Let’s face it, change is difficult for a lot of us personally and it’s even more troubling for an organization to manage through. As human beings we just seem to get comfortable and often develop a reluctance to change. So, if change for us individually is tough, and it’s even tougher for a company to successfully make change, then how do we expect to pull this off? Having a Management of Change process (MOC) is a systematic way of dealing with change personally or within an organization. Two key aspects of change management that are often overlooked are developing a thorough change plan and the second is creating a stakeholder map so you can understand the people that will be impacted by the change.
Studies indicate that 70% of all change initiatives fail. What…wait a minute, why bother then if most end in failure? Research suggests that the ideas or strategies that failed are usually not the problem, it’s most often resistance to change from within the organization that was not properly understood or addressed or it’s the result of an incomplete change plan.
A change plan is a map of what is going to change, so moving from current state through to the future desired end state. The urgency and benefits are the important elements to capture as this will assist with bringing the staff on board. This change vision, based on the benefits, will help with creating a sense of urgency. Don’t underestimate the importance of the change plan, be it a small change or a large and complex change (e.g. a merger or acquisition) a fit for purpose change plan is critical.
Change cannot be forced so build the plan knowing this and develop the change team and project pace in way that will leverage the positive from within the organization. Change has a much higher success rate when it comes from within, verses being imposed from outside the organization.
Next is understanding the internal and external stakeholders impacted by the change. This is a critical step where you should slow down and spend some time. In fact, this step of stakeholder analysis is so critical that the entire change plan could be developed centered around how you deal with each stakeholder group. There are many stakeholders to consider such as the board of directors, unions, government, customers and community to name only a few. We are going to focus mainly on the internal employees in this blog. We have broken staff down into 4 categories to help you think about where they are today and where you need to guide them to be to enjoy a successful change initiative.
The four categories are Resister, Bystander, Backer and Packer. Let me explain.
It’s the hey, I’m moving analogy…when you tell your friends you’re moving what’s the response you get? The resistor is “likely” busy that weekend, (going to the beach) so when asked the response is got plans maybe next time. I remember a bumper sticker years ago that said “Just because I have a pickup truck, doesn’t mean I will help you move”, that’s a resistor. Next is the Bystander and you may be able to convince them to help, however they could also be convinced that a trip to the beach would be a good use of their time. These Bystanders are neutral and typically form a critical mass to be considered when making a change. Then you have the Backers, and these folks will help you when you ask just because that’s who they are. And then there’s the Packers, these are the few people who will not only help you move but they will come and help you pack your stuff and support you every step of the way. These are the critical influencers who in a change management situation will help you change the organization’s culture from within. These change catalysts need to be identified and made visible at all times throughout the change process. The idea of categorizing the types of people is to understand who you need to spend time with during the change cycle. The largest cohort is usually the neutral group or Bystanders, and this group has the potential to be influenced to move in either direction. With the right guidance they can become supporters and with the wrong treatment, such as poor communication or uncertainty of what the change means to them, they can slip the other way and become resistors.
Building the change network will help you strategically position people throughout the organization and embed catalysts (Backers and Packers) where needed to support and drive the cultural change required. Check in with staff often as people can show signs that there is stress in the organization that must be identified and managed. Be on the lookout for burnout and a change of attitude, morale can also suffer so check in often and adjust the pace as needed. Don’t leave people in a bubble of uncertainty, that uncertainty can breed contempt, and contempt is contagious and dangerous to a change initiative.
Caution: risk to workers is often higher during a change initiative than it is during normal operations. With this in mind, we need to ensure that we pull close to staff to watch for signs of stress and dissention. Address any issues as they surface, watch for problems that may derail the change or put workers in harm’s way, and just keep the lines of contact open so staff have a place to go and discuss the change and more import discuss any impacts around their mental and physical safety. A lack of change management process can lead to injured workers, process failures, increased operational costs, damaged customer relationships and regulatory non-compliance.
A properly managed change is safer, reduces unnecessary costs, better identifies and manages risk and increases the odds of a successful change initiative.
Management of Change is one of the 8 Derisk Safety Management System (SMS) standards. The Derisk SMS an interconnected collection of standards that, when implemented can, mitigate surprises, they help build resilience and navigate the future all while fostering a continuous improvement culture.
For more information or a consultation reach out to Derisk Safety Management. We’re here to help your company de-risk and simplify safety management.
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