Leading Change >> (this isn't a stage but a catchall category for all other articles
and tools we have written on change)
Here are a number of free tips and articles that you can use to address these challenges.
But, before you read any of these, I urge you to read "Resistance to Change - Why it Matters and What You Can Do About It" We believe that understanding resistance is the most important change management skill. If you understand why people resist change, you will also understand what it takes for people to support change.
Making a Compelling Case for Change
One thing sets successful change management strategies apart from those that don't work - people believe a change is needed. In a study we conducted,we found that in 95 percent of the successful changes, those who had a stake in the outcome understood that something had to change.
Making a compelling case for change is critical to your success. Everything else rests on your ability to get this message across. If you fail here, everything else is going to be harder. You will surely face resistance to change. And that’s not pretty. The change may take longer, cost more, give you headaches, and ultimately fail. Sadly, many rush past this phase and a pay a high price.
Are you certain that most (if not all) critical stakeholders see – and feel in their guts – a compelling need to change?
Here are some resources that can help you answer that question and make a compelling case for change.
author of Wake Me When the Data is Over. "We focus on ways to build support for change through the use of stories."
Getting Started on the Right Foot
We take change without migraines™ seriously. We truly know that it is possible to lead change without all those headaches. Here are a number of articles and assessment tools that focus on change management and resistance to change. We believe these tools for managing organizational change can help you support new initiatives. We encourage you to make copies and use them in your organization.
This is a simple tool you can use to determine who needs to support you, what level of support you need, and what level of support you are likely to get. Can be eye opening. (2 pages, 9k Acrobat pdf file)
These are tips submitted by people who are out there leading change inside organizations.
Keeping Change Alive
For many people, keeping the change alive is the boring part. All the hoopla, brainstorming, and exciting new ideas are a distant memory. Now you are making sure the bugs are out of the system, the new technology works, people's questions are answered, the work is moving you toward your desired goals.
This is a critically important part of the change process and one that gets neglected in theory and in practice. Many changes just fade away at this stage. No one notices because the change has become such a back-burner low priority item. And no one can learn from mistakes because no one is paying much attention any more.
If you want to truly implement organizational change effectively and avoid the resistance to change that can occur late in the life of a major project, then you must attend to this phase. Here are some ideas that can help.
Many changes die before they ever give you any real benefit. Knowing how to keep commitment high is critical. This article gives you great ideas from people who are out there trying to get things accomplished.
These are tips submitted by people who are out there leading change inside organizations.
Getting Back on Track
Even the best plans can derail. Conditions change – changing market forces, new directives from headquarters, a change in personnel, a union election, and so on. In other words, resistance to change takes over. Managing organizational change is especially challenging during this stage.
Three critical things to know at this stage:
Be able to spot resistance early and in its many subtle forms.
And be able to determine if the potential derailment is caused
technical, financial, or human factors. These are common
sources of resistance to change. If you know these, you can
avoid many of the real headaches that come with change.
Ways to find out why things are going off track. If you judge
wrong, you can either get people madder at you or waste some valuable time.
Strategies to turn opposition and reluctance into support.
Getting back on track demands that we listen to what others have to say. Often that is very difficult. Avoiding these pitfalls could make the difference between success and failure.
Applying the six principles increases the likelihood that people will understand your idea, react favorably to it, and that you will be able to build their trust and confidence in you.
Leaders of human resources departments need to be adept at leading complex change – and often nobody seems to want these changes. This article explains what to do.
Lawyers, used car salespeople and consultants should form the NTU club – Nobody Trusts Us. This article explains why people don’t trust consultants and what we can do about it.
Acquiring sounds like a good idea, and it can be, but it can also backfire badly. As you prepare to take on another company ask yourself: Is this a good fit?
