Change is Faster and More Inevitable than Ever
Technology alone is forcing organizations to change at a more rapid rate than at any time in recent memory. Ignoring that change is a surefire way to fall behind your competition. Instead, look for the positive opportunities that change provides.
Change Management Works, Even If It's Not Great
New initiatives are seven times more likely to meet objectives with excellent change management. Even with fair change management, it’s three times more effective. It’s worth the upfront time and effort, regardless of how good your organization is at implementing it.
Be Prepared For and Manage Resistance
It’s human nature for individuals to resist change. Don’t fight that resistance, or think less of those who show it. Instead, listen to their objections, remove barriers to change, and show the benefits in a real and tangible way. Realize resistance means people are paying attention.
Change is the only constant in life. It may be cliche, but it rings true. Change is inevitable – in our personal and professional lives.
Organizations must be ready and willing to adapt to the constant pace of change. If they don’t, they’ll be overtaken by organizations that are willing to adapt. As Charles Darwin said, “It’s not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent. It is the one that is most adaptable to change.”
But let’s face it: Change isn’t always easy. Boards must be adept at managing change — and the inevitable resistance that comes with it.
“It is essential for all of us to build this change muscle and lead change in our organizations,” said Debbie McCarthy, vice president of advisory services at Prosci.
Recently, McCarthy joined us to discuss how to navigate change in today’s complex business world. During the session, McCarthy shared expert advice to help attendees:
Here, we share key takeaways from this compelling session.
Change is Faster and Bigger Than Ever Before
Change has always been inevitable. But in today’s business world, change comes faster than ever — often with big implications.
Technology is one area where we’re seeing especially rapid, impactful change, and many boards are struggling to keep up. Per a recent survey from OnBoard, the pace of technological change is the No. 1 challenge boards are facing today.
“Things like AI are disrupting business for everyone,” said McCarthy. “Change is bigger, it’s faster, it’s more complex, it’s multi-disciplinary.”
Putting Your Head in the Sand Isn’t a Viable Approach
If change is our reality, we have a few options. The first is to ignore it. “We can put our head in the sand and tell ourselves the change isn’t going to impact us,” said McCarthy. “But that’s not an effective strategy.”
Ignoring change is a sure way to get left behind. McCarthy shared the example of Bose, who was once the market leader in headphones, but then lost considerable market share to Beats by Dre, Sonos, and Apple.
Instead, organizations must look for the opportunities that change brings. “Ask yourself, ‘how can we use these changes to make things better?’” she said.
A Strongly Worded Memo Isn’t Enough
Often organizations spring a change on their employees and hope for the best. They might send out an email on Monday, deliver training on Tuesday, and go live with the change on Wednesday.
“A strongly worded memo isn’t enough,” said McCarthy. “That’s not the way to prepare and equip individuals to success, but it’s often the way we do it.”
There are 2 Essential Parts of Change – But 1 is Overlooked
When it comes to change, there are two important parts to consider. The first is the technical side of the change. This involves the ins and outs of what the change is. For example, it could be bringing in a new board member or rolling out a new piece of software.
Then, there’s the “people” side of change. This is how people engage, adopt, and use the solution.
All too often, boards focus on the technical side of change – and ignore the people side of it. “Often, boards don’t manage the people side of change,” said McCarthy. “This can lead to incredible amounts of trouble.”
Change Management is Proven to Improve Outcomes
Applying change management principles is key to improving outcomes.
“Change management is like water on a slide,” explained McCarthy. “If you had to go down that water slide without water, it’s painful. Change management makes the change fun and manageable.”
The impact of adopting change management is proven. McCarthy shared that initiatives are seven times more likely to meet objectives with excellent change management. Even with fair changement management, initiatives are three times more effective.
Clearly, change management is worth the upfront time and effort. In fact, without change management, you’re sure to run into problems along the way.
“Are you going to do the upfront work and get commitment or are you going to deal with the resistance afterward?” asked McCarthy.
The ADKAR Model is a Practical Framework for Change
Change can be hard. Nearly three decades ago, Prosci invented a change model framework called ADKAR for addressing it. “This model is very powerful,” said McCarthy. “It can be used at the individual and organizational levels.”
ADKAR is an acronym that stands for:
Each step builds upon the one before it. “They are building blocks,” explained McCarthy. “You can’t have desire if you don’t have awareness.”
Furthermore, each step is essential. “Training is not enough,” said McCarthy. “The ‘R’ at the end is such a critical part of the model to make the change stick. One of the biggest reasons change fails is because we give up too quickly.”
Be Prepared for Resistance
Many are surprised by resistance to change. But McCarthy urges attendees to expect it and plan for it.
“Resistance is a natural reaction,” she said. “When managed properly, resistance can be constructive and can improve change outcomes.”
Research tells us that by properly applying change management, organizations can plan for resistance – and potentially eliminate a significant portion of it.
“By effectively applying change management, you can prevent over half of the resistance,” explained McCarthy.
There are Many Tactics for Managing Resistance
In some cases, employee resistance can be avoided with proper change management. However, resistance will never go away, and that’s OK.
McCarthy wrapped up the session by sharing some effective tactics for managing resistance, including:
Resistance isn’t a bad thing. It’s time to change the way you think about it.
“Think of your own mindset when you’re anticipating and managing resistance,” said McCarthy. “Resistance is a positive opportunity to listen, understand, and respond. Resistance means people are paying attention to a change.”
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