Building Blocks, Close Up! Spotlight on Change Management

Happy Friday, Enablers! Welcome to this edition of Building Blocks, Close Up!, with a Spotlight this week on... [drumroll, please]... Change Management!

If you’ve followed this newsletter for a while you’re probably already tired of me saying this, but...

Creating a business impact with enablement is no longer optional.

While the recent layoff frenzy in tech/SaaS companies impacted a lot of quality people and got a bit irrational (in my opinion), it is evidence that senior leaders believe that enablement is not moving the needle enough (for whatever reason - including their lack of support - but it's not like many would admit that).

The effect, however, is the same either way - enablers were impacted; executives and senior sales leaders didn't see enough bottom-line business value.

We need to change this.

One of the key skills I see in enablers that manage to create a business impact through their work is the ability to lead and guide change -- especially behavior change that results in a change in organizational results.

Or, in the words of a small but wise enabler, who is very observant, somewhat obedient, and occasionally very loud...

“Every enablement initiative is a change management project in disguise.”

~ Frank Kunkle?(the enablement Dachshund)

Change management methodologies were once only practiced by senior executive leaders in an effort to drive large-scale business transformation, but the success of the approach, even on a small scale, makes it an essential skill that should be part of every enablers' repertoire, no matter how junior or senior the role might be.

In this week’s edition of The Building Blocks, Close Up! we’ll take a look at a few of the more common change management methodologies available today, including:?

• Lewin's Change Management Model
• Prosci's ADKAR Model
• Kotter's 8-Step Change Model
• McKinsey's 7-S Model
• Agile Change Management

Let’s start with…?

Lewin's Change Management Model

Lewin's Change Management Model is one of the oldest and most well-known. It was developed by psychologist Kurt Lewin in the 1940s, and it consists of three stages: unfreezing, changing, and refreezing.

The analogy, as you might have guessed, is the process of changing the shape of an ice cube.?

Technically, Lewin's approach is more of a framework than a model, because it's conceptually strong, but doesn't recommend specific models or detailed steps.

• Unfreezing: The unfreezing stage involves creating the conditions necessary for change. This involves breaking down the existing attitudes, behaviors, and processes that are preventing change from occurring. It involves creating a sense of urgency and a readiness for change.
• Changing: The changing stage involves implementing the change. This involves developing and implementing new processes, behaviors, and attitudes that support the desired change. It is the stage where the actual change takes place.
• Refreezing: The refreezing stage involves stabilizing the change and embedding it in the organizational culture. This involves reinforcing the new behaviors and processes, and making them part of the organizational culture. It is about making the change sustainable and long-lasting.

Lewin's model is often accompanied by a Force Field Analysis, which we discussed in this previous newsletter edition. This analysis can help determine the specific action steps in each stage.

If you review The Sales Training System from The Building Blocks of Sales Enablement, you'll see some similarities between its three-stage Prepare for Change, Guide the Change (with the 5 Stages), and Cement the Change, with Change Management running throughout. This model doesn't specifically address buy-in (other than with the front-line sales managers) or building a guiding coalition, but that typically falls in the Change Management box. But the concepts are similar to Lewin's, with a bit more detail on how to guide change with training and related support.

Lewin's Change Management Model Example: Buyer Engagement Content Library Update

Lewin's Change Management Model can be applied to the update of a buyer engagement content library for a sales team to ensure successful adoption and utilization of the new content.

1. In the unfreezing stage, the sales enablement team may communicate to the sales team and product marketing team the need to update the existing content library based on a content audit and which sales process stages will be supported with the new content. This could include feedback from buyers on existing content and how it can be improved to better support their buying process.
2. In the changing stage, the sales enablement team can collaborate with product marketing in developing new content and strategies for engaging buyers, involving the sales team in the process to ensure their feedback and insights are incorporated.
3. In the refreezing stage, the sales enablement team can work with the sales team to ensure that the new content is integrated into their daily workflows, providing training and support as needed, and collecting feedback on its effectiveness to make further improvements.?

This is a very simplified example but hopefully it makes the point.

Pros:

• Provides a clear and simple framework for managing change.
• Emphasizes the importance of stakeholder involvement and communication.
• Can be effective in situations where change is relatively straightforward.
• Can be supported by Lewin's Force Field Analysis.

Cons:

• May not be suitable for more complex or long-term change efforts.
• Does not provide guidance on specific steps or processes for change.

ADKAR

Next up is the ADKAR Model which is a popular change management methodology that focuses on individual change. It was developed by Jeff Hiatt, the founder of Prosci, a leading provider of change management resources and training. (They have other models and processes, as well.)

