A couple of years back I was asked to put together a couple of slides that outlined useful tactics for change managers / mobilisers / business coaches when implementing a new process or way of working. Most “change management” is fairly formulaic and once a new business design, service or system is in place the human side is ignored. Anyway in no particular order here are some useful tactics for change managers:
- Make the business design viable in the eyes of all stakeholders
- Don’t be restricted or trapped by conventions used / adopted / subscribed to from previous projects. What happened in the past doesn’t necessarily mean that it will happen in the future
- People need to be mobilised through new experiences – People believe through what they experience, not necessarily through what they see or hear
- Give the target constituency a compelling stake in the future of the organisation – there has to be something in it for them
- See the situation for what it is and don’t read too much into it either way, i.e. if it doesn’t work accept it and adapt; if it does work, well fine, but don’t get too smug and complacent. All success is for you client’s benefit not your own self–aggrandisement
- Where possible let them design (with guidance / prodding where necessary)
- Don’t over-coach as too much coaching will be seen as interference which leads to an unnatural state of affairs
- Recognise when you are no longer relevant
- Mobilisation without measurement is pointless. MI should not be work for the client but should be a natural part of the work which helps with its enhancement
- Get up to speed with the politics as soon as is practical
- Work out who is/isn’t on your side quickly – this is not as hard as it seems and is as obvious as it was your school playground
- Don’t be too proud to admit it when part of the business design won’t fly for practical reasons
- Recognise when it is necessary to withdraw and live to fight another day
- Tell good realistic stories that are not sugar-coated but acknowledge that people have been knocked out of joint and the amount of work required to re-orient them. That way they’ll accept that you are not a bullshitter but a serious and realistic person
- Be flexible and move quickly as the design takes shape. Ideally a design should be agreed and have the maximum buy-in as is politically possible before mobilisation. Otherwise you are dead in the water before you start. Too much change in a design will confuse both the Mobiliser and the client and will lead to a potentially fatal loss of credibility
- Don’t shy away from tough conversations. You are not doing your job if you are having easy conversations all the time. ( You are most likely being taken for a ride)
- Welcome negativity and be able to recognise where it is coming from and why
- Recognise when you’re being taken for a ride, and don’t stand for it, as they’re wasting your time and your budget
- Solutions must be framed in a way that shows new and improved possibilities
- Recognise and act on breakdowns immediately – An inability to call a breakdown can have dire consequences further down the line.
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