How to implement change in your organization: the key: communicate, communicate, communicate.

Implementing organizational change is a difficult and critical task. It has always been that way and is getting more so with the accelerated rate of change in most organizations. Whether the change is being forced by external issues (such as wartime scenarios or base realignments and closures) or being brought about internally by leadership decisions (such as implementing new financial systems or consolidating financial services), most people seem to resist change even if they agree it is needed. If, however, one gets below the surface, people may not be resisting change but, rather, the process or transition that change requires.

Change and Transition

Change and transition are not the same. Change is the event and transition is the process of getting there. People often avoid transitioning from what is known to what is unknown--from how things are to how they will be, from saying good-bye to the old way of doing things and saying hello to the new. Successful change implementers (such as leaders, managers, and change agents) focus on the human side of change--the process of transition that groups and individuals must go through for change to take effect. Thus, any model for leading or managing change should focus on the transition process.

Change Implementation Model

The Change Implementation Model consists of seven steps to help implementers address the key transition issues. The steps focus on people, leadership, trust, vision, enablement, celebration, and institutionalization. Although listed linearly, the steps may occur concurrently. Effective communication is the mortar. There must be open, honest communication within each step of the process, and communication must connect the steps to each another. Nothing can damage an effort toward change faster or more permanently than poor communication.

Some years ago, I saw how a failure to communicate the necessity and the advantages of contracting out many functions at an Air Force base led to hostile reaction by those whose jobs were threatened, by their friends and associates (which included much of the base population), and by the local civilian community. The effort was rescued when strong, credible leadership intervened to inform people and get communication back on track. If honest and open communication is missing, rumor mills run rampant. Truth, however, is almost always better than rumor.

Here, then, are the seven steps for effective transition.

Assess and Address Human Concerns

Most organizations claim to put people first because people are their greatest asset. Yet many organizations fail to live up to this claim when employee concern is greatest. Change implementers should invest time and effort to understand human concerns, put themselves in the place of those affected, and then practice the Golden Rule of treating others the way they would like to be treated. Remember, change threatens people, fosters uncertainty about the future, and engenders fears about a job loss or the ability to do things a new way. That's why effective communication is so important. People fear the unknown. Bad news is usually better than no news; but even better is management's assurance that although things will change, workers will receive every consideration, including the necessary training and time to learn to do things the new way.

Demonstrate Strong Leadership Throughout the Organization

Without strong leadership, positive change won't happen. Recently, Troy University made a dramatic change that involved much more than a name change from Troy State University. The result was a combination of four major campuses, an e-campus, and dozens of worldwide sites to implement shared policies and procedures, remove barriers to academic transfer, and promote a worldwide brand identity for "students who wish to excel in a globally competitive world."

This change certainly would not have happened without strong leadership from the chancellor and his leadership team; but, quite frankly, the change was smooth and effective because hundreds of people demonstrated strong leadership. They were committed to the change and worked hard to make it happen. No longer can organizational leadership be the domain of a few--every responsible employee must do what it takes to reach organizational goals. This is especially true when change must occur. Many must step up and assume leadership. Spreading leadership and decision-making responsibilities inspires and motivates everyone to take a role in implementing change.

Build Trust in the Leadership

Trust is simply the belief that you won't be harmed when vulnerable. Obviously, the level of mutual trust between labor and management or between supervisors and subordinates affects the health of an organization. But trust of leaders by subordinates is doubly important in times of change because workers feel especially vulnerable. Jobs, self-esteem, community standing, and economic stability may be in the balance. Some people dread relocation and face the decision of whether to stay with an agency, especially those who may have left the uniformed services for what they thought would be location stability. Even retirement-eligible employees want to depart on their terms rather than being forced to do so, and those who have been told they will keep their jobs are often unsure and may be afraid that even if they have a job, it will change so much that they won't be able to perform in a competent manner.

Change implementers must display absolute integrity, reliability, openness, and fairness--always behaving in ethically and socially responsible ways. Likewise, they must communicate that they care about both the people and the organization. These characteristics are foundational to trust; leaders must adhere to them.

Should trust be lost, it is not easily regained. If trust is lost or damaged during the process of implementing change, quick admission of fault is essential, for denial impedes repair. Failure to address the problem will not make it disappear; matters will just worsen. Open communication and an honest desire to understand why trust was lost offer the only hope for its reestablishment. And trust in change implementers is essential for change to occur.

Clearly Articulate the Vision to All

Although this statement is axiomatic, many organizations struggle in implementing change because people fail to grasp the vision and understand its implications. Change expert William Bridges outlines four steps necessary to launch change--steps that leadership should think through carefully before attempting to share the vision.

Purpose. If you want to implement change, you must explain the reason or basic purpose for change. People may not have a realistic idea of where the organization is or what problems it is facing. You must tell them. They need to understand the purpose for the outcome you seek. Be ready to answer these questions: What is the problem? Who said so? What happens if we don't change?

Avoid reliance on such cliches as "We want to be on the cutting edge" or "We want to be a values-laden, customer-service organization." Cliches are catchy, but people must understand the logic for the change before they can process the information and get on board to support and advocate the change. Everyone's help is needed. Remember, leadership is not just the domain of the few--especially during times of change.

Picture. Purposes can be abstract; people need a picture of how things will be after the change occurs. How will people get the work done? How will they interact with each other? How will things look? Consider using visual aids of the new organizational structure, the new floor plan, the new system. And if some other organization or agency is already operating the way you want to operate, take pictures or--better yet--arrange for a visit to see how the system works. Two cautions: First, don't make the picture too difficult to grasp; second, don't expect to have the picture take effect prematurely. Give people time to let go of the past.

Plan. Many people in senior leadership and management positions don't need a plan; they will find a way to the destination once they have the picture. However, most people are not this way; they need a plan for how they will get from here to there. This isn't necessarily a plan for the actual changes, details, or dates new equipment or systems will be in place; rather, it's a plan for how they as individuals will make the transition. Remember, transition is about people.

A transition plan outlines such things as when the change will occur, what will be done to help individuals adjust, when necessary training will be provided. The plan applies to them personally; it tells Fred, Maria, Demetrius, and Dorothy when and how their worlds will change. It takes people step by step through the process.

Part. Even the best purpose, picture, and plan leave doubt in the minds of people if they don't know the part they are to play. First, they need to know how they fit into the changed organization; second, they need to know how they will interact with others; and third, they need to know the part they will play in implementing the change. This last point is important because those people who help implement the change will be supportive of the change and commit to helping make it happen.

Create an Enabling Environment

Organizations may do all the right things to set the stage for change--address human concerns, demonstrate strong leadership, build trust, articulate the vision--all, that is, but create an environment to enable success. Planning for enablement must come early. Here are four things to consider.

Identify potential barriers. Early in the change process, cross-functional teams should use a method such as force-field analysis to identify both driving and restraining forces that may affect implementation. Government pressure, pay for performance, and outside competition may be examples of positive driving forces. Apathy, hostility, and lack of knowledge may be restraining forces. Whatever method of analysis is used, leadership should identify and address forces that can cause barriers or obstacles and forces that can overcome them.

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