Change Management & Leadership

Although tangled and messy, the Redback Spider’s web functions in three dimensions rather than the two dimensions of the typical spider web.

Does your organisation’s or division’s strategy operate in two dimensions, or three? Are there mutually reinforcing facets: think of the way Walt Disney’s TV appearances in the 1950s fed awareness of and interest in the newly built Disneyland, which in turn prolonged and reinforced Disney characters and films. Or do they only operate only on a single plane? Are your operational and risk management systems multi-faceted enough to function three-dimensionally or are they merely ‘flat-file’?

Next time you see a spider web, let it prompt you (as you're reaching for the pest spray) to think about the depth and breadth of your strategy.

I’ve had clients ask me how to transmit a vision through the organisation: how do you establish a clear line of sight from high-level mission through to implementation and execution?

The truth is: there is no secret to this, no arcane management methodology is required. There is only:

1. collaborative clarity
2. a structure by which to hold people accountable for results and timeframes, and
3. relentless follow-up.

That’s pretty much it.

Here are my top four change management tips, culled from the literature and validated by years of work in the field:

1. Focus on real business problems (reducing operating costs, improving customer response times) rather than abstractions (‘participation’)
2. The single biggest cause of failure of any change effort is absence of senior management support
3. People support what they help to create
4. People don’t resist change; they resist ambiguity

Need to garner support for a corporate initiative? Here are my top three tips on how to do it.

1. Crystallise the benefits of your initiative for the major players: the key here is to make the benefits *tangible* (as distinct from *large*)
2. Meet the players face-to-face: get in front of them and give them a chance to have their say (and outline the benefits for them – see point above). There’s something compelling about being face-to-face with people which is not as strong with other forms of communication
3. Create a bandwagon that has such momentum that it’s a no-brainer that people would get behind it. Senior leaders have to bang the drum for an initiative loudly and constantly, publicising exemplars and providing plaudits for early followers: be loud and proud.

The first type of change metric is for the change effort itself; typical metrics here include:

• frequency of communication
• percentage of business units with change champions embedded
• actual versus scheduled timeline for change project.

The second is for business-as-usual KPIs which reflect a demonstrable difference in results as a result of the change effort. Examples might include:

• unit costs
• customer satisfaction
• defect rates.

The two types are shown in the graphic, using a change effort aimed at reducing average costs as an example.