Managing organizational change and coping with change continue to be 2 of the top 5 critical issues
for 2012.
- Research conducted December 2011 by the Institute for Corporate Productivity
We've been hearing about the importance of managing change since at least the 1970's when Japanese manufacturing began to overtake American productivity and quality. Its importance hasn't changed. What's new is that the most successful organizations have come to realize they aren't as effective at managing change as they need to be - therefore it's a top critical issue.
Here's a shocking statistic:
"70 % of all major change initiatives in organizations fail - and that number hasn't changed since researchers started examining success and failure rates some fifteen years ago."
- Rick Maurer, Beyond the Wall of Resistance
And here's something even more shocking. We believe the failure rate would be even higher if you consider the entire scope of change efforts:
- Getting an individual to improve his or her performance or adapt to changing job expectations
- Getting employees to learn new skills (all learning is change)
- Getting a team or department to adopt new work processes
- Aligning policies, processes, systems, and goals with the business strategy
- Changing the organizational culture to be more innovative or more customer focused
So whether you're a first-line manager trying to get employees to do what they're supposed to do, or a senior leader trying to change the culture, or a learning and development officer trying to get people to develop skills, the challenge is really the same: it's all about changing human behavior - getting people to do something differently, and do it consistently.
"In most change situations, managers initially focus on strategy, structure, culture, or systems, which leads them to miss the most important issue. The core of the matter is always about changing the behavior of people . . . by speaking to people's feelings . . . not just thought."
- John Kotter, The Heart of Change
We know change is hard -
now we know why
The recent explosion of research on how the human brain works (mostly based on analyses of functional MRIs) paints a vivid picture of why change is hard - and what we can do to make it less failure-prone.
- Routines and habits require little or no conscious effort and are stored in the more primitive, instinctive part of the brain.
- Change requires the conscious "supervisor" part of the brain to work very hard, comparing old to new, analyzing risks, and choosing among multiple options.
- The pool of energy available for this self-supervising activity is limited - therefore we get very fatigued dealing with new behaviors.
- What looks like laziness (in response to change) is often exhaustion.
- What looks like resistance is often lack of clarity.
- Habits and routines have created deep "grooves" in the brain, so if new behaviors are to stick, you have to create new pathways - over time.
Is change always possible?
To answer that question, I'll tell you 3 stories.
When Paul walked into the assessment center, I was immediately struck by his swagger and bravado, his loud voice punctuated with swear words, his "I don't really need to be here" attitude. We'd been asked by his company to assess several groups of field sales managers to determine if they were ready for a significantly redesigned role. The company was attempting to change the culture by changing key roles, which would require new skills and changed behavior.
Throughout the next two days, Paul continued his abrasive behavior with his 5 peers, even though he knew every word, every action was being evaluated by us and his career was on the line. When we completed the analysis and compiled the report, I was assigned the task of reviewing all the data with him - including a numerical count of the number of times he swore, the number of times he interrupted others, and many other inappropriate and irritating behaviors. He listened without response to the summary, then sat back and said "Is there any hope for me?" I responded, "Well, now that you've asked that question, yes there is."
In the second case, I had recently completed a 360 degree assessment (using our InnerView360 instrument) for the leader of a key design engineering group. Janice had been promoted through the ranks rather quickly, but her feedback showed problems with her ability to manage a group of creative techies in a complex matrixed organization. Her team accused her of micromanaging, and also of failing to communicate with them or engage them in planning and problem solving. In addition, she had conflicts with her "dotted line" reports who didn't like her management style. But when I reviewed the feedback with her, she was open and honest, took full responsibility, and showed a very high level of motivation and commitment to learn and to change.
When I discussed this with her manager, I proposed that Janice could become successful in the role, with appropriate coaching, feedback, direction, and training, and I gave specific examples of what should be done. But her manager said, "I have found that people like that don't ever change."
In the third situation, Tom managed several manufacturing facilities and his technical, business, and engineering capabilities were well suited to the role. However, his "people" skills had caused him difficulty for years. He tended to focus on solving technical problems and he missed the human and emotional issues behind the problems. Since he had a long history of these people problems, we asked how motivated he was to work on them. He insisted he was highly motivated, "But," he asked, "what is the work?"
The 3 Critical Elements of Successful Change
In their wonderful book Switch: How to change things when change is hard, Chip and Dan Heath neatly capture the crux of the change problem, whether you're trying to change yourself or your team or your organizational culture.
"Whether the switch you seek is in your family, in your charity, in your organization, or in society at large, you'll get there by making three things happen. You'll direct the Rider, motivate the Elephant, and shape the Path....When change happens, it tends to follow a pattern. We've got to stop ignoring that pattern and start embracing it."
- Chip and Dan Heath, Switch
The "elephant" and "rider" concepts, developed by psychologist Jonathan Haidt, refer to the emotional/instinctive part of the brain (elephant) and the rational/analytical part (rider). Haidt says that the Rider holds the reins and seems to be in control, but anytime there is a disagreement, the six-ton Elephant wins.
The 3 stories above illustrate what the Heath brothers say are the 3 critical elements of successful change:
- Direct the Rider: Investigate what's working, and clone it. It's easier to give the Rider clear direction if you can point to something that's already working. Script the critical moves - communicate specific behaviors. And point to the destination with a crisp, vivid picture of where you want to go. (Remember, what looks like resistance is often lack of clarity.) In the story above, Tom's "elephant" was more than willing. It was his "rider" who asked for clarity and specificity: "What is the work?"
- Motivate the Elephant: Make people feel something - just knowing isn't enough. Break down big changes into increments so it doesn't scare the elephant. (What looks like laziness is often exhaustion.) Cultivate a sense of group identity - "We're the kind of people who..." Paul, the obnoxious sales manager, got a lot of data in his assessment report, but he was made to feel the full effects of his behavior on others. After watching his interactions on the videotape, his raging elephant calmed down and was ready for direction from his rider. He now was ready for help scripting the critical moves.
- Shape the Path: Tweak the environment - the processes, tools, systems, etc. Look for ways to build and encourage new habits. Rally the herd by finding early supporters and building on their efforts. Janice's elephant was strongly motivated. Her rider had, with our help, worked out a specific plan of action (scripted critical moves) to reach the desired destination. But her manager refused to shape the path - provide coaching and mentoring, frequent developmental feedback, and training.
Change follows a pattern. Whether you're trying to change yourself, your team, your teenager, or your corporate culture, this simple 3-part framework of Rider-Elephant-Path can help increase your odds of success.
For more details on how to manage change successfully, or to develop change management skills in leaders, contact us at 704.892.5097, or inquiries@alexanderhancock.com, or at our website www.alexanderhancock.com.
