INNERGISE!

  • 12 Mar 2015

    Readiness for Change

    A top drawer Marketing Director joined a client of ours recently. Knowing he had a number of options for his next career move (as all good people do), I asked him what was behind his decision.

    He said that many of the organisations he had discussions with talked a good game in terms of their ability and readiness to change, but didn’t convince him. Like most people he wanted to have an impact and make a difference and the needed to be part of a business that could and wanted to change.

    Recent times have forced organisations to change. For some their readiness and ability to change, or lack of it, meant that they struggled more than might have done.

    For others they confirmed what Jack Welch talked about when he said ‘if change is happening on the outside faster than on the inside the end is in sight .’

    There are lots of reasons to change such as:

    • Market conditions creating pressure
    • Business underperformance
    • Failure to deliver strategy
    • Customers not being excited about the service experience
    • Mergers and acquisitions
    • Restructuring enabling improved performance and organisational effectiveness

    Irrespective of the why we are changing, most intended change fails (between 50% and 80% depending which research you look at). So how can make sure than when change comes we are ready for it. Here are a number of questions that we need to ask ourselves. If we can’t answer positively, we will have issues in implementing change:

    1. To what extent do the leadership and management team understand and have a track record of implementing successful change?
    2. Do the leaders of change have credibility?
    3. Has the business case for any change has been articulated? Is it clear and has it been communicated?
    4. Have alternatives to the change have been considered?
    5. Is there is a compelling vision in place which has been communicated?
    6. Is there a clear, comprehensive and flexible plan for the change?
    7. Have all the leadership and management team really bought in to the change and signed up to champion the change?
    8. How effective are the leadership at prioritising activity and not losing focus?
    9. Have potential concerns and resistance to change have been identified?
    10. Has the process for involving people, at every level, in the journey of change has been mapped out?
    11. Is there is a willingness from management to involve the affected and relevant people in shaping the change?
    12. Have the systems and processes which need to be amended have been identified?
    13. Have the changes been tested and piloted?
    14. Have the new skills that people require as a result of the change have been identified?
    15. Is the organisation is effective at measuring progress and celebrating success?
    16. Is the organisation is effective at holding people accountable?

    Challenging ourselves and our organisation to change before we have to makes sense but let’s make sure we can deliver and pass the Readiness for Change test.

Comments

OUR CLIENTS