Leveraging lean change management when adopting OKRs | Alignment
This article series focuses on the four components of lean change management and how to use the framework when adopting OKRs.
Let’s start with some basics…lean change management is a feedback-driven, agile-inspired framework for managing change specifically focusing on alignment, ecosystem, experiments, and people. It is not a typical linear or binary process that most are used to.?OKRs (Objectives and Key Results) are a popular goal-setting framework used by many organizations to align teams and individuals towards common objectives.
The lean change management method is highly adaptable, people-first focused, continuous, and allows for co-creation.
Think of lean change management as implementing change with an agile mindset. Always iterating, continuously improving.
The first component of lean change management in this article series is Alignment.
Alignment in OKRs, whether vertical or horizontal, enables people and teams to cascade or localize their strategic goals and outcomes that helps to create a holistically linked strategy top to bottom (or bottom to top depending on your alignment method).
Alignment, one of the beneficial components of OKRs, is also critical when going through any sort of change.
There are four steps within alignment of lean change management.?
1.??????Facilitate a conversation
When first adopting OKRs, the first major conversation should be with the sponsor (and possibly steering committee), focusing on all the critical pieces of a successful roll out:
A tool for facilitating a lean conversation and promoting dialogue is Lean Coffee
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2.??????Capture the outcome
Collect the information from the initial scoping conversation in a change canvas that is easy to digest and communicate widely. This is critical for gaining buy-in from all stakeholders, a common understanding of what’s happening and where to find critical change updates. With OKR adoption, it’s critical that people and teams understand what is expected of them so they can plan accordingly. Explicit and sometimes prescriptive instructions are required as well for those with limited capacity.
3.??????Make it visible
Now that you have information captured on a canvas, or storyboard, make it widely available to your organization so that everyone is aligned on the occurring change. Post it in the office or a central online location. A great place to have it might be the OKR knowledge center that your organization should have, make it front and center.?
4.??????Reinforce Continually
As your organization continues its OKR journey, conversations should be as frequent as required to maintain engagement and alignment. Make sure the discussions are two-way so that feedback is captured, and the change plan is adapted as needed. Keep your canvases up to date and hold people and teams accountable to the expectations communicated.
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Heading up finance, people, legal, and operations at Morressier.
1 年Oh! Very much looking forward to reading the rest of the series. Thanks for sharing.
Awesome writeup! Glad you enjoyed the course!