Navigating roadblocks to cultural change

The Mindful Business Charter is about effecting meaningful cultural change in our working practices. Sometimes, as with any change programme, there are people that get in the way. They are not bad people, although too often they are labelled that way – “dinosaurs” is a common description. Very often these will be senior people with influence who have operated successfully in a certain way for many years. Their motivation for resistance to change is very rarely born of a desire to be a nuisance. More likely it will come from one or more of a number of understandable sources, including:

• Not recognising the underlying need for change;
• Security in the status quo, and with it an instinctive fear of change;
• Not wanting to be a pioneer;
• Fear of what clients or other stakeholders will think and how they will react;
• Fear that what is proposed will be destructive revolution, perhaps coupled with a belief that the proposed change ignores the fundamental commercial realities of business;
• Not feeling part of the change - a sense that it is being done to them as opposed to with them;
• Too much, too quickly and not feeling they have the bandwidth to engage;
• Being labelled as a problem with the resulting hardening of opposition this can lead to.

It may sometimes be necessary to get behind some initial bluster to understand the real underlying concern(s).

Creating and embedding sustainable change has been a challenge for as long as humans have collaborated, and our modern organisations are in many ways no different to those that evolved throughout human history. There is a wealth of learning and expertise available from organisational psychologists and developers and others. And any change programme will need to be based around any number of conversations with key people, some of whom will be resistant to the proposed change. Here are some simple thoughts to have in mind with those conversations.

• Change takes time, repetition and iteration. Those promoting change need to be patient as a result.
• The change programme may be your top priority, but it is unlikely to be theirs.
• Every journey begins with a first small step and as more small steps are added a direction of travel becomes possible.
• Most people are well intentioned, even if they do not appear to agree with you, or see the world as you do. Be respectful and compassionate. Engage in discussion, and in that discussion listen and show you have heard and understood. This is not listening with a view to counter argue, and to highlight our division, but listening to understand and to share what we have in common.
• It will be easier to effect change if you have key people on board – try to maintain a mindset of achieving consensus and a critical mass of support to begin change, even if that means compromising a little on the ambition for that change.
• Co-create solutions – people are far more likely to support change if they feel they have been able to contribute to it – MBC is not a one size fits all rule book, but a permissive framework and common language – encourage people to make their own use of it.
• Understand what motivates the individual and couch the conversation in that – for a professional services partner the delivery of fantastic client service is likely to be near the top of their list so frame the discussion around that. What is in it for them?
• People will often respond to that by which they are measured and assessed – if the main driver of someone’s performance assessment and reward is one thing, and you are asking them to focus on another which might be seen as contrary to it, there will be tension that is resistant to change. Consider therefore, whether other performance metrics need to be included – adding more about the “how” and toning down the “what” of what was achieved.
• Keep a focus on what people are able to do and contribute, as opposed to what they feel unable to do.
• Keep an eye on the bigger picture and avoid getting bogged down by minor irritations.
• Champion and celebrate successes rather than focussing on what hasn’t yet been achieved.
• Tell stories, and do so honestly. Share successes but also be frank about challenges – the credibility of the change will depend on people believing what they are told.
• Avoid labelling people as troublemakers as this will only serve to harden positions and risks creating blocs of resistance as those so labelled join forces.
• Remember that in any process of change there will be innovators and early adopters before the majority come on board, and finally the laggards – all groups need to be engaged but think about where your efforts and energy are best directed at any point in time.
• Remember that sometimes road blocks are just that and you need to go round them. If a person remains resistant to change, you may need to drive round them bringing a cohort with you. In time the blocker may move of their own accord, or, at a later stage, perhaps because of seeing the progress or because their circumstances and/or perception has changed, they may be more amenable to a conversation about change.

Finally, as the driver of change, remember that all of this can be exhausting, and if too many of your conversations are difficult it can be demoralising. Think about your need to re-energise. Use the MBC community, perhaps, as a source of support and encouragement. Knowing that you are not facing the challenges alone can provide the energy and inspiration to persist.