TO 10 LESSONS FROM CULTURE CHANGE

Too many organisations go about the wrong way in creating corporate culture change. That probably explained why many of the corporate culture change initiatives failed or that that they cannot be sustained. And it is not too surprising that many leaders and managers doubt whether it is possible to change corporate culture in the first place. Corporate cultures are created by humans.

Those rules whether overt or covert in terms beliefs, thinking, feeling and behaviour are man-made and can be changed. While there are many aspects and lessons that one can learn from corporate culture change work I believe there are ten powerful lessons that I believe will help change agents get on the right footing.

Lesson 1: Effective corporate culture change must begin with changing mindsets. No change can be implemented without first a change in mindset. Changing mindsets is about eliminating unproductive habits or work practices that do not add value to the individual or the organisation. It is about inculcating a positive attitude towards oneself, work, people, the management and the organisation as a whole.

Lesson 2: Successful organisations have corporate culture aligned to their visions, mission, strategies, goals and their environment. It is generally agreed that the purpose of corporate culture is to develop an internal environment that is conducive for people to perform effectively.

Lesson 3: To achieve credibility and win commitment of people, policies, procedures and practices must be consistent with the new culture. Consistency is an important factor in gaining credibility of any change program.

Lesson 4: To get a buy in of corporate culture change requires a strong rationale. It is true that most culture change takes a lot of effort and time to overcome resistance. An effective way to overcome resistance is provide a strong, compelling and sound rationale for the culture change.

Lesson 5: To ensure company wide culture assimilation, culture change programmes should utilise various culture transmission mechanisms available. To succeed in culture change, there must be prevalent practices of behaviour that reflect the new culture.

Lesson 6: To achieve deep and sustainable culture change, requires participative approach. Culture change is by nature a deep and fundamental change. Such a change requires not just opening up minds but also touching hearts.

Lesson 7: The commitment of top management is essential for the success of culture change. The success of culture change requires company-wide acceptance. To have company-wide practice of new corporate culture requires the commitment of top management.

Lesson 8: To speed up culture change leverage on "opinion leaders" Every resource is needed to help speed up the culture change process. A good way to tap into the organisation resource is seek out "opinion leaders" to assist in promoting the new culture. Opinion leaders can be formal or informal leaders whose opinion matters to others.

Lesson 9: Create a powerful dream of the new culture. Every great achievement starts with a powerful dream. There is a compelling force of change in creating a powerful dream. And great changes come from powerful dreams. It should come across as exciting, inspiring and worthwhile for everybody in the organisation.

Lesson 10: Recognise and reinforce change success early and frequently. A culture change is on ongoing process and may take a long time to see tangible results. Too often leaders wait too long before they start to recognise, reward or reinforce the motivation of people in the process of implementing culture change.

TOP 10 CHANGE BENEFITS

Top 10 benefits of Change Management for an organisation:

Change is a planned and managed process. The benefits of the change are known before implementation and serve as motivators and assessment of progress.

1.    The organization can respond faster to customer demand.

2.    Helps to align existing resources within the organization.

3.    Change management allows the organization to assess the overall impact of a change.

4.    Change can be implemented without negatively affecting the day to day running of business.

5.    Organizational effectiveness and efficiency is maintained or even improved by acknowledging the concerns of staff.

6.    The time needed to implement change is reduced.

7.    The possibility of unsuccessful change is reduced.

8.    Employee performance increases when staff feel supported and understand the change process.

9.    Increased customer service and effective service to clients from confident and knowledgeable employee.

10. Provides a way to anticipate challenges and respond to these efficient.

Top 10 benefits of Change Management for individuals/staff:

Effective change management supports a smooth transition from the old to the new while maintaining morale, productivity, and even company image.

1.    Provides management and staff support for concerns regarding changes.

2.    An efficient change management process creates the correct perception of the change for staff and public.

3.    Helps to plan efficient communication strategies.

4.    Minimizes resistance to change.

5.    Improves morale, productivity and quality of work.

6.    Improves cooperation, collaboration and communication.

7.    A carefully planned approach to change reduces stress and anxiety and encourages people to stay loyal to the organization.

8.    Increased employee acceptance of the change.

9.    Personal loss/gain to individuals is acknowledged and addressed.

10. Change management reduces disruptive aspects and emphasises positive opportunities in the change process

RON'S 7 GEARS OF CHANGE

Neutral – start of change initiative.

… into 1^st gear – Stakeholder Management & Communication:

·         Undertake Stakeholder Analysis.

·         Gain Sponsorship.

·         Develop Communication Plan.

·         Implement Communication and Stakeholder Plans.

… into 2^nd gear – Process Change:

·         Build Process Hierarchy.

·         Define the As Is.

·         Design the To Be.

·         Undertake Impact Analysis.

… into 3^rd gear – Organisational Change:

·         Undertake Role Description & Mapping.

·         Undertake Job Impact Assessment.

·         Develop Job Description & Design.

·         Build Organisation Design.

… into 4^th gear – Training & Education:

·         Develop Training Plan.

·         Identify Training Logistics.

·         Prepare Training Documentation.

