The importance of managing the people side of change

Introduction

Change occurs when people’s minds, hearts and actions are set to purpose. The cornerstone of creating improvement is individuals understanding the need for change, being inspired to engage and participate and having the knowledge on how to change and the ability to implement it. That is why change management places the necessary focus on where change actually occurs – at the  individual employee level. In this whitepaper we will discuss the seven greatest contributors to
successfully managing the people side of change.

7 greatest contributors to successfully managing the people side of change

When introducing change, we need to carefully manage the people-side factors that directly contribute to successfully meeting objectives and staying on budget. These factors are speed of adoption (how quickly employees get on board), ultimate utilisation (how many employees get on board vs. how many opt out or find workarounds) and proficiency (how effective employees are once they make the transition). Building on recent research by Prosci1 we will now discusses the seven
most important change management focus points to increase the speed of adoption and to create a higher level of utilisation and proficiency.

1. Active and visible executive sponsorship

Employees look to senior leaders for messages (both spoken and unspoken) about the project’s importance and the organisation’s commitment to the change. They want to hear the big-picture impact messages from the CEO or business executive. That is why it is important that executive sponsors communicate directly with employees about the reasons for change. They should not only announce the change and then walk away, but also participate actively and visibly throughout the
change process. They have to demonstrate support for the change project in words and actions, build a powerful guiding coalition and manage resistance.

2. Structured change management approach

A structured change management approach is advisable to avoid shortcutting the change process. In our business transformation trajectories we use the “ADKAR” methodology of Prosci. ADKAR, see picture below, stands for Awareness, Desire, Knowledge, Ability and Reinforcement.

The first step to enable change is to create awareness of the need for change. Desire is the second step and represents the motivation and choice to support and participate in a change. Knowledge is the third step and represents how to implement change and includes understanding of how to change. The presence of knowledge is often insufficient by itself and therefore ability is the fourth step in which the capability to implement the change is demonstrated. Reinforcement is the final step and prevents individuals from slipping back into old behaviours. It also stimulates continuous improvement and adaptability.

3. Engagement and integration with project management

In managing change we tend to focus more on the ‘technical’ side (designing, developing and delivering change solutions) than the ‘people’ side (embracing, adopting and utilising change solutions) of change. In doing so, we seem to underestimate that both elements complement each other and should go hand in hand to increase the probability of success. Change management is most effective when it is launched at the beginning of a project and integrated into the project activities. See our whitepaper ‘leading business transformation’ for more information on how to integrate your change management activities with project management.

4. Employee engagement, participation and resistance management

People go through an emotion curve with alternating positive and negative emotions or reactions. They show varied behaviour in each phase of the change. People need to say goodbye to the old situation and become comfortable with the new situation. Your success rate will largely increase when individuals are given guidance throughout this curve. You have to realise that individuals are at different points of the emotion curve at a certain moment of your change initiatives. So it is advisable to adjust your management style and communication accordingly.

Managing resistance often is seen as difficult to deal with, because it can be tough and confronting. Resistance can also be seen as a sign of commitment and passion. You should embrace resistance, because it provides an opportunity to start a dialogue and to identify the obstacles that prevent change from happening. You can also minimise resistance by actively involving employees in the change process. Participation creates passion and commitment to change.

5. Frequent and open communication about the change and the need for change

A good communication plan, covering all stakeholders and timing of messages, is needed to support the change process. When communicating the why and impact of change, you can use multiple communication channels such as e-mails, newsletters, presentations and face-to-face communication. Face-to-face communication is preferable to other forms of communication, especially when the change is large and impactful. Research shows that it is good to share information early and often and to involve employees in the change process.

6. Engagement with and support from middle management

Accountability for managing the people side of change should rest not only rest with executive sponsors but also with middle managers. Middle managers can often make or break successful change. They can be the most difficult to convince of the need for change and can be a ‘layer of loam’ instead of a fertile ground for change. That’s why it is vital for the change management team to get executives and middle managers on board early on in the change process. As shown in the picture below, executives and middle managers are able to positively influence the “ADKAR scores” when they fulfil their change management roles. For example, when they effectively communicate they will positively influence the awareness of the need for change. The role of the change management team is to engage with and support executives and middle managers in effectively leading change initiatives.

7. Dedicated change management resources and funding

Projects with dedicated change management resources and funding are more likely to finish on schedule and to be completed on budget. It is therefore wise to invest in appropriate funding and resources for executing change management plans. External change agents/specialists can lead, train and support executives, middle managers and internal change teams in the tools and techniques to manage the people side of change.

Risks of not effectively managing the people side of change

When we don’t manage the people side of change effectively, we can expect lower productivity, active and passive resistance, negative word of mouth, loss of valued employees and lower utilisation or incorrect usage of new processes, systems and tools. People will find workarounds and ultimately revert to the old way of doing things. To prevent this from happening you should carefully take the people-side factors into account.

Checklist for effective change management

If you can answer yes to the questions below, you are well on your way to effectively managing the people side of change.

1. Do you have executive sponsors that actively and visibly participate throughout the change
   process?
2. Do you use a structured approach, like ADKAR, for managing the people side of change?
3. Have you integrated your change management initiatives in your project management
   plans?
4. Do you focus on guiding individuals through their emotional change process (change curve)?
5. Do you frequently communicate about the change and the need for change?
6. Are middle managers actively involved in the change initiatives and do they have a leading
   role?
7. Do you have dedicated change management resources and funding to support executives,
   middle managers and internal change teams in effectively leading change initiatives?

Please feel free to contact us for more information. We would gladly like to discuss the effectiveness of your change management plans in a free, no-obligation appointment where and when it suits you. All our consultants are certified Prosci® Change Practitioner and use the ADKAR methodology and tools in their projects. We also provide training in the Prosci change management methodology. For this we have teamed up with The Process Specialists and set up a training company called The People Side of Change (http://www.tpsoc.nl). The People Side of Change helps organisations increase their internal change capacity.