The ADKAR Model consists of five stages: Awareness, Desire, Knowledge, Ability, and Reinforcement. These stages provide a roadmap for individuals to navigate the change process, from becoming aware of the change, to building the desire to change, acquiring the knowledge and ability to change, and reinforcing the change to make it sustainable.

Awareness: This stage involves creating awareness among individuals of the need for change. This involves understanding why the change is necessary and what the implications of the change are. It is about helping individuals to see the big picture and the potential benefits of the change.

Desire: The desire stage involves building the desire and motivation to change. This involves understanding the personal impact of the change and how it aligns with individual goals and values. It is about creating an emotional connection to the change and inspiring individuals to take action.

Knowledge: The knowledge stage involves providing individuals with the knowledge and skills required to change. This includes providing training, coaching, and support to help individuals understand what they need to do differently and how to do it.

Ability: The ability stage involves building the ability to change. This includes providing individuals with the resources and tools needed to implement the change effectively. It is about removing barriers to change and empowering individuals to take action.

Reinforcement: The reinforcement stage involves embedding the change and making it sustainable. This involves recognizing and rewarding individuals for their efforts, reinforcing the change through processes and systems, and ensuring that the change becomes part of the organizational culture.

ADKAR Example: Introduction of an LMS

Let's say you are planning on introducing a learning management system (LMS) for the first time. The ADKAR Model can be a helpful tool to ensure the successful adoption of the new LMS.

• In the Awareness stage, the enablement team can communicate the need for the new LMS and the benefits it will bring to the sales reps. You can use case studies and industry research data to help sales leaders understand the value of the new system.
• In the Desire stage, the enablement team can work to create buy-in from sales managers and get their input and feedback on the LMS features and functionality. This can help ensure that the LMS meets the needs of the sales force and that the sales managers become advocates for the new system.
• In the Knowledge stage, the enablement team can provide training on the new system, highlighting the key features and benefits. They can also provide resources such as user manuals and FAQ documents to help the sales reps become more familiar with the new system.
• In the Ability stage, sales reps can be given hands-on experience with the new LMS, and encouraged to use the system to reinforce content delivered in live training sessions.
• Finally, in the Reinforcement stage, the enablement team can provide ongoing support, feedback, and recognition to encourage continued use of the new LMS. They can track usage and adoption rates, and provide feedback and recognition to sales reps who are using the system effectively.

Pros:

• Focused on individual change and creating the conditions necessary for change.
• Provides a clear framework for change management.
• Emphasizes the importance of awareness and reinforcement throughout the change process.

Cons:

• May not be suitable for broader organizational changes.
• May not provide enough guidance on specific steps or processes for change.

Kotter's 8-Step Change Model

Kotter's 8-Step Change Model is a change management methodology developed by John Kotter, a professor of leadership at Harvard Business School. The model is very well-thought-out and consists of eight steps:

1. Create a sense of urgency: Establish a compelling reason for change, such as a threat or opportunity that requires action.
2. Build a guiding coalition: Assemble a team of leaders who can champion the change and lead the effort.
3. Form a strategic vision and initiatives: Create a clear and compelling vision for the change and identify the key initiatives needed to achieve it.
4. Enlist a volunteer army: Engage and empower others to support the change and become advocates for it.
5. Enable action by removing barriers: Identify and remove the barriers and obstacles that may prevent the change from happening.
6. Generate short-term wins: Create and celebrate early successes to build momentum and sustain motivation.
7. Sustain acceleration: Use the momentum of early successes to drive further change and consolidate gains.
8. Institute change: Embed the change in the organizational culture to ensure that it becomes part of the way things are done.

Kotter's 8-Step Change Model Example: Introducing Unified Buyer Personas

Imagine a business using different buyer personas across marketing, sales, and customer success. The lack of consistency and alignment can cause confusion and inefficiency.

Using Kotter's 8-Step Change Model, the enablement team can lead the change to a single buyer persona that is used across all teams.

The first step is to create a sense of urgency around the need for a unified buyer persona. Communicate the challenges and benefits of having a single buyer persona to build support and understanding.

Next, a guiding coalition can be formed to lead the effort, including key stakeholders from each team.

Together, they can form a strategic vision and identify the key initiatives needed to achieve it.

They can engage and empower others to support the change, such as cross-functional teams and customer focus groups, and remove any barriers that may prevent the change from happening.

By implementing the new buyer persona in a specific campaign or customer interaction, the cross-functional team can create early successes and build momentum for further change.

The new buyer persona can be embedded in the organizational culture, integrated into relevant training and processes, and communicated effectively to all stakeholders to ensure long-term sustainability.?

