Do You Need Faster Change Management?

(Part 1 of a Four-Part Series)

Every company begins a change management process of some kind practically every year. But what is change management really, and is your change management process fast enough?

We all tend to resist change to some degree. But, change is a process that requires three key elements to work effectively. That is, Dissatisfaction, Vision, and First Steps must be greater than the resistance to change. Without these three you will have no change.

Dissatisfaction + Vision + First Steps > Resistance to Change

Let’s look at each one and see how they are used to produce change. First there is Dissatisfaction. Did you ever see something and think “that’s not right, somebody has to change that”. Sometimes we call this a problem or pain.

The greater the pain then the greater the desire to change.

Now, if you had no dissatisfaction with the current state of affairs, why would you change? Many people are complacent or happy with the status quo. This means they really have no desire to change. To instill a desire to change we must find some dissatisfaction with the current state of affairs. In sales this is called “finding unrealized needs.”

You must ask questions to uncover some dissatisfaction that once realized will move the organization to change. Without dissatisfaction we may experience passive-resistance to our change plans. Frequently, organization-wide initiatives have dissatisfaction at the leadership level and that’s it. The leaders assume that because they are dissatisfied, others should be too. Yet the true reasons were not passed on and the rest of the organization fails to implement the desired change. Sound familiar?

Dissatisfaction without Vision or First Steps equals frustration.

Next we need Vision.

We are talking about the future as it relates to the user. Think of it as “What’s in it for them?” People want to know how they will be better off if they implement the change.

Let’s take profit, for example. The leaders may believe it’s a great idea to work longer hours to increase profits. Sure, the leaders are dissatisfied with profits. But the workers are happy working the hours they have now, so why should they change? You need to paint a vision of how the increased profits will help the workers, too. The vision must provide the organization with a goal that is worth striving for.

Vision without Dissatisfaction or First Steps equals wishful thinking.

Now we have dissatisfaction and a vision. Next, we need First Steps. First steps are what get the ball rolling. The steps must be specific and easily executed. One way is to create an action plan or timeline of events with responsibilities for specific tasks spelled out clearly.

First Steps without Dissatisfaction or Vision equals a series of failed starts or recurring change programs.

Delivering change requires a critical assessment of the three elements of change. Leaders must do more than present a good business case with a high ROI. To be successful leaders must correctly identify the present state of affairs:

• How high is dissatisfaction?
  (Who’s complaining, who’s satisfied and who’s reluctant to change?)
• Is the vision for the project clear and communicated to the right people?
  (Can key users describe what they will be able to do differently?)
• Is everyone clear on the critical first steps?
  (Do key users have clearly defined actions assigned?)
• Finally, are all these factors greater than the resistance to change?

If not, determine which element to adjust to improve your results. Understanding and identifying the three elements of change will enable you to achieve success and create value for the whole organization a lot faster. And, you will see the changes last a lot longer. Just try it!

Part 1: Faster Change Management
Part 2: 7 Ways to Facilitate Change
Part 3: Problem Solving vs. Process Improvement
Part 4: How Delays Affect Change

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Posted on Monday, March 7th, 2005 under Business Management & Operations

Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 United States License.

Originally published by Bizmanualz, Inc. under the title Do You Need Faster Change Management?.

This and more articles like this can be found at www.bizmanualz.com. This article may be reprinted freely as long as this resource box is left intact.