Leading Change is a Culture Thing

Gallup’s largest global study conducted last year on the future of work shows a few disturbing statistics:

1.      Managers report being less clear about expectations than those they manage.

2.      Some two-thirds of managers are either not engaged or actively disengaged in their work and workplace.

From discussions in leadership and leading change workshops I’ve run with both large and small organisations, it’s clear that one of the biggest issues facing managers is that they don’t know how to deal with the constant change coming at them and their teams.

Constant change means constantly changing expectations. Being clear about expectations is one of the biggest factors affecting employee engagement – if we don’t know what’s expected of us, or what constitutes a good job in our boss’s eyes, it’s hard to be engaged in our work and workplace.

Many organisations approach change management from a project and process perspective. But, while a solid change process is essential, because change is a constant, it needs to be seen as part of our organisational philosophy, not a never-ending series of change projects with corresponding continually changed expectations. In other words, we need a mindset shift, from viewing each change simply as a separate goal to be tackled, to integrating continual change into our corporate culture.

Corporate culture is essentially the philosophy that underpins how people think, behave and interact in the workplace. It’s the unwritten guidelines that affect peoples’ attitudes to their work and work environment.

There are five key principles that can support the development of a positive culture of change:

1.      Change the language you use around change – stop constantly referring to “change” and talk about “continual improvement”, or some similar phrase that has more positive connotations. That may sound like window-dressing, but language has a huge impact on how people feel about things. And after all, isn’t continual improvement mostly what change is about?

2.      Encourage curiosity in your employees. Encourage them to question how and why they’re doing things the way they are and to look for better ways – encourage them to lead the search for continual improvement. Start a movement for continual improvement, even if it’s just in your team or section. Create a sense of anticipation, even excitement, about change and improvement by involving your people deeply in how best to implement it, better still in designing it if possible, instead of just thrusting it on them project by project.

3.      Help employees understand from day one that things are going to be constantly changing as the organisation flexes, adapts and adjusts to a changing environment and strives to stay ahead of the game.

4.      Set expectations early and clearly. Help your people understand what’s expected of them in their job and especially around change. You want them to contribute positively to continually improving, to achieving the best possible outcomes for your team and section, for the business as a whole, and, as a result, for themselves. And if they’re kicking goals individually, so are you as their boss.

5.      Help your people feel good about what they’re doing, even - perhaps particularly - the little things, and especially when they embrace change in some way. Your job as a manager and leader is to support your people, not to control them. The vast majority of people want to do the right things and to do them right, so tell them when they are and gently adjust them when they’re not by once again clarifying expectations.

It’ll take time and consistent attention to develop a positive culture around change, but it’s critical to start. And while this needs to pervade the whole organisation, each manager, supervisor and team leader can make a difference on their own. Momentum will gather because even small teams can positively influence attitudes in other teams, and as the movement gains momentum, the results can be stupendous.

Wouldn’t a positive culture of change make your job as a manager easier?