Quality in Action: Framing Change
Did the Hawthorne Effect fool you into thinking that the last change you promoted was accepted as the right thing to do? From the perspective of the individual—indeed, that same individual who must own and execute the change you are selling—there is a critical message that not only has to be encoded, but it has to be accepted even if there is disagreement with the wisdom of the message. This message is sometimes referred to as the “WIIFM,” or “What is in it for me?” Human’s seem hard-wired to resist change. The initial reaction to perceived change is often that it must be bad because it is different from what the affected parties have already accepted as the norm. However, as is clearly seen in the prevailing economic realities, organizations who manage change well have greater odds of thriving. Ideally, change is perceived as an opportunity. To achieve this cultural plateau, the leader needs to do his/her homework to draw upon examples, data and logic to paint a vision that provides affected individuals the avenue for navigating to their WIIFM. Even so, organizational change impacts various business model areas differently, as well as individuals within affected areas differently. One of the important disciplines that a change agent must follow is invest attention where it is needed, as opposed to catering to the “easy audience”—those who are not impacted and less likely to brandish conflict. The spectrum of people affected by the change will be punctuated with varying degree of pioneers and naysayers. Unfortunately, resistance to required change may be so intense that the only solution for the organization and some individuals is separation. One of the most impressive leaders I ever saw in action addressed change management in a direct and clear way. He explained both the critical need to adopt change, as well as his personal and corporate commitment to provide the tools and training to facilitate the transition. He wrapped up his comments by saying that those who were unwilling to support the company through the desired change were not bad people, but they would be people who should seek other career opportunities. The result? A small number of people “deselected,” and the balance dove into one of the smoothest transitions that I ever witnessed. There was no gossip and lots of focus. Execution was crisp and the desired result was achieved. It is critical for the leader to identify win-win strategies for key individuals to assimilate the change, so that the rest of the organization may view them as role models to facilitate their quest to WIIFM. Finally, communication is a valuable tool for the change agent leader. He/she should make time to proactively communicate to preclude the misinformation that fills the vacuum left by silence. The ultimate point is that change is personal and sometimes uncomfortable. The best leaders rise to the occasion to demonstrate change as the best available alternative—and certainly a preferable choice to status quo. |