After decades of working with our clients in change management consulting, we have learned what it takes to effect organizational change successfully. We can boil it down to three major change factors…the super heroes of how to do organizational change right.
- The effective communicator
The power of communicating not just the “what” of organizational change but also the “why” and “how” of change is critical. To buy into the need for organizational change, employees want to understand the purpose behind the change and have confidence in how to pull it off. Yes, they’ll want to know what they need to do differently. But they also need to know what the change will accomplish and how their lives will be improved. The super hero who can communicate well can build support for the change as well as the sense of urgency. - The change leader
This super hero understands the important role leadership plays in modeling successful organizational change. Leders will likely need to change their own behavior and show their enthusiasm before others will sign up and commit to the proposed transformation. They need to display confidence and a positive outlook. Change is difficult. If you show doubt or hesitation, your workforce will sense your attitude and copy it. Make sure employees are not discouraged by your attitude but are inspired by your clarity, effort and commitment. - The collaborator
Successful change has to be a cooperative effort. The third super hero is the one who knows how to bring people together and work across boundaries. Everyone should be pulling in the same direction. The collaborator can show how individual employees can address the challenges of change and conquer them better together. By involving your team in the change process early on, you include them in tackling troublesome issues and bringing solutions to the table as problems arise.
