FROM OUR CEO

Change Happens at The Water Cooler

March 18th, 2015 | From our CEO

It is the rule that organizational changes fail. Often caused by a lack of focus on the essential bottom-up change management activities needed to enable the intended changes.

But when it comes to major changes in organizations, it is far from always the case. In fact, multiple studies show that only a third of the initiated organizational changes succeed!

In a globalized, turbulent and uncertain world, where the only constant is that everything changes those numbers constitute a problem of dimensions.

Change, adaptability and flexibility are today basic characteristics of modern organizations. Constantly organization must think in new, different and, alternative solutions to keep up with competitors and to survive increasingly competitive markets.

But failure does not need to be the rule. Solutions are available – especially if you engage the organization bottom-up as part of your change management activities.

Change management is in far too many organizations limited to filling out a few templates before the change initiative kicks off, computer-based training in new procedures, or to the use of inefficient top down communication channels, such as town hall meetings, intranet news, and e-mail newsletters. Pitfalls are countless, and so are the possible solutions.

In my opinion the key to successful organizational change is a conscious attitude towards it. It is about planning, communicating, engaging, and evaluating – and above all it is about making sure the informal organization can make sense of the changes.

To make sense to the informal organization leaders need to establish a trustful dialogue with the right people in the organization.. If leaders listen and reflect to the right people in the business, then they can take a decisive step in the right direction towards succeeding with their changes.

For the leader that wants to transform, it is paramount to locate and enter into dialogue with the employees who enjoy the respect, trust and recognition among their peers – In Innovisor we coin those employees “key influencers”.The trustworthy people magnets that have more informal power than middle management, when it comes to explaining the messages from leadership (In fact 3-4 times as much influence, our cases show again and again).

If you can identify the influencers and get them convinced about the benefits of the change project, the likelihood of success of the change initiative is much higher.

No, it is not.

The “key influencers” are not your usual suspects – or your organizational superstars. It is not about who you trust, but about who your employees trust. Who is it they seek out at the water cooler, when they want to relax, to have fun, or just seek help and advice?

It is in the informal communication at the water cooler that employees make sense of changes, and beliefs are created. It is when “key influencers” explain their peers the reason for the changes that resistance to change is lowered – and the will and the courage to face the new challenges materializes.

So if you – as a change leader – have identified and convinced the “key influencers” in your organization, then be patient. Let their conversations at the water cooler facilitate the sense making. Things will happen… bottom-up.

However, if you have not identified the “key influencers” and have tried to run your change initiative top-down it is a different story. Be prepared for failure. I wish you good luck!