Listen now to my podcast about how to bring real, lasting change to your organization!
Welcome to Part 3 of the work we’ve been doing on change management, change mapping and creating change management strategies. Now, you’re ready to learn the steps to take to actually bring about real change in your organization. Your task is to make the undesirable desirable, and to do this, two things have to be in place: motivation and ability. Yes, change is hard, and yes, your people will most likely fight it, but once you get going, you’ll find the process extremely exciting. The future of your business may be at stake, so I urge you not to miss this Ask Andi!
You’re trying to make the undesirable desirable
Remember, humans hate change. They’re afraid of it. And so when you try to get them to change, typically they will put up a hurdle. The first one is, “I don’t understand it,” and the second one is, “I’m not motivated to do it.” What I talk about in this Part 3 is how to overcome these hurdles.
When you start trying to change your organization, you are going to be asking people to change the story in their minds from what they believe to be true to something they are unfamiliar with. They will need to visualize the new story, the new desirable. What’s so important about this step is that the new story has to be visual, so if you don’t have your people draw pictures and tell you stories about it, it will remain abstract and nothing will change.
Invest in skill-building
If the ability isn’t there, telling someone they should jump higher won’t get you anywhere, because they won’t know what higher means, much less how to do it. So if you’re trying to build an organization that’s, for example, more innovative or more self-motivated, what are the new skills people will need in order to be more innovative?
Pay attention to the why
Why’s matter. You’ll determine your success by talking and talking and talking about why. And you’ll see that when people know why the change is necessary, they stop resisting. Explaining why, in a sense, communicates caring and esteem to people. This is not to be underestimated.
The right symbols really matter
We’re humans. We “live our symbols,” so take a look at your organization, at the rituals your people take part in to recognize accomplishments, and at how you’re going to change those rituals. The most important changes will be in the symbols. Get your company’s leaders, particularly those who can undermine the whole change effort, to become leaders in the symbolic process. If they embrace it, others will too.
Take a look at our webinar, “Managing the Process of Change”
In this instructional webinar, we demonstrate the ChangeMap™ process. Instead of fighting change and making it more painful than it needs to be, follow these strategies that will enable you and your staff to adapt to changing times.
For help in implementing change that actually works, check out these resources:
- The ChangeMap™ Process
- Driving Change: Want to Change? Have a Crisis or Create One!
- Re-Think Your Business Strategy: How Do You CHANGE?
- Re-Think Your Organization: Build A Better Corporate Culture
- Blog: 3 Tips for HR Directors to Lead Successful Culture Change
- Blog: Want To Change Your Organization? Make It Like An Exciting Play.
- Podcast: Ask Andi—Change Management Step 1
- Podcast: Ask Andi—Change Management Step 2
Wondering how to bring about lasting change that works? Let’s talk.
In today’s disruptive economy, your business needs to be able to sustain growth in changing times or you risk being left hopelessly behind. Often, the best place to start is with your culture. Is it ready to respond to the needs of the future or is it mired in the outdated ways of the past? At Simon Associates Management Consultants, we specialize in helping organizations change, grow and thrive amidst today’s fast-changing times. Please contact us. We’d like to help.
