Business
Change a Lengthy Process
In
my previous column, I suggested that an important part of
the change process was to create a sense of urgency throughout
the organization. At this point in the change process many
organizations jump right into the action phase. However, there
is a very important step to take prior to taking action.
The
step to which I am referring is the communication of the vision
of the final state of the organization - what things should
look like at the end of the change process. The vision provides
a roadmap and a framework for understanding all of the necessary
actions to be taken. It helps the employees to clearly understand
where the organization is headed and calms fears in a period
of instability.
In my
previous column, I suggested that an important part of the change
process was to create a sense of urgency throughout the organization.
At this point in the change process many organizations jump right
into the action phase. However, there is a very important step to
take prior to taking action.
The step
to which I am referring is the communication of the vision of the
final state of the organization - what things should look like at
the end of the change process. The vision provides a roadmap and
a framework for understanding all of the necessary actions to be
taken. It helps the employees to clearly understand where the organization
is headed and calms fears in a period of instability.
It’s
no good to just tell everyone about the vision or to put it on posters
and hang them on the walls of the office or plant. Instead to make
it a part of the employee’s reality you have to repeat it
at every opportunity, using symbols, slogans, and multi-media messages.
In the early 80’s, London Life very successfully used the
slogan, “Leadership in the 80’s” to convey the
vision of a company at the forefront of its industry.
The message,
as any communicator will tell you, must be consistent in all corporate
communications. Even more importantly, the actions of the senior
leadership team must be aligned with the vision. It would be a disaster
if the vision was “We will be the low-cost producer in our
industry” and the leadership team was seen traveling first
class to Hawaii to discuss how to realize the vision. Their credibility
would be in tatters.
There are
so many channels to communicate with employees, customers, shareholders
and the public that it is only a matter of choosing the ones that
are effective for your purposes. Many companies use an Intranet
to communicate with employees. Other companies use newsletters,
town-hall meetings, education, training and even one-on-one lobbying
to get the message across that the organization is changing.
Employees
need to see “the big picture”, including what will be
different in the future and what will remain the same. Employees
also need specific information about how they can connect their
work to achieving the vision and the answer to the WIIFM question-What’s
In It For Me?
Creating
Organizational Alignment
Once the new vision and
strategy has been thoroughly communicated, it is time to align the
formal organization with it. The formal organization includes all
the systems, structures and processes necessary to effectively manage
the organization.
Key systems that need
alignment include recruitment - the process for hiring new employees
and retention of needed skills; training systems that should stress
the new competencies that support the vision and strategy - giving
the employees the skills and tools they need to succeed; performance
and reward systems that focus on the new, desired behaviours (often
legacy appraisal and reward systems are inappropriate or ineffective
in achieving the new vision and strategy).
Aligning Structures
Organizational structure
is the set of formal arrangements that define the roles, responsibilities
and relationships that synchronize everyone’s work efforts.
New visions and new strategies demand new organizational arrangements.
For example, if you want to become a team-based organization you
have to do more than just announce it, you have to re-structure
into teams and then reward and recognize team-oriented behaviours.
Along with aligning the
structure of the organization you have to fill key positions with
the right people, people with strong, ‘get it done’
attitudes and people who are supportive of the change.
Finally, it is important
to align all the organizational processes, the sets of sequenced
activities that produce a given output. These processes define how
products become produced, how services get delivered and how information
is distributed and used. You can claim to be a ‘lean’
manufacturer but the job isn’t finished until all the key
processes are aligned with that concept.
Beware of the technology
trap. Many enterprise-wide software projects have failed because
the organization assumed that the new technology would solve all
the problems on its own. New technology should support the change
initiatives but it cannot solve the problems. Employees need to
be trained and familiarized with the new technology systems in order
for them to be effective.
As the change takes hold,
plan for quick wins, celebrating the attainment of realistic short-term
objectives that move the organization forward. Only after momentum
has been achieved do you set tougher goals.
Change is a process.
Change is not as difficult as it might seem. Using a model of change
appropriate to your organization will help you focus energy and
effort on the right things, thus reducing time wasted on the wrong
things.
