Success Factors for Lasting Change

It takes time and a surprising amount of effort to shift an organization to a new way of operating. Yet, organizations change constantly in order to implement new processes, adopt new technologies, shift strategic direction, shut down product lines, introduce new services, or increase performance.

Change can be painful and, unfortunately, many fall short of expectations. According to a recent McKinsey study, only 38% of responding organizations believed their transformation was completely or mostly successful at improving the company's performance.

The good news is that a planned, focused, disciplined approach to organization change can greatly enhance the likelihood of success. This approach takes more up-front time and energy. Yet, it is considerably more cost-effective than cleaning up the aftermath of a failed change effort.

This article explains the success factors for organization change efforts. If an organization puts these factors in place, it greatly increases the likelihood of success.

The Success Factors

Active, committed leadership. People look to their leaders when making change. They can be very sensitive to leaders' unspoken and understated messages. For example, if a leader simply shows up for a meeting and doesn't seem committed, the people will know it and place the change effort lower on their priority list. If people are asked to change without seeing their leader firmly on board, they'll drag their heels. In change efforts, leaders must fulfill their leadership role by being accessible, available, active, and articulate about change.

How active and committed to the change is the leadership in your organization?

A clear, compelling, business case for change. People are most likely to change when they understand what is at stake for the organization. Leadership and the change implementation team must be able to clearly and consistently communicate the business case for change and the vision - and the consequences of not changing. Then the implementation team must help employees understand what they can do individually to achieve the vision.

How well has your organization created its case for change?

Embedded change, not programmatic change. Change works best when it is embedded into an organization and part of individuals' daily work, rather than a program that employees hear about sporadically. While marketing can be helpful in change processes, wholly marketed change efforts are greeted by employees with skepticism. After all, in an age of constant advertising, it's important to be critical in order to cut through the hype. Today's media savvy employees are much more likely to follow a change that is embedded into their work than one that is over-sold.

One of the most helpful ways to embed change into the fabric of the organization is to create goals that are specifically linked to the success of the change effort. These goals help personalize the change and make it clear to each individual how she or he contributes to helping the organization evolve. Ideally, the goals begin at the highest levels and link to organizational strategy. Then, they cascade down through every department to every individual so all employees can see how they help the organization achieve its strategies.

How well has your organization embedded change into its operations?

Employee participation. People enjoy being part of changes that they create. Change works best when people are engaged in planning and implementation. Using a participative process mines the inherent talent and creativity of the workforce to meet challenges and solve problems. Organizations can do this is by:

• Appointing influencers to a Change Implementation Team, simultaneously giving them stretch goals for development and key roles in shaping the change
• Creating a Change Advisory Group consisting of influencers throughout the organization who give feedback periodically on the change effort
• Institutionalizing Change Surveys that measure perceptions of the change over time
• Conducting periodic Pulse Groups in which small, cross-functional groups come together to openly discuss successes and challenges associated with the change

How well has your organization engaged people in the change effort?

Preparing for Your Change

Review the check boxes for each of the four success factors. "No" answers signal that more work is needed to prepare the organization for this change effort. If you have checked off a number of "no" responses, it's time to revisit your process for implementing the change. Take the time now to take the actions that will help the organization change successfully.

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About the author: Maya Townsend, founder and principal consultant of Partnering Resources builds aligned, focused, learning organizations that execute their goals more effectively. For more information, please visit: www.partneringresources.com.

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