Don’t Get People to ‘Accept’ Change — Help Them to Create Change

It’s never too late for change. And in my work on Braskem ’s digital transformation, I’ve seen firsthand the power change management has to boost new technology adoption in the petrochemical industry. Over the last four years, we have developed new digital products, services, and capabilities. As a change management leader in our Digital Center, I support team members’ adoption of these tools.

?We haven’t always gotten it right.

?A couple years ago, Operations Planner Israel Wink came to us with an idea to improve raw materials quality assessment. The goal: Speed up the process so that our traders could get quicker approvals to take advantage of good deals in the marketplace. Israel dreamed of a digital platform that would put all information about raw materials (what we call feedstock) at everyone’s fingertips. He wanted to jettison the practice of digging through multiple spreadsheets and sending a lot of emails back and forth.

?But we made a mistake early on by relying only on Israel's input. As a result, our Minimum Viable Product (MVP) addressed his pain points — and other users were skeptical. They wondered, “Why should I trust this data?”

?So we talked to many more users and got their input as we improved the tool. If we hadn’t, user adoption would have suffered. Ultimately, our product might have failed.

?Instead, with the help of effective change management interventions, we built a fantastic product. Now, traders, planners, and engineers can assess raw materials more quickly. Together, they save Braskem money while still ensuring that we have quality, safe feedstock for our plants.

?We have organized that Agile change management approach into a framework we call SPEAR. We’ve mixed in some well-established practices, but the exact recipe emphasizes flexibility and collaboration. We want team members on Agile squads shepherding our dozens of digital initiatives to take what best maximizes user adoption and satisfaction — and not have to force in what they don’t need. We encourage them to collaboratively assess their situation to decide what parts of SPEAR they should use and in what order to effectively rally people behind the change at hand.

?SPEAR: AN EFFECTIVE APPROACH TO AGILE CHANGE MANAGEMENT

SPEAR stands for the 5 elements we consider when designing for change. SPEAR isn't just for people who have “change manager” in their job title. If you are involved in creating something new at work, however complex or simple, you are a changemaker! Consider weaving some or all of these 5 principles into your effort.

Stakeholders: First, identify everyone impacted or influenced by the change. Then group them by level of impact. Make a visual stakeholders map with everyone clearly labeled: product work team; sponsor; steering committee; users; change agents; teams that will experience indirect impact.

?Purpose: Sometimes people resist change because we fail to clearly articulate what they stand to win if they embrace it. When outlining the “why” behind the change, think about users’ pain points. If you solve them, what benefits and value will people get? Craft an inspirational sentence — your value proposition statement — to share with everyone.

Engagement: If you are a team leader, ensure everyone involved in developing the new product or process feels welcome from the start. Find ways to foster team collaboration and draw out people who don’t readily speak up. Identify employees who might need training. Regularly highlight success stories about progress on product development. On our product development squads, we use a “Gratitude Jar.” We hold sessions where team members can acknowledge others’ work by writing virtual notes of appreciation that can be read aloud.?

Achievement: Determine how you will measure success. Visualize the user journey and think about metrics such as user adoption rates, user behaviors, and growth of number of people championing the tool or process. Monitor the indicators you choose to evaluate change success.

Retrospective: Agile teams use retrospectives throughout an initiative to examine what went right and what went wrong. We believe these gatherings are very helpful in change management. They are the perfect time to double down on all the other elements of SPEAR, namely the engagement of stakeholders, the focus on a purpose, and the recognition of progress, or achievement. Retrospectives should offer a space where people feel safe to speak up about struggles and lessons learned. Learn from past experiences, adapt and improve to move forward, then iterate SPEAR.

?Along with sharing our SPEAR method, we now have a Changers Club with participants from other organizations outside of Braskem. We meet regularly online to network, discuss best practices, and exchange change management war stories. Please get in touch if you’d like to be considered for membership in our group.

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