How can you build support for organizational change?

As per Mckinsey research, 75% of change programs fail and 'Resistance to Change' is the topmost reason why large scale change programs stall. And in another experiment, run from 2006 to 2013, out of 959 prediction experiments, 70% of times crowd beat the experts. Hence one of the imperative keys of successful organizational change is to not only communicate but seek inputs from middle to junior level staff (not an easy task thought); and ensure holistic involvement creating a feeling of 'WE' are driving this change.

I was invited to speak at an annual event of a cement manufacturing plant. It was in the year 2006, around 1500 workers were attending the event. The Managing director started addressing the crowd by sharing the next year plan; it was something about 60% up in production & reaching one million tonnes per annum. My turn as a speaker was the next. I got seated among the crowd; wearing one of their company tshirts specially made for the event. Casually I asked a gentleman sitting on my left, "What this event is all about, what the MD is saying?" He joyfully smiled and replied " Today we have special lunch." Having a vision is one thing, ensuring that everyone is on the same page is altogether a different ball game.

Building support for organizational change often involves a blend of communication, collaboration, and empathy. Start by crafting a compelling narrative that explains why the change is necessary, addressing concerns and illustrating potential benefits. Engage stakeholders early on, seeking their input and involving them in the decision-making process. Communicate transparently, emphasizing how the change aligns with the organization's values and goals. Provide training and resources to empower teams to adapt to the change effectively. Lastly, lead by example, demonstrating your commitment to the change, and be adaptable, allowing room for feedback and adjustments as needed.

Change should never be brought in a rough manner but with a very systematic & planned approach. You can't be careless with change management. Four major aspects I have experienced are 1.Educate 2. Involve 3. Engage 4. Feedback. If any organization adapts to these major aspects, change management will be adapted with much lesser resistance by teams. As professionals and humans we all go through change at some or the other point and we all know its inevitable. All we need to do is be empathetic about it.

By fostering open dialogue and transparently communicating benefits. Also involving clients in decision-making and demonstrate empathy to create a culture of collaboration during the transition.

As you involve various individuals, tie in what the change means for them both from a work responsibility perspective and also from a growth perspective (i.e. what's in it for them). The more they understand how the change will impact them personally and positively (not just team/org) the more likely they are to embrace the change. Be transparent and present a balanced perspective, reflecting the best known information at the time. Set check-ins to see how the same is actualizing as the change proceeds.

Involvement is critical. I suggest getting everyone (the key players) in a room to work through the project. Almost always there are thorny issues which need solving and steam rolling through without addressing these will, rightly, create resistance.

Empowering equals trust. The goal is to trust your team so you can delegate responsibilities. Now, we have all heard, delegate so you can focus on the important stuff. But I would challenge everyone to delegate so the employee feels empowered. That means delegate meaningful tasks and responsibilities to them, not just the things you hate doing. If they happen to love doing things you are not good at, that’s a plus. Be strategic when delegating.

Empowering teammates is a key ingredient in the 'secret sauce' of organizational change. In turn, this requires leadership to be comfortable with the idea of relinquishing control and allowing stakeholders, regardless of function or seniority, to be part of the 'solutioning'. Half the battle can be fought and won by ensuring all voices are heard, and in turn, those same voices are entrusted to help drive change across the organization.

In my experience, the best way to mobilize organizational change is by identifying key culture champions (influencers) across various function/hierarchy levels that will help flow the change initiatives across the organization. If the initiatives are viewed as top-down, then buy-in can be very challenging. Empower the culture champions with information about the "why" of the initiatives so that the change isn't seen as being arbitrary.

Anticipate concerns and address them head-on. Not only does this place empathy front and center, but shows that leadership has thought this through and allows you to put forth solutions to these potential concerns.

In the absence of clear communication, people will make up their own stories. You need to share candidly what you know and explain what you don't know yet. It is ok to not have all the answers. What is not ok is to use enthusiasm to compensate for poor understanding, planning or lack of mitigation strategies. Frequently, people's resistance is valid, most likely they have an honest concern and they are sharing it with you.

