Changing How You Think About Change Management

As anyone who has lived through it will tell you, implementation of a significant organizational change is difficult at best and counterproductive at worst. And this applies to positive, productive changes, too. Change is change and we, as humans, are literally hardwired to resist change.

When you think about it this way, change management may not be rocket science, but it's practically brain surgery (ok, maybe that's a bit of a stretch.) And yet, as difficult as it is for the mere mortals among us, change is one of the most fundamental realities in business today. A company without the agility to change is a company destined to stagnate or fail.

Change the way people think about change

Change management is more than getting your accounting department to go paperless - it's more than any one given change. It's about building a culture that is comfortable with change. And that's critical not only for organizations striving to be the best - it's necessary for any organization looking to stay viable.

Luckily, there is a simple mantra that holds the key to building organizational culture comfortable with change. More than just a mantra, it also happens to be the change management process for any given change initiative. Handy, I know. That's sort of the point.

"I need to want to. I know I can."

At first glance, it's quite simple and has a nice rhythm to it - you can almost hear the soft drums and methodical chanting around a blazing campfire. But it's really quite layered, complex and powerful. Look a bit deeper, break it apart, and play with it:

"You need to want to. I know you can."

"We need to want to. I know we can."

"You need to want to. We know you can."

These simple little words with interchangeable pronouns not only become an easy-to-remember, optimistic mantra, reminding people that change comes from within and encouraging them with a bit of "cando" attitude. They can actually help you remember the four key steps to successful change management:

Need. Want. Know. Can.

And while it's easy enough for a caveman to say, it takes quite a sophisticated organization to do actually do it.

Step 1: NEED

Even the most willing, optimistic, and proactive employee will not change if they don't recognize, understand, and believe in the need for change - or that they themselves need to be part of the change. Often, if a change is needed of one department, or one small group of individuals, others in the organization think, "whew, that doesn't apply to me." But an organizational culture comfortable with change understands that everyone is responsible for supporting and enabling change, even if they don't personally need to implement it. People in such a culture understand that at any given moment, they may be the next who needs to change - and they will be grateful for the support and empathy of others.

For instance, a senior executive may "need to endorse" the change and a manager may "need to enable" the change while it is the A/P accountant who may actually "need to implement" the change. Meanwhile, a seemingly unrelated sales person may simply "need to understand" that another person is going through a change, and that by showing some patience as they wait a little longer than normal to get their expense check, they are playing an important role in allowing the change to be successful.

Be clear in what you need from everyone: help them to recognize their role and share the expectations to fulfill that role. Show them how their involvement is needed for success.

Step 2: WANT

This is the tough one and where it gets personal...and as a result, where it gets overwhelming for most organizations. Because while all the other steps can work on a cognitive, rational level, this one MUST occur on an emotional level. It should come as no surprise then, that this is the step most often overlooked. But while it is the most difficult, it is also the most lucrative: instill in people the raw and authentic desire to make, support, and endorse a change, and your change is on the fast track to success.

How? Allow people to become part of the process. Establish the end goal as well as any key parameters and then empower the people most directly impacted by the change to dictate the path forward. When someone is part of developing the solution, they have a vested interest in its success.

Yes, ultimately I am telling you to relinquish control. (Like I said, this step is the tough one.) I'm not saying let your call center staff determine the strategic end goal of your entire organization. But find a way to give them a say in something, so that they can take ownership in the process and are invested in the outcome. Look at it this way: in order for your organization to build a culture comfortable with change, you need the help of your people - all of them. Find ways to compromise. Show empathy. Show that YOU are willing to change and build trust in the process.

The first two steps are the hardest. That's because they are most dependent on an individual's shift in thinking, and to a large extent, are out of the control of an organization. You can provide all the data, incentives and research to back up why you're making any given change, but you can't physically force someone to WANT something they quite simply don't want. (You know how you can lead a horse to water...?)

Once you've gotten people through steps 1 and 2, the last two steps are really quite easy because, in large part, the control lies with the organization. (Note, I did not say cheap. Steps 3 and 4 - as with the entire change management process - require significant planning and resources, i.e. time and/or money.) Remember, you need your people to be able to change in order to be successful. You owe it to them to thank them by providing them the tools they need to be successful. It's reciprocity built on trust, and the reward is a culture comfortable with change.

In short: skip "I need to want to" and the mantra ends in "no can do."

Step 3: KNOW

This is the most obvious step, and the one many organizations jump straight to. Done out of sequence, though, it's as good as useless. But, we're going to assume you're a change ninja who has successfully led your organizations through the difficult, intimidating gauntlet of steps 1 and 2, with an army of employees who understand the need to change and are ready to change because they WANT to.

Maintain that momentum and reward them by providing the resources they need to be successful. I'm not talking about raises, cash bonuses, or candy (though candy never hurts). Provide people with the tools and resources they need to learn how to implement the change. Those obvious things: training, books, technical support, manuals, FAQ's, town hall meetings, intranet site, etc.

But don't fall into the trap of mislabeling "training" as "change management." Sending your staff to training for a day isn't enough (sorry). Remember, your employees are people, and they need the time and space to learn - without fear of making mistakes - after training. Without it, when push comes to shove, they will revert back to the way they know.

We all know training, tech support, meetings, etc are expensive. But if you don't provide people the time and space to apply the training, it's money wasted. Give them the courtesy of dedicated, focused time to learn how to apply the new process or use the new tool, and it's money well invested. They'll appreciate it, and better yet, they just might glide right into...

...Step 4: CAN

Provide people with recognition and appreciation for actively engaging, supporting and working to implement the change. After all, they've just gone through neurological discomfort and had to work that much harder to make your organization's change possible.

Celebrate when people are successful; invite (and listen to) suggestions on how to improve or make the change easier or more effective; sympathize and reflect on the parts that are difficult. Find every opportunity to recognize, encourage, and thank people for going through the discomfort of change. Replace the negative connotation of change with the positive energy of achievement and instill in your people the positive belief that change can happen and that they can change.

Understand this: Nothing is going to change

Today, more than ever before, the rules governing business keep changing. The players keep changing, coaches and referees - even the prize - keep changing. That's reality and, I'm afraid, the ONE thing that isn't going to change.

Organizational change typically represents a significant investment of resources, with varying degrees of risk. This can be daunting and overwhelming but four simple steps can help you navigate these changes. You'll be amazed at their scalability and versatility and how quickly "I need to want to" turns into simply "I want to" and how easily "I know I can" becomes just "I can." When this happens, you'll not only have successfully achieved your single change initiative, you'll have built culture comfortable with change - ready for the next, whatever it may be.

YOU need to want to

For various reasons, neurological and otherwise, change management bears the heavy weight and long history of negative connotation. But there is another side to change management: a side of optimism and empowerment that builds engagement among employees and brings value to the organization. One where companies recognize the human response to change and care enough to give their people the time, tools and resources to help them through it and where employees recognize and appreciate this generosity enough to be willing to change. The result: the ability to implement any change successfully, build trust across your organization and build a culture that is comfortable with change. In today's volatile, unpredictable and ever-changing business environment, you can't argue with the value in that.