By Paul Murphy, Director, Client Solutions for The Ken Blanchard Companies’ Hong Kong office.
Why has the success rate remained so low?
Successful organisational change is a challenge. It is estimated that over half of organisational change initiatives do not meet their objectives. In a survey (International Consortium for Executive Development Research) of 350 senior executives across 14 industries, 68% confirmed that their companies had experienced unanticipated problems in the change process.
Change gets derailed or fails for predictable reasons
Studies show that people who are faced with change express six predictable and sequential concerns. One of the primary reasons why many change efforts fail is that leaders do not consider change from a recipient’s perspective. In any change effort, leaders need to address concerns that people have when they are asked to change. To generate the momentum necessary for the change to be successful, plan for these six stages of concern:
The six stages of concern
1. Information concerns
What is the change? Why is it needed? What is wrong with the way things are now? At this stage, people want to learn more about the proposed change and have the chance to ask questions. Leaders need to be careful at this stage that they do not shift from telling to selling. What people will want at this stage are direct, honest answers about what the change is all about.
2. Personal concerns
How will the change impact me personally? Will I win or lose? How will I find the time? At this second stage, people wonder if they have the skills and resources to implement the proposed change. This is one of the most overlooked and under-managed stages in organisational change initiatives and it is the underlying reason why so many change initiatives fail. Leaders need to take the time to specifically address individual needs and fears near the beginning of the change process. Without this basis of trust, they will find themselves fighting a difficult battle to surface them later on in the process.
3. Implementation concerns
What do I do first? Second? Third? How do I manage all of the details? People at the Implementation Concerns Stage are focused on the details involved in implementing the change. At this point, leaders need to specifically spell out who will organise the change, how and when it will start, and what the details of the implementation will be.
4. Impact concerns
Is the effort worth it? Is the change making a difference? Are we making progress? At this stage people are interested in learning whether the change is paying off. If leaders have done a good job addressing the first three stages of concern, this is the point in the process where people will sell themselves on the benefits of the change. By successfully addressing the initial stages of concern, leaders will find that their employees are more open to the change at this point and are ready to evaluate the change on its merits.
5. Collaboration concerns
Who else should be involved? How can we work with others to get them involved in what we are doing? How do we spread the word? Now that employees have sold themselves on the benefits of the change, they are eager to spread the word and encourage others to implement the change as well. At this stage, leaders can begin to shift roles and allow others to run with the ball.
6. Refinement concerns
How can we make the change even better? At this last stage, the change is well on its way and employees are now focused on continuous improvement and related ways to innovate. The leader’s role is to encourage this refinement, support further innovation, and invite others to challenge the status quo.
One person at a time
Change will occur. It is a certainty. The issue is, how can managers and leaders cope with the barrage of changes that confront them daily as they attempt to keep their organisations adaptive and viable? They must develop strategies to listen in on the conversations in the organisation so that they can surface and resolve people’s individual concerns with change.
Change—even organisational change— happens one person at a time.
Paul Arkwright
Publisher
