Bob Black explains why we should take a scientific, simplicity-led approach to organisational change
A couple of observations about managing Change
- Organisational change is complex
- Achieving simplicity of organisational change is complex
Why take a Simplicity-led approach to organisational change? Based on 1 & 2 above it appears I’m suggesting increasing the complexity; not so!
Taking this approach often leads to a contradictory position to what has been done before. This can be challenging for the organisation as a whole and specifically for those affected by the change.
Organisations are subject to organisational culture and learned behaviours
Organisations as entities and the individuals associated with them in the various categories of stakeholder are subject to organisational culture and learned behaviours. Culture and learned behaviours are often deeply embedded often without realising they are affecting day to day actions and the longer-term strategy delivery.
People, in the main, are creatures of habit and this can be very helpful if these are positive, adaptive habits. The positivity increases when both the organisation and its stakeholders exercise choice over their ongoing habits.
Times change but do we apply conscious choice to our habits? If times are changing shouldn’t our habits? Of course, some habits will travel with us through time, it makes us 'us'!
Some habits should not make the complete journey being time limited.
Most of us work with methods and processes that have lessons learned embedded in them, designed to apply continuous organisational, people and process improvement. Some of us may even work for organisations who apply the lessons learned in both the letter and spirit of what is intended in the good practice-led method.
It remains likely that some of us know of other organisations (not ours!) that run ‘lessons learned’ sessions at the delivery of a project milestone or at the end of a project, (without many lessons being learned and even fewer applied).
This is where organisational habit or choice comes into play.
Keep your Change Management presentations simple
Taking a Simplicity-led approach to organisational change would facilitate a challenge to unhelpful habits and encourage more choice in how the doing gets done!
One of the potentially confusing aspects of managing effective organisational change is where extremely good work is done in creating a powerful set of slides explaining the benefits of the proposed change(s).
Here’s where the potential confusion happens: the simplicity of the slide deck in explaining the change should not be confused with the complexity of change delivery. They are closely related but different.
The relationship between the communication of the change(s) and the complexity of the actual delivery must be clearly understood by every level of the organisation. This is a significant piece of work by itself. For the avoidance of any doubt, one presentation, no matter how fabulous, will not communicate the spirit and letter of the coming changes to everyone involved…this requires repetition of themes and close linkage to how the change affects “me”.
Time to think is much undervalued in organisations
The creation and utilisation of time to think, is much undervalued in organisations, even as we head through the 21st century. Identifying weaknesses is a good thing, a positive thing as it presents an opportunity to exercise habit or choice: fix the weaknesses or carry-on with compensating behaviours.
I have not mentioned an important element to all this, leaving it as my closing Top Tip.
Do not underestimate the power of organisational culture to impact, positively or negatively, even the best efforts at organisational change.
Take time to think about how organisational culture increases or decreases your chance of delivering effective organisational change. Given organisational realities, because you can’t change the culture in any meaningful way does not mean its impact should be ignored; mitigation, risk and issue management come into play here.
If this sounds simple, why isn’t every organisation doing it?
Please give a Simplicity-led change strategy a chance…..you never know!
Contact the Author
You can email Bob Black directly here