Pros:

• Provides a comprehensive framework for managing change.
• Emphasizes the importance of leadership and stakeholder involvement.
• Provides specific steps and processes for change.

Cons:

• May be time-consuming and resource-intensive.
• May be less suitable for smaller organizations or less complex changes.

McKinsey's 7-S Model

I have always been impressed with McKinsey's model. For those of you who remember consultant and author Tom Peters ("In Search of Excellence"), he was one of the three architects of the 7-S model, when he worked at McKinsey in the eighties.

The seven key elements of the McKinsey 7-S Model are:

1. Structure
2. Strategy
3. System
4. Shared Values
5. Skill
6. Style
7. Staff

I'm going to take some of my own advice for this one, and not "reinvent the wheel" here. If you'd like to dig into this model, some great explanations of this model have been published. I highly recommend these resources, some of which include examples:

• An interactive web resource from McKinsey (excellent resource)
• An explanation with example from MindTools (great site in general)
• An article about 7-S from its creators (ungated PDF)

This model covers a lot of ground and is best suited for large-scale transformation work. If you are upgrading or implementing sales process and sales methodology, for example, the 7-S approach is your friend.

Agile Change Management

Agile Change Management is a relatively new change management methodology that is based on the principles of agile software development (much like SAM, or the Successive Approximation Model for instructional design). It involves an iterative and collaborative approach to change management that emphasizes flexibility, adaptability, and continuous improvement.

Personally, I find that anything labeled "Agile" is often abused by those who don't understand it, and implemented poorly. To be crystal clear, this is not a condemnation of agile methodology nor an insult to its real practitioners. It's a condemnation of how it's abused by those who don't have a strategy, clear direction with a desired future state and stated outcomes, with a tactical execution plan to get there. Often it's a layer of obfuscation for "bright shiny object syndrome" or lack of a good plan, justified as "agile." Don't get caught in this trap.

That said, when done well, agile is a great methodology and good path toward continuous and iterative improvement. The key principles of Agile Change Management include:

• Customer collaboration: Agile Change Management involves close collaboration with stakeholders and customers to ensure that their needs are understood and met throughout the change process.
• Flexibility: The methodology prioritizes flexibility and adaptability, with the ability to respond to changes and adjust plans as needed.
• Iterative approach: Agile Change Management is an iterative and incremental approach (often referred to as sprints), with change implemented in small increments with regular feedback and evaluation.
• Continuous improvement: The methodology emphasizes the importance of continuous improvement, with regular reviews and updates to the change process.

Agile Change Management Example: Development of a Sales Playbook

Agile Change Management might be applied to the creation of a sales playbook.

The Agile approach involves breaking the project into smaller, more manageable stages, and working collaboratively with the sales team to iterate and refine the playbook as it progresses.

For example, the sales enablement team can start by creating a basic sales playbook framework with an outline of elements and frequently asked questions.

They can then collect feedback from the sales reps and other cross-functional collaborators and stakeholder, and use it to refine and improve the playbook in subsequent iterations.

This feedback loop allows for a more flexible and adaptable approach, where the playbook can be adjusted and refined based on actual results and feedback, rather than relying on assumptions or preconceived notions.

The Agile approach can result in a more effective sales playbook that better meets the needs of the sales team, and can help ensure that sales reps have the guidance and resources they need when the enablement team isn’t there to answer questions.?

Pros:

• Emphasizes flexibility, adaptability, and collaboration.
• Allows for a more iterative and incremental approach to change.
• Provides a structure for continuous improvement.

Cons:

• May be less suitable for large organizations or complex changes.
• May require a high degree of collaboration and communication.
• Can be used as air cover for "we don't really have a game plan."

Choosing the Best Change Management Methodology for Your Needs

Chances are that your head is spinning now, especially if this is the first time you are reading much about change management models. This article is meant as a starting point for further exploration. Any change management model is better than no change management model, but picking the right one for your needs, and understanding those pros and cons, will save you a lot of time and hassle. Here are some key considerations to keep in mind:

Identify the nature and scope of the change: The first step is to define the scope and nature of the change effort. Do you want to change your entire sales team’s approach to be more customer-centric? Do you want to update your sales team’s hiring process? Or do you want to introduce a new buyer engagement content library? Understanding the specific goals, outcomes, and scope of the change effort is essential for selecting the most appropriate methodology. Using 7-S for a product update is like using a Howitzer to swat a fly. Conversely, using Lewin's framework without other support for a full-scale sales transformation, is risky.

