By using these principles, you can maximize the likelihood that employees will participate in your change program and start doing things differently.
1
Get true agreement,
not false alignment
When executives decide to embark on large-scale change programs, they often fail to truly agree on why things need to change, what will be changing, and how that change will occur. When this happens, the rest of the organization can’t make progress. In successful change programs, leaders have a process for bringing together their peers into a true agreement that creates the conditions for successful, sustained change.
2
Increase agency,
not just involvement
People are more open toward change when they feel they have had some agency in designing it. In successful change programs, leaders help employees develop high-agency mindsets through specific experiences: making decisions, influencing someone else’s decisions, and being represented by trusted peers.
3
Expect take up to be earned, not automatic
Organizations are full of barriers that prevent people from doing what you expect of them, or what they expect of themselves. In successful change programs, leaders are curious about situations where employees don’t have the capability, opportunity, or motivation to make a change. Then they use the organization’s resources to lower those barriers until none are left. They inspire, encourage, and enable.
4
Understand emotions through feedback, not instinct
Companies don’t guess how customers feel about their products. They measure it and use what they learn to make improvements. In successful change programs, leaders do the same for their employees by continuously measuring emotions, confidence, and capacity. When concerning results appear, they take action. When they observe a behavior they would like to see more of, they encourage it.
5
Use a process with rituals,
not reactions
The more decisions people need to make, the harder it becomes for them to make those decisions well. Change programs require intensive, organization-wide coordination, which creates risk of decision fatigue for everyone. In successful change programs, leaders reduce the risk by designing ritualized meetings for every team, including structured celebration, reflection, and debate. These rituals give people back the cognitive capacity to do the work that matters most.
6
Share stories and symbols,
not just dollars
In successful change programs, leaders understand their employees’ goals and desires. They use that knowledge to craft and tell a compelling, emotional story about their change and reinforce it through symbolic objects, actions, and events.
7
Create momentum,
not just at the start
Change demands tenacity. Early wins matter, but don’t create sustained momentum on their own. In successful change programs, leaders continuously predict when a program is likely to lose momentum and adjust their plans to encourage successful teams and reset struggling ones.
Part Two of How Change Really Works offers a detailed description of the five phases of change.
It is a guide for all executives who are responsible for running transformations.
Phase 1
Deciding to change
In this phase, you will engage in debate with fellow executives on why change is needed, what needs to change, and how it could occur before coming to a true agreement on a specific change program and its goals.
Phase 2
Planning for change
Here, you will establish a Transformation Office, determine your approach (including the definition of workstreams and their goals), appoint key leaders in your change team, and make essential preparations for the ransformation. Preparations will include developing training modules, defining rituals, agreeing on incentives, and drafting announcements.
Phase 3
Starting change
In this phase, you will launch the transformation with announcements and events; prepare detailed bottom-up plans; prioritize and finalize the full transformation plan, execute and deliver early wins, and start executing the full transformation plan.
Phase 4
Persisting with change
In this phase, you will execute more difficult initiatives through what we often call the “messy middle.” You will demonstrate sustained progress, proactively measure and respond to emotions, persist with your rituals and transformation approach, manage contextual pressures, and periodically refill your pipeline of initiatives and projects.
Phase 5
Ending change
Finally in this phase, you will decide how to end your transformation and what is next for your company. You’ll consolidate the knowledge you have gained, celebrate what you have achieved, and determine what’s next.
Transformation feels unpredictable
It isn’t.
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