·         Deliver Training.

… into 5^th gear – Business Benefits:

·         Identify High-level Benefits.

·         Develop Detailed-level Benefits.

·         Implement Measurement & Tracking.

·         Realise Benefits.

… into Overdrive – Continuous Improvement:

·         Plan the Improvement.

·         Implement the Improvement.

·         Evaluate the Activity.

·         Decide on Next Steps.

6 WAYS OF MANAGING CHANGE

There are many ways of managing change and the following are 6 of the better known strategies together with some Positive and Negative factors associated with them. It is possible that not one strategy, but a combination of these strategies will be more effective in an organisation.

1.    DIRECTIVE

Management takes full and direct responsibility, imposing change through formal management channels to a pre-determined plan.

Positive Factors - Fast and appropriate in crisis situations. If the crisis is perceived by all, employees may accept a ‘rough and tough’ change strategy (particularly if management is highly regarded and provides active leadership. The strategy is useful in situations where the change is not in the interests of those affected.

Negative Factors - The initial plan may be flawed because of the absence of input from subordinates who may hold key facts. The strategy is likely to generate resistance and sabotage, because of the lack of input and involvement.

2.    EXPERT LED

Used where change is the result of a technical problem needing expertise to develop the solution. Management usually takes strong lead. Participation by those affected is minimal.

Positive Factors – This strategy can provide fast change if it is tackled by a small ‘expert’ team which has decision-taking authority. If the employees see the change as a legitimate response to a technical problem, there may be little resistance.

Negative Factors – The chosen experts may not be seen as people who fully understand the issue or local situation. Resistance may be strong if the expert team does not include those skilled in winning commitment.

3.    NEGOTIATED

Change is the result of a process of give-and-take. This strategy is usually adopted when those affected have some rights involved in the change, or have the power to resist e.g. changes in working practices, which need to be negotiated.

Positive Factors – Those affected are less likely to resist if the negotiation process is seen to be fair. The change may well become permanent.

Negative Factors – The negotiation process may be slow. The outcome, in terms of concessions won, or in dilution of the desired change, may be different from that envisaged by management.

4.    COACHING

Based on the concept that behaviour is dictated by values and beliefs, this approach is designed to change the business culture of the employees through education, training and persuasion.

Positive Factors – This strategy results in a positive commitment to change. The particular problem may be solved in a better way because more opinions and expertise are bought to bear. The approach may prepare the way for future changes.

Negative Factors - The process is slow. It is costly in terms of time. It probably requires the engagement of external consultants/tutors to lead the educational process.

5.    PARTICIPATIVE

This approach involves the maximum number of people and is based on the assumption that, without participation, commitment cannot be achieved. The approach is effective when management is seeking to create a permanent, wholesale, shift in the organisation’s culture and ability to change rapidly in the future.

Positive Factors – A broad cross-section of staff formed into change teams. They are educated in the processes of change and encouraged to conduct the internal and external environmental analyses, which will lead to the individual change projects.

Negative Factors – This process takes the longest to achieve results and is the most complex in terms of management. It requires a wide range of skills.

4 KEY CHANGE LESSONS

1.    Lesson Number One:

Communicate the “what,” the “why,” and the “how does it affect me?”

As a manager leading change of any kind, “due diligence” means that you personally understand and can communicate the answers to the what, why and how questions.

2.    Lesson Number Two:

Engage, from the beginning, everyone who will be affected by the change.

Let people know what is happening from the beginning. Invite their thoughts, ideas, concerns and questions. The more involved they are the less resistance they will feel and more likely they will be to adapt to the changes. Two benefits of engaging the very people impacted by a change are 1) a better plan often emerges from including different perspectives, and 2) being asked and listened to is a powerful demonstration of respect and that is what pays dividends.

3.    Lesson Number Three:

Emphasise what will remain the same.

It's amazing how often we focus exclusively on what will be new or different, forgetting to address what will be the same. Few changes are so sweeping that nothing remains the same. People derive comfort and a sense of stability from what is familiar.
Remember to balance the message of change with a message of stability. It is more accurate and it alleviates so much unnecessary and unproductive stress.

4.    Lesson Number Four:

Keep your finger on the pulse and course-correct.

We lead change by staying close to it. The old adage about “managing by walking around” applies. It is not enough to communicate, engage, listen and act. You need to observe the impact of the changes you implement and be ready to adjust, refine, or retract. You also need to be able to say, “I made a mistake,” and mean it.

TOP 10 CHANGE AGENT ATTRIBUTES

1.    A clear mind that is not cluttered with unresolved issues, unexamined motives or pre-conceived ideas

2.    Eyes that can see beyond today

3.    Ears that can listen to other points of view

4.    A nose that can sense opportunities and timing

5.    A mouth that can speak out with honesty and respect

6.    A heart that can feel others’ pain and respond to it

7.    A fire in the belly that provides passion and responsibility and makes you want to get up in the morning

8.    Skilful hands that can do work as well as strategy

9.    Light feet that can move swiftly when the timing is right

10. The soul of a warrior with a deep sense of honour, perseverance and along with a willingness to act decisively