The Bible gives us clear principles for navigating change in our churches. Sadly, while the business world has become wise to these principles – we often skip them over.
1. Filter Your Idea
I wrote an article on filtering your idea. Start with this process.
2. Define your “why?”
If you don’t know why change is necessary – it isn’t necessary. If your people don’t know better you can implement any change at any time. If you are smart – your people are just as smart or smarter than you are. They will ask “why is this necessary”. You need to have your answers to this question. You define your why by examining
- the benefits of the change to the company (financial, product, experience, systems, etc)
- the benefits of the change to the employee (culture, financially, conditions, environment, etc)
- the benefits of the change to customers
- the benefits of the change to venders
- the benefits of the change to the community
- the benefits of the change to levels of management
At the same time, ensure that you outline on paper the negative effects of this change.
3. Address the natural side.
When change comes to any organization – don’t implement a good idea too quickly. Be systematic, be strategic, plan the change. Like falling dominos all change creates flux in structure, roles, culture, personnel, systems, and more. The human reaction to these changes must be addressed systematically. Starting with the leadership team, middle management, and down into the everyday person who must live with that change but has little influence about its nature. If you try to deal with the issues reactively – one by one – you are apt to create a risk your organization could fail and your tenure as a leader reduced. It’s important to see through possible reactions and strategically prepare in your thoughts and communications why the change is a good thing.
Ensure that you work with the layers of your organization to address real concerns your people might have. Making even one percent change by listening to your people’s feedback can bring huge “buy in.”
4. Develop Ownership
Provide incentive for people to own and carry the change. If middle management promotes a change – they must get upper management to provide comprehensive feedback in order to create ownership. If upper management promotes a change they must get grass root support for the change as well.
If you skip this step, key stakeholders who might not see a need for the change will fall off the organization. Story after story of a visionary leader without group ownership ending in fiscal disaster line the pages of financial newspapers world wide. True leadership is able to patiently manoeuvre a ship without breaking oars, masts, or sails.
Here’s how
- invite feedback
- make changes based on feedback
- provide incentive for carrying the change forward
- individually address key concerns
- stop the process if there is mass concern
Work through people who own the change. Don’t do it all yourself.