Assess your organization's culture and readiness for change: Understanding your organization's culture, values, and readiness for change is important for selecting the methodology that will be most effective in your context. Some methodologies, such as Kotter's 8-Step Change Model, are more suitable for organizations with a strong leadership culture, while Agile Change Management may be more suitable for organizations that value flexibility and collaboration.

Consider the available resources and expertise: Different methodologies may require different levels of resources, time, and expertise. Assessing your organization's resources, including staff time, budget, and available expertise, is important for selecting a methodology that can be effectively implemented within your constraints.

Evaluate the potential risks and benefits: Every change management methodology has its own strengths and limitations as outlined earlier, and understanding these is important for evaluating the potential risks and benefits. For example, some methodologies may be more time-consuming or complex, while others may be less suitable for certain types of changes.

Engage stakeholders and get buy-in: Engaging stakeholders and getting buy-in from those who will be impacted by the change is essential for the success of any change effort. Involving stakeholders in the selection of the methodology and explaining how it will be implemented can help build support and commitment to the change effort.

Lastly, don't be afraid to mix and match: If you use Lewin's framework, plug in Force Field Analysis to get more tactical, and ensure to build a guiding coalition (from Kotter). Or, for large-scale change efforts with Kotter, ADKAR, or McKinsey's models, you might still separate by Unfreezing, Changing, and Refreezing, stacking things from the other models in those three buckets. And check out the book, Better Change, listed below in the Resources section. It is one of the best and most practical books I've read about guiding organizational change.

Ultimately, any change management methodology will be better than having none. Yet, it's worth taking the time to explore and evaluate, as the right model has the potential to make your change management journey easier (and deliver the outcomes you and your employer hope for). By taking a structured and thoughtful approach, you can improve your chances of successfully implementing change and achieving the desired business impact.

Resources

• Article: https://venngage.com/blog/change-management-models/?
• Article: https://www.soundingboardinc.com/blog/five-change-management-models/?
• Article: https://www.zendesk.com/blog/change-management-models/?
• Article: https://changeactivation.com/change-management-models/?
• Article: https://hbr.org/2021/01/an-agile-approach-to-change-management
• Book: https://bit.ly/BetterChange?(out-of-print, but outstanding)
• Book: Leading Change by John Kotter
• Website: An interactive web resource on 7-S from McKinsey
• Website: https://www.kotterinc.com/methodology/
• Website: https://www.prosci.com/
• Association: Association of Change Management Professionals
• Song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y944YxuE1OU

AND NOW, A WORD FROM OUR SPONSOR...

Felix Krueger says...

"Change is the only constant"

~ Heraclitus

This phrase used to be carelessly thrown around but it's safe to say that it has become true for most of us since the start of the pandemic.?

The change most enablers face right now is that senior sales leaders expect them to lead change in their sales organization and achieve measurable business impact.?

The Building Blocks of Sales Enablement framework aims to equip enablers with the knowledge and tools they need to meet these expectations by continuing where most other enablement frameworks stop.?

It is a holistic approach that considers ALL sales performance levers, paired with a heavy emphasis on systems thinking, stakeholder management, advanced planning frameworks and, most importantly, change management principles. The framework was built from years of practical application in the field, starting as far back as the 1990s, and has delivered significant business impact for multiple companies in multiple vertical industries, with sales forces from 6 to 6,000. In a sea of sameness and - this is what sets the Building Blocks of Sales Enablement apart.?

“The Building Blocks of Sales Enablement is rooted in a deep understanding of the messy reality that confronts today's sales enablement leaders: complex, interdependent systems that govern modern commercial organizations, and the chaos that is the customer buying experience. Mike Kunkle's intimate understanding of these dynamics delivers a clear and actionable framework that will propel growth for all revenue leaders.”

~ Nick Toman

[President of SBI Growth Advisory, and co-author, The Challenger Customer and The Effortless Experience]

So, if you want to future-proof your enablement career and be prepared for any change coming your way, start by exploring the recent webinar Mike Kunkle and I led, which shares some of the most impactful principles of The Building Blocks of Sales Enablement.?

Follow this link to watch the recording of the "7 Steps to Maximizing Enablement's Business Impact" webinar.

>>> RECORDED WEBINAR: https://www.goffwd.com/impact/

____________________

Well, that's it for this week! Did you learn something new reading this newsletter? If you did, or if it just made you think (and maybe chuckle from time to time - bonus points if you snorted), share it with your favorite enablement colleague, subscribe right here on LinkedIn, and check out?The Building Blocks of Sales Enablement Learning Experience.?Felix Krueger?and Mike Kunkle are both Building Blocks Mentors for the weekly group coaching sessions, and hope to see you there!?

Until next time, stay the course, and?#MakeAnImpact?With?#Enablement!