When people think about motivating employees, they’re usually thinking about ways to reward them. What carrots can be offered to get employees to work harder, what can we dangle in front of them to incent them to take the actions we desire? There are whole books written on ways to reward our employees, and multi-million dollar consulting engagements built on those books.
They include issues big and small, like money, pay-for-performance plans, flexible shifts, thank-you notes, gift cards, extra days off, promotions, educational opportunities, public recognition or a private pat-on-the-back. But while rewarding employees is important, it misses a hugely important point. If someone is hitting your foot with a hammer, you can’t stop the pain with a backrub.
In my experience of practical strategies for managing change, I have identified 8 key areas that need to be considered and addressed in order to maximise your chances of success with a change initiative.
(1) Drivers
Assessing the case for change: Kurt Lewin’s force field analysis work provides useful background and a practical tool for assessing the case for change - a necessary first step and an integral aspect of your strategies for managing change.
These days the theme of organisational life is change. Your teams are constantly subject to alterations and shifting priorities in working methods, market forces, staffing structures, etc. Of course, you too are subject to all of this.
However, as the manager or executive, your role is to think positive and find a way through change; for both you and your people. If, as is often said these days, your people are you biggest asset then it makes sense to have their interests at the heart of any major change programme.
Are you looking for quick-fix solutions to change management? Do you want to wire your employees positively for change? As a facilitator I have a reasonably varied insight to the ways managers try to create change.
Evidence abounds of the conventional approach which attempts to create fast change driven by the market or stakeholder demands, but there is a more recent emerging trend to drive change deeply into the core beliefs of employees.
Change is constant that much we know. It’s the speed of it that makes effective change critical and planning for what may happen next imperative. Just look at the effect social networking tools like Twitter and Facebook are having; anyone anywhere can make their opinion available to everyone on anything at anytime effecting change instantaneously. Phenomenal!
So how best to manage and lead effective change within business? First consider the following:
Leadership Success - 7 Realities of Making Change
Business Management, Change management, Human Resources, Management No Comments »The need for change, transformation, new ways of working and innovation to name just a few is never off the agenda. Yet the realities between the desire and the delivery of change are somewhat different. So what realities do you need to face up to when making change?
Reality 1: Most folks don’t like change
A View on Motivation, Change, Leadership and Training in a Downturn Economy
Change management, Performance Management No Comments »I was watching the BBC news last night on TV and whilst watching clips of President Obama defending his health plans I came across a rather disturbing headline that stated that the unemployment rate in the UK is at present the highest since 1995. This should not really surprise anyone. We have seen corporations collapse, fluctuating currencies, worrying reports of new world orders and riots in cities.
Whilst the downturn has brought on much suffering and changes globally the headline itself brought to mind some of the management theories I had learned whilst on my MBA course a few years back.
This is a rather worrying statistic. The word statistic tends to remove the human emotion from the equation. I believe it was Stalin who once said that the death of a single person is a tragedy; more than that is just a statistic. The statistic here is you, me and my neighbor next door.
Leadership Challenges - Tackling Organizational Change
Business Management, Change management No Comments »No business can survive the long term without change. Human nature, however, is resistant to change. The ultimate test of a good leader may well be the ability to guide change. Whether you’re a CEO dealing with corporate financial issues or a senior manager with new innovative ideas, implementing change isn’t an easy task.
But John P. Kotter, retired Harvard Business School Professor and author of Harvard Business Review article “Leading Change: Why Transformation Efforts Fail,” points out that taking the right actions during this time is essential. Creating urgency, recruiting a coalition and avoiding organizational pitfalls can be the difference between either the failure or success of an organization.
How to Lead Change - A 10 Step Checklist
Business Management, Change management, Management No Comments »One of the key skills of effective leaders is the ability to create and lead change. When change is completed effectively the organization adapts and learns, and achieves its goals. However all too often change efforts fail as they are met with resistance and fear.
Change can be as minor as relocation to a different office or as major as rapid growth or downsizing. This checklist details the steps to take to prepare for and lead effective change.
Just like people, organizations have a tendency to become complacent and lethargic. Once in a while it’s important to re-energize your staff by initiating change. Now, you’re probably thinking: “Everything is already changing so fast!” The problem is, most of these changes come from “outside” not “inside.” External mandates don’t carry the same weight. They’re done because they have to be done; they’re reactive, not proactive. And, your staff knows it.
Reaction to Change
The first human reaction to change is generally RESISTANCE. People prefer the status quo; it gives them a sense of comfort, security, and predictability. Change is difficult, it requires effort, leaning, adjusting and a whole lot of unpleasant activities.
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