Some wise man once said, “The only constant in life is change.” and this is such a profound understanding of how one can not avoid change in life. So with this understanding, what should you do? Another wise woman once said, “Change before the change run over you!” There you go… but easy said than done. In reality, all of us somewhat will feel uncomfortable with change even if we embrace it, because change requires conscious effort and often “break” the pattern we have already established thus introduce uncertainty.
Throughout my life and my career, I have gone through many changes myself and have witnessed many changes the organization undertakes, many of which can be more effective (or less uncomfortable) if we ought to manage them more proactively (or say lead the change). But what does that mean? IMHO, there are three key steps involved that are absolutely crucial for a successful change.
Step 1: Establish a clear vision
The best change that is initiated is for a good cause, i.e. fixing an existing problem, create a better future. Either way, it is absolutely crucial to have all people involved in/impact by the change (or refer to as stakeholders) to have a clear understanding of why the change. Thus a compelling and clear vision is needed. When people see the value the change is going to bring to them, the better that future picture is, the more committed they are to the change.
Start by identify the key stakeholders and engage them into the discussion of change as early as possible, you can also use this opportunity to gather some information by asking the following questions, in order to craft a sharper change story:
| Area | Question |
| Background | How did we get here? |
| Current State | Where are we now? What’s working well and why? What’s not working and why? |
| Risk of Doing Nothing | How will people/business suffer/miss out if it continues the current state? |
| Future State | What will it look like if we successfully make the change? |
| Benefits | How will the change benefit people/business? (Tuning the WIIFM) |
| Success Measures | How will we know if the change has been successful, in 3 months, a year and 3 years? |
| Obstacles | What are the major challenges of implementing the change? |
| Urgency | Why now? |
Step 2: Communicate effectively
For people to understand the vision of the change, investing time and energy in communication is absolutely worthwhile. A few tips:
- Identify target audience groups
- Leverage various formats and channels
- Provide means and venue for feedbacks
- Be transparent and provide regular updates
- Repeat, repeat and repeat
After all, another wise man used to say, “The single biggest problem with communication is the illusion that it has taken place.” so do not hesitate to repeat!
Step 3: Implement and monitor relentlessly
When it comes to implementing the change, there is no magic wand, it is all hard work. Things to take into consideration seem to be obvious but make sure follow it through…
- Assemble change management team
- Provide training and support
- Establish measures of progress and success
- Monitor the progress
- Celebrate the success along the way
- Conduct regular retrospectives, summarize best practices and lesson learnt and feedback into the change process
Sometimes you might need some “change advocates” who embrace the change and have gone through the change and get the best out of it. They are potentially powerful ways to rally the rest of the troops to come along. For example, for deploying a new software system, we sometime have someone we call “power user”, whom get very proficient in the new system, love it and can serve as the “go-to” person for the rest of the team for consultancy. Check in regularly, make sure the feedbacks are gathered along the way and incorporated timely.
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