Why change management shouldn’t be an afterthought

“My organisation manages change well.”

Most staff surveys include a version of this question and for good reason. Those on the receiving end of the change generally (or persistently in some organisations) disagree or rank this question low.  While we can all agree that change is constant, what impacts the likelihood of successful organisational change is how well we plan for and manage the human impact.

Too often, change management support arrives late and under-resourced. By the time a strategy, transformational scope or future system design has been signed off, risks are starting to appear, trust has been eroded, and a small team is already putting out fires.

Engaging dedicated support for the workforce side of a new strategy or transformation at the earliest stages of planning reduces friction, smooths the path for staff acceptance and protects achievement of intended benefits. It also gives leaders the space to make considered choices, rather than offering reactive explanations.

As experienced providers of strategy, transformation and culture expertise to clients reorienting to a new direction, below are three areas where we know that early change support makes a real difference.

1: Setting the right expectation

Using the word ‘change’ when speaking with staff often suggests that the end result is a binary adjustment; old way vs new way.  To set the right expectation about what’s to come, staff need to be helped to understand that most initiatives are transformations; multi-step, iterative and enduring. Setting this expectation upfront helps everyone understand the scale of the journey ahead, and how it fits into and supports a strategic mission.

This expectation is established by creating a clear transformation narrative. This defines the why, what and how of the change, and acts as a compass to guide all communication and decision-making. A transformation narrative moves people from “Why are we doing this?” to “How do we make this work?” and keeps the organisation pointed at the same destination even as plans evolve.

Taking the time to set the right expectation early also creates room to talk honestly about the effort required beyond business as usual (BAU).  During a transformation, teams often have a temporary spike in workload in the lead-up to implementation.  Planning for this and identifying the need for additional effort early reduces frustration and builds trust with staff.

With a clearly defined vision for the future and articulated purpose for transformation we use three simple questions to help understand early, and plan then for the human impact of the change ahead:

• What extra effort is needed to get ready?

• Who is involved, and where are the dependencies?

• What mindset and behaviour shifts will be required?

With those answers in hand, pace of work can be anticipated around BAU activities, communications can be scheduled for proactive updates, and the last-minute scramble that erodes goodwill can be avoided.

2: Putting leaders in the driver’s seat

It is important to establish with leaders early that leading through change requires a different focus than operational leadership. Strong leadership sponsorship of the change and visible role-modelling of constructive behaviours during times of uncertainty are often the best predictors of success.

Operational leadership is about stability, efficiency and delivering short-term results, while future goals remain largely unchanged. Leading through change asks something different. We work alongside leaders to provide support and capability uplift during period of change so they are confident in how to navigate ambiguity with their teams, communicate a compelling future state, successfully invite participation in change efforts, and keep energy high while the organisation learns new ways of working.

Early change support starts at setting the right expectation, quickly establishing the coordinated rhythms to measure organisational readiness, and supporting leaders in understanding what is required to sustain momentum and knowing how to celebrate progress without pretending the hard parts don’t exist.

3: Understanding the impact and design practical responses

Transformation benefits are realised only when stakeholders see the value of the change and are ready, willing and able to work in new ways. This starts with a practical impact assessment that brings the change to life and spells out its magnitude and nature for each stakeholder group. 

We look at each stakeholder group and, from their own perspective, assess the changes ahead across four lenses: people, process, technology, organisation. This provides a clear view of what needs to start/stop/change, specific timing requirements, and the expected level of impact for each group.

In this way, change impacts are assessed against real-life scenarios to understand the key touchpoints, organisation-wide, that will be affected before, during and after the transformation. These insights inform and guide the development of practical responses and the result is a targeted plan that supports each stakeholder group at the time, level and position they need to be ready to work in new ways.

When we work with organisations to plan for the human side of organisational change early, clearly and decisively, this is what ‘good’ looks like:

• A succinct transformation narrative that resonates, and that everyone can understand and repeat

• Dedicated change support sized to fit the work

• A clear leader communications and engagement plan that considers the needs of internal staff and external stakeholders and customers

• Practical impact planning so teams have the capacity to succeed.

Change management isn’t a set-and-forget activity. Invest early and resource properly so your organisation can embrace the change and be set up to sustain the benefits.