You may have already pointed out the benefits that the change will bring, but others won't support the change until their concerns are addressed. Everyone is usually aware that the overall effect of the change will be positive, but they worry that the effect on them specifically will be negative. So, your job includes several steps. One, get your employees to be honest about their objections. Two, show empathy and try to really understand their perspective. Three, provide explanations that will resolve their concerns. If there is no direct solution for their worries, then say so without concealing issues. People appreciate transparency, and when they see that you are ready to support them, they are more likely to embrace risks.

The best way to accomplish this is by establishing team operating norms to support the organizational strategy. Be transparent and seek input to make decisions that move everyone forward. Creating a safe, open, and inclusive space for your team to share ideas and feelings helps prevent back-channeling and allows challenging topics to be discussed openly. Encourage each other to take responsibility for their actions. Engage with your team by sharing your goals and rationales and encourage input from others. Defining values and being self-critical about your company's strengths, weaknesses, and biases is critical to support the change.

In most cases, even after getting feedback, having frank discussions, and increasing everyone's understanding of what is changing and why, we will rarely get 100% buy-in from 100% of the team. However, if there is a representative chunk of people who feel comfortable with the changes, they can be great allies in efforts for a smooth transition.

Remember fundraising goal charts during school where the teachers would color in the progress each week? This concept holds true in our working lives. Having something visually consistent that shows progress and can be shared regularly with your team is super motivating. Great leaders create clarity in the ambiguous and chaotic environments that result from change. Nothing is worse than feeling lost and uncertain with no end in sight. A visual indicator of progress helps you track when to celebrate and allows people to see where they’re headed and that any chaos they may feel won’t be permanent (hopefully).

Celebrate each win and milestone - while ALSO ensuring the team and stakeholders know what the next win and milestone is - and create conversation about what is learned to date that ought to be carried forward to ensure the piece of work is successful!

Once at work, amid a tech shift, we celebrated with an innovation showcase, spotlighting teams steering the change efficiently. In my experience, continual recognition for efforts and achievements has never failed & it's pivotal in sustaining enthusiasm. Also, Regular updates on positive results, like improved efficiency and reduced errors, foster commitment. Consistent monitoring and evaluation are also critical to identify any challenges early for prompt adjustments. Reinforcing the change vision through regular forums and communication emphasizes the long-term tech benefits, ensuring sustained support and progress. Recognition, Communication, and Evaluation form an exceptional synergy to facilitate organizational change.

Sometimes it's necessary to approach change with fast, full speed execution where speed of change is crucial as we want to keep everyone on the same page and then initiate Braking periodically to slow down and re-evaluate the change process as needed. We can switch gears by beta testing small and then gaining momentum from that to impact the rest of the organization. This process can carry over into continuous improvement actions post-100 day mark.

Celebration of an achievement well done is a healthy part of the process. Make it sincere, stay in that moment. Resist the urge to leverage that for your own motivation. Tomorrow "we" can begin our next journey.

Change is hard, even for leaders. I agree with the previous comment, "it shouldn't be about blind enthusiasm and confidence." I believe in openly sharing my own experiences, vulnerabilities, and learning curves as I navigate the change process. Transparency fosters a culture of authenticity and allows the team to see that it's okay to face challenges and uncertainties. IMO, it strengthens the bond between leaders and their teams - it sends the messages we're in this together, encourages a supportive atmosphere that inspires resilience and adaptability.

Change is hard and so does role modeling..As a leader, how one acts, speaks and behavior is important in and out of the workplace. Change starts from the leader, get their buy in through how it can work.towards a better outcome. Asking for their help.and support in being the change agent,.what's in it for them rather than telling them this is what it is.

