they can’t necessarily see or understand. Managing change on the other hand is focused on maintaining stability and controlling the negative effects during times of change, the hard stuff.
Seeing what makes a change leader over a change manager, which title do you wear most often? Remember that self-awareness is a cornerstone of being a leader and that starts with self-honesty. Before you can successfully lead yourself through becoming who you want to be, you first have to admit that you need to change. The path and process is fairly simple, just one that few would say is easy.
