When managing change put people before process!

I have spent over 30 years working with organisations undergoing change and I have concluded there is no perfect formula for success. Failure rates for change efforts continue to be high and while businesses invest increasing resources and energy into managing change, the expected outcomes can still be elusive.

Change is disruptive. By its very nature change is about shifting from the status quo to something new or different. For many people change can be stressful e.g. a proposed “restructure” can immediately raise uncertainty about jobs, or a new “system” can be seen as a threat if it requires more training. Every change that is introduced into an organisation is likely to cause some form of resistance. As Isaac Newton observed: “For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction”. Effective leaders understand the emotional responses to change and address these early.

Change is about people. So rather than talk about managing change perhaps we should talk about helping people manage with change. It is a different concept. Human beings are inherently adaptable so we need to take that ability and work with it to make change happen. For example, rather than tell people about the ‘big plan’ for change, discuss with them why change is necessary and how it can be achieved. As Peter Senge said “People don’t resist change, they resist being changed”.

Change needs leadership. There is a tendency to treat change like a project, to be delegated and outsourced.  But such approaches can be mechanical and lack creativity or the “human” touch.  Astute leaders understand that for people to adopt change they need to be engaged with purpose and direction. Project checklists can turn people off. People want their leaders to walk the talk and create the pathway for them to follow. They need to feel empowered so they can make the change themselves. Only then does change become the outcome rather than just the process.

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