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Some people would argue that “managing change” is an
oxymoron. Indeed, most of us spend a lot more time
running alongside change, trying to sniff out which
way the wind is going to blow, than actually trying
to control it. And that might just be the problem.
Whether or not we can actually control change, I
have always refused to accept that it is something
that can’t be at least influenced and directed. On
the contrary – because it is chaos – it can take
many different directions and affect us in many
different ways. To give it direction and make it
positive is the ultimate objective of trying to
manage change.
I will always start with two basic assumptions:
1) CHANGE IS THE ONLY REMAINING CONSTANT
2) CHANGE CAUSES ANXIETY AND UPSET
Whether your organization is traumatized by major
restructuring or the trauma comes from rapid growth,
chances are that your business model may have to
change. However, before you embark upon the journey
of reinventing your business, make sure you have
your homework done. Chances are you will need it
very soon.
The homework is to examine all policies, processes,
procedures, and assumptions about how you conduct
your business. Challenge everything! If you are
going to turn things inside out anyway, you might as
well do the job right. I am not suggesting that you
don’t keep what works and will continue to work,
however I am suggesting to be rigorous in demanding
evidence that this is the case.
The next steps are all about communication,
communication and communication. Remember the second
basic assumption: Change causes anxiety and upset. A
way to control these is to create the context for
change and communicate it every chance you get.
People need to recognize the need for change. If
they do, it helps tremendously to clear out old
expectations and get more people to actually own the
new vision and direction. I found it not to be
critical to have every goal broken down into clearly
measurable objectives in the very beginning. If your
goals are a bit vague initially, this can easily be
corrected along the way once you have some momentum
going for the new direction within your
organization.
However, here’s the catch: no matter how obvious the
need for change is or how well you communicate, the
degree of acceptance and support for the new
direction and change itself will vary greatly within
your organization. Assess the support of both your
formal and informal leaders. Informal leaders can
make great change agents, but can also become hard
to overcome obstacles. Leave them no choice but to
pick one side. I’ve always called it “the
Y-in-the-road-talk”. Let them know that you will be
reading their decision not by what they tell you,
but by what they do every day. If you feel that
people are on the fence, communicate with them every
chance you get but stop short of dragging them
along. Not only will it slow you down and create
additional complexity, it also sends all the wrong
signals to the rest of the organization.
Ray is a Principal Consultant in the McDermott &
Bull San Diego office and can be reached at
858-535-4811, or
Huggenberger@mbsearch.net. Ray recently joined
McDermott & Bull Executive Search after spending
most of his career with Sunrise Medical, a $600MM
medical products manufacturer with operations
throughout the world, and based in San Diego. His
most recent position with Sunrise was as President
and COO. |