This step is important, but shouldn't be about blind enthusiasm and confidence. Talk about your journey on the change curve. Acknowledge where you are, where you've been, and more importantly how you moved through. Personally, I find curiosity is a key behaviour here - an intrinsic need to find out 'why', what were the other options, how have others approached similar problems, etc. The transparency breeds comfort and confidence.

Of all the steps covered in this article, I feel this one speaks to me the most. Over the course of my career, I have witnessed excellent ideas, improved processes, and a host of other proposed positive actions become a mute attempt for change, primarily because the leaders and/or managers failed to SHOW others (with their actions) that he/she/they believed in the idea/improvement and the process of implementation. If you're tasked with leading a group of individuals, and you want them to follow, you must be the shining light along their path. Actions speak louder than words.

Demostrar siempre una buena actitud dentro del entorno laboral va a generar confianza y al mismo tiempo predisposición para conseguir integración en el equipo. Respetar a sus compa?eros de trabajo, brindar flexibilidad y apertura siempre es indispensable para lograr mejoras de habilidades y por ende mejoras de un equipo.

When I lead teams, I find that listening to hear rather than to respond is an important first step to helping steward people to and through dynamic organizations. Providing space and the opportunity to be heard allows team members to share their ideas. Regardless of whether their preferred course is ultimately chosen, the chance to actively participate in the conversation around putative change fosters buy-in and ownership for personnel. It also empowers them to grow into that next cohort of leaders. Ultimately, dignifying people and helping them to come to know that they belong in decision making spaces is accomplished by meeting them where they are and hearing their views, then, validating the person for taking the risk to participate.

A culture of change is often brought to life by leaders doing a few things well beyond vision setting and execution. These three bring 'truth and real-world in' to change leadership, which leads to creating a supportive environment, albelit sometimes difficult to lead through. (1) Focus on risks. In times of deliberate change, be transparent about the risks and create conversations about how to get ahead of them. (2) Identify and dissect past changes that worked well and not well - create a shared understanding of the root causes. (3) Discuss external dynamics related to competition, customer needs, the economics, etc. This real-world view might be daunting, yet necessary to create focus.

Culture is built on trust and transparency; when going through change courageous vulnerability is required from the top. Share your own apprehensions, no leader has all the answers. Demonstrate trust in your people by giving them opportunities to voice candid concerns without judgment. Actively listen, acknowledge emotions, and demonstrate understanding. Model that we are collectively navigating ambiguity. By exposing your humanity, you empower your team to bring their full selves while committing to the change together.

La cultura empresarial de mejora continua abre el paso a cualquier cambio positivo en diversas áreas, la colaboración de todos con peque?as mejoras que marquen la diferencia!

Trust of leadership is key to any change being sustainable. Understanding the psychology behind in-group and out-group mentality helps. Leaders and change agents are often considered ‘other’ by the major of any organisation.

Building support for organisational change hinges on clear communication, emphasising benefits, fostering open dialogue, and empowering employees in decision-making. Demonstrate commitment through visible actions, provide resources for skill development, and cultivate an adaptable culture. Recognising and celebrating milestones reinforces progress. Ultimately, trust and a collaborative environment are crucial for widespread support.

Promote a collaborative environment where everyone feels valued to provide feedback. Assurance that people play an important role in helping develop processes that further enhance and support new organizational requirements.

Change resistance is poisonous to an organization’s transformation. Resistance is much easier to counter when it’s identified early. Leaders should pay attention to the signs of change resistance, including inaction, procrastination, withholding information and the spread of rumors. Communication is the key to identifying resistance. Create feedback loops with employees, like surveys, feedback channels and input sessions to proactively identify signs of resistance, then take fast action.

When building support for organizational change, it's also essential to create a narrative that connects the change to the individual's role and future within the organization. Personalizing the impact of change helps employees see the value in the transition, making it more relevant and less intimidating. It's crucial to provide a platform for continuous dialogue where concerns can be addressed in real-time, ensuring the change process is inclusive and considerate of all viewpoints. Additionally, involving employees in decision-making processes can foster a sense of ownership and commitment to the change initiative.