I was going through the post of Strategy + Business and found this interesting topic.
All these point are wonderfully noted and in any dynamic organization and growing organization these are mandatory dictum.
1. Address the “human side” systematically. Any significant transformation creates “people issues.” New leaders will be asked to step up, jobs will be changed, new skills and capabilities must be developed, and employees will be uncertain and resistant. Dealing with these issues on a reactive, case-by-case basis puts speed, morale, and results at risk. A formal approach for managing change — beginning with the leadership team and then engaging key stakeholders and leaders — should be developed early, and adapted often as change moves through the organization. This demands as much data collection and analysis, planning, and implementation discipline as does a redesign of strategy, systems, or processes. The change-management approach should be fully integrated into program design and decision making, both informing and enabling strategic direction. It should be based on a realistic assessment of the organization’s history, readiness, and capacity to change.
2. Start at the top. Because change is inherently unsettling for people at all levels of an organization, when it is on the horizon, all eyes will turn to the CEO and the leadership team for strength, support, and direction. The leaders themselves must embrace the new approaches first, both to challenge and to motivate the rest of the institution. They must speak with one voice and model the desired behaviors. The executive team also needs to understand that, although its public face may be one of unity, it, too, is composed of individuals who are going through stressful times and need to be supported.
Executive teams that work well together are best positioned for success. They are aligned and committed to the direction of change, understand the culture and behaviors the changes intend to introduce, and can model those changes themselves. At one large transportation company, the senior team rolled out an initiative to improve the efficiency and performance of its corporate and field staff before addressing change issues at the officer level. The initiative realized initial cost savings but stalled as employees began to question the leadership team’s vision and commitment. Only after the leadership team went through the process of aligning and committing to the change initiative was the work force able to deliver downstream results.
3. Involve every layer. As transformation programs progress from defining strategy and setting targets to design and implementation, they affect different levels of the organization. Change efforts must include plans for identifying leaders throughout the company and pushing responsibility for design and implementation down, so that change “cascades” through the organization. At each layer of the organization, the leaders who are identified and trained must be aligned to the company’s vision, equipped to execute their specific mission, and motivated to make change happen.
4. Make the formal case.
Individuals are inherently rational and will question to what extent change is
needed, whether the company is headed in the right direction, and whether they
want to commit personally to making change happen. They will look to the
leadership for answers. The articulation of a formal case for change and the
creation of a written vision statement are invaluable opportunities to create
or compel leadership-team alignment.
5. Create ownership.
Leaders of large change programs must overperform during the transformation and
be the zealots who create a critical mass among the work force in favor of
change. This requires more than mere buy-in or passive agreement that the
direction of change is acceptable. It demands ownership by leaders willing to
accept responsibility for making change happen in all of the areas they
influence or control. Ownership is often best created by involving people in
identifying problems and crafting solutions. It is reinforced by incentives and
rewards. These can be tangible (for example, financial compensation) or
psychological (for example, camaraderie and a sense of shared destiny).
6. Communicate the message.
Too often, change leaders make the mistake of believing that others understand
the issues, feel the need to change, and see the new direction as clearly as
they do. The best change programs reinforce core messages through regular,
timely advice that is both inspirational and practicable. Communications flow
in from the bottom and out from the top, and are targeted to provide employees
the right information at the right time and to solicit their input and
feedback. Often this will require over communication through multiple, redundant
channels.
7. Assess the cultural
landscape. Successful change programs pick up speed and
intensity as they cascade down, making it critically important that leaders
understand and account for culture and behaviors at each level of the
organization. Companies often make the mistake of assessing culture either too
late or not at all. Thorough cultural diagnostics can assess organizational
readiness to change, bring major problems to the surface, identify conflicts,
and define factors that can recognize and influence sources of leadership and
resistance. These diagnostics identify the core values, beliefs, behaviors, and
perceptions that must be taken into account for successful change to occur.
They serve as the common baseline for designing essential change elements, such
as the new corporate vision, and building the infrastructure and programs
needed to drive change.
8. Address culture
explicitly. Once the culture is understood, it should be
addressed as thoroughly as any other area in a change program. Leaders should
be explicit about the culture and underlying behaviors that will best support
the new way of doing business, and find opportunities to model and reward those
behaviors. This requires developing a baseline, defining an explicit end-state
or desired culture, and devising detailed plans to make the transition.
9. Prepare for the
unexpected. No change program goes completely according to
plan. People react in unexpected ways; areas of anticipated resistance fall
away; and the external environment shifts. Effectively managing change requires
continual reassessment of its impact and the organization’s willingness and
ability to adopt the next wave of transformation. Fed by real data from the
field and supported by information and solid decision-making processes, change
leaders can then make the adjustments necessary to maintain momentum and drive
results.
10. Speak to the individual. Change is both an institutional journey and a very personal one. People spend many hours each week at work; many think of their colleagues as a second family. Individuals (or teams of individuals) need to know how their work will change, what is expected of them during and after the change program, how they will be measured, and what success or failure will mean for them and those around them. Team leaders should be as honest and explicit as possible. People will react to what they see and hear around them, and need to be involved in the change process. Highly visible rewards, such as promotion, recognition, and bonuses, should be provided as dramatic reinforcement
