How do you sustain the movement? - Personal and Organizational

Do you relate to the experience of starting something, getting momentum, and then not continuing?...

Let's start with a personal example.

It was my first 5K race. My daughter, a cross country runner, said, "I will do it with you." At that time, I did not understand what it meant and why she said it...

And, then in the middle of our run, when I was tired already, and when it seemed that no one was around me, or at least I could not see - there was this hill, an endless, steep hill. It seemed impossible to continue.?

My inner voice was saying, "I can't do this anymore. I should stop, I do not have to keep running."?

And then, my daughter was right there, just enough in front of me, saying whatever she was saying... - motivating me to continue.

And so I kept running.?

She was with me until the end of the race. I finished strong, and my time was surprisingly good.?

I know now what it means "I will do it with you." It was my first race, and certainly not the last one, as that experience made me want to do a race again, together, which we did.?

This was a personal example.

What if I was an employee going through a change in an organization? Would I want someone to "do it with me?" What are the elements of reinforcement that can help me continue??

I am writing a series of articles on change management, reflecting on my study and application of the Prosci [1] ADKAR (Awareness, Desire, Knowledge, Ability, Reinforcement) change management model. This article is the last one in the series and talks about Reinforcement. If interested in seeing previous articles - they are linked in the comments.

Reinforcement is the fifth and last building block in the ADKAR model?– as I like to show and will describe below.

What is Reinforcement?

Based on Prosci's definition, reinforcement is an act of strengthening the change with an individual or an organization, such that the desired objectives of the change are realized.?

What are some common mistakes change leaders often make?

1. Assuming that reinforcement is unnecessary, especially after seeing the first signs of actions and progress.

2. Not planning or not being intentional about actions of reinforcement. Providing irrelevant rewards or not recognizing everyone who deserves the acknowledgment.

3. Not planning to transition from the project completion to ownership to sustain the change.

How to Assess how you are doing with the change and specific needs and actions for Reinforcement?

Consider measuring both actions and results as it relates to the actual change as well as elements of reinforcement. How are employees reacting to the change? Are people continuously taking actions as designed? Is the change visible in action? How is the adoption happening - speed (how quickly are people getting on board), ultimate utilization (how many people are on board), and level of proficiency (how capable are people with the change)? If people are struggling with the change, how many are struggling, and what is the root cause for the low adoption rate? What are your measures in terms of specific desired objectives? - How do you know answers to these questions? You can use surveys, solicit feedback through interviews, focus groups or other forms of dialogue, make observations, monitor your specific goals, measure specific reinforcement actions.?

How to Avoid Mistakes? How to Increase Return on your Investment?

First, reinforcement sustains the change and ultimately increases the chances of return on investment. The greatest risk associated with the lack of reinforcement is that a person or a group reverts to the old behaviors. Without reinforcement, people may perceive that the effort is not valued.?

Using my example - I started the race and showed good progress in the middle of the race. However, when facing a challenge of a long hill - I was ready to stop, and I continued to run thanks to my daughter supporting and motivating me.?

Reinforcement continues momentum during the transitions.?

Second, plan for reinforcement and consider these elements to increase the likelihood people will continue taking actions for the change:?

1. Plan for rewards and recognition. Change is reinforced when recognition or reward is meaningful to the individual. Consider several factors to make sure the events and actions apply to the person, timely, coming from someone the person respects, valuable and relevant – associated with accomplishment, fair and inclusive. Employees often know when they succeeded at a change; recognition lets them know that others still care and that the change is important. Employees' supervisors/managers, as well as sponsors for the change, play essential roles here.

Some examples may include a genuine 'thank you' note or a conversation, in-person or public recognition, a group celebration - it is fun to get together with some food:). If in doubt who to include and how to recognize - consider inquiring with the individuals/team. "Five Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace" book by Gary Chapman and Paul White offers great recommendations.

Photo by?cottonbro from Pexels

2. Design an environment of accountability. Acknowledge people and demonstrate that you pay attention. This may include support systems for individuals and teams, check-ins and huddles for those involved in the change as well as their managers/supervisors and sponsors, and measurements related to actions and results. Implement a process to assess and make corrections. Implement processes (or standard operating procedures) and align with sponsors and managers on how to support the change. Sometimes it may be helpful to coach them on what it means. ??

If an individual or a team struggles with the change and realizes that no one pays attention, it may be a critical barrier to sustaining the change. A few years ago, I saw a team implementing a new process in their organization, and they put a visual board in one of the main hallways to show their progress. At first, there was much enthusiasm among the team and leadership around this. After a few weeks, however, employees stopped following the new direction and stopped updating the board. Managers and sponsors would pass in the hallway, and - whether they paid attention to the lack of progress or not, they said nothing. I understood that they never inquired about the situation. Soon this work was all forgotten by many on the team.

In some cases, negative consequences may need to be established after thoughtful assessment and inquiry, especially if there is peer pressure to do things the old way.?

3. Establish a new organizational memory as aligned with your values. How do you want employees to remember the change? What culture do you want to create? Now is the opportunity to create great memories and reflections. This is how the capacity for change increases, and the organization is ready for new changes in the future.?

Third and finally, in some situations, a transition needs to happen from the project that created the change to the team that will own it - be able to sustain the change. Some questions to ask in addressing it: Who will own the maintenance, reinforcement, and potential future enhancement - as it may relate to the new or changes to the programs, processes, and systems? Are the roles and expectations clear and aligned with everyone?

This article completes my series on change management - ADKAR. More to come at some point.

Was this helpful? Let's engage in the comments!

References and for more information:

[1] Hiatt, Jeffrey M. (2006). ADKAR: a model for change in business, government and our community.

[1] Hiatt, Jeffrey M.; Creasey, Timothy J. (2012). Change Management: The People Side of Change (2nd ed.)

[1] Prosci Inc.