Transformational Change - Part 2 A beginning conversation

As I begin the second part of this brief commentary about transformation let me reiterate the words of Don Harrison: "So Get Real About What Doesn’t Work. Instead, Invest in What Does!" Great advice for us all. But what does work?

Lets look at some fundamentals for transformational change, cultural change, not only from Harrison, but other writers and consultants and my own experiences.

Reinforcement: Our organisations operate the way they do because that's what is reinforced because it works. Patterns of behaviour are reinforced and build a platforming culture of understandings that are rewarded for that behavior. These patterns of behaviour when repeated and successful lead to organisational, individual and team cultural edifices, structures, ways of working that give success. To change this we need to change the basis upon which the organisation exists; the operating model to deliver the products and services...so we need to at least change why we operate and map out a new path of behaviours to reinforce a new series of cultural behaviours. This is a basic core activity- asking why we are here and how we want to deliver goods and services.

As we decide on the above, we then need to take a good look at how people are rewarded, the performance management system, even the capability development system. How are people's behaviours to be reinforced?

Leaders roles in reinforcement of new behaviours is central. Performance appraisal processes and salaries, compensation, conditions of work are all keys to changing culture, transforming culture. Rewards and penalties applied between manager and direct reports are central pillars for transformation. Reinforcement of new values and ways of working is the way forwards. These need to occur immediately and continuously and be transparent and modelled. And, ongoing measuring, monitoring and feedback of behaviour, new cultural ways of working is crucial. Reinforcement for the new behaviors should occur immediately. This increases the rate of transformation. But remember the major question as Simon Sinek notes is Why? Why are we changing? What needs to change? How? When? Who?

Sponsorship: Sponsor behaviour as mentioned above in Part 1 is crucial. I cannot stress it enough. Sponsorship is an operational grass roots task. A sponsor is not merely a strategic leader. Sponsors need an element of fairness, letting go, and giving people the benefit of the doubt and supporting people through the new behavioural and mindset challenges. Sponsors need to be non-narcissistic, non- egotistical and exhibit servant leadership, true leadership. Sponsors need to talk, act and give reinforcement and rewards and recognition; consistently and regularly... say, do and reward; and, sponsors must express, model, and reinforce the new behaviours and changes. They cannot do that from their office desks. They need to build commitment, model it; show and build trust, and do it quickly and efficiently and through feedback loops do it effectively. That's a big element of transformational methodology for real change.

Sponsors Personal Costs: One reason why transformational change efforts fail is that sponsors need to show demonstrable change in their behaviour that signifies a sacrifice on the part of that sponsor, as noted by Harrison. Sponsors need to show that. Sponsor behaviour is crucial. As Harrison notes: "The most successful Transformations occur when ? incumbent sponsors live their own Transformational journey in plain view of the organization, ? ways in which they model the journey are inherently transparent, ? sponsors demonstrate their willingness to sacrifice at a personal level, ? required substantive changes are made at an individual level, and then…these sponsors lead the organization and drive the Transformation." This is so crucial for change managers to remember. This is similar in Australian organisations in which I have worked as a change management professional in transformational change initiatives.

Sponsors can nurture a transformational change. They can also destroy it by their inaction and degrees of resistance.

Often the sponsors are the resistors because we are asking them to "ditch" previous successful behaviours.

And middle-managers also often put up the shutters and resist. The organisational people seek to replicate the behavioural patterns that have been succeeding up till now, sometimes in spite of the looming changes across the horizon- like the proverbial frog slowly boiling in hot water. Even if we radically seek to alter the frame of reference (FOR) people seem to gravitate back to what they know. This is basic human psychology, it seems.

The unknown and the uncertain is the challenge for change and project managers.

So as we mentioned in the Part 1 conversation...to transform a culture of an organisation, rather than change things only incrementally is to do certain things: No more jumping to conclusions of old by powerpoint decks, no more immediate dependence upon the training programs, no more giving the outsiders the nod, and let Big Four consultants roam freely...and deliver..."not much!"

Check the context first- before coming in with pre-prescriptive ideas for transformative actions.

Do a deep dive analysis across the organisation and keep the minds of leaders, managers and sponsors of funding wide - open and most of all check if the sponsor is on your side.

If not, I am almost sure...its probably best to say "No" to the project until he/she is fully supportive of the project and most importantly, fully and totally supportive of you as the change manager. 

When we are changing the basic, core fabric of your organization it is more difficult than meets the eye and we must focus on what works within, not just put in lots of activity for the sake of activity gleaned from our past experiences, research and texts. These are good but serve as advisory ideas that need checking with people and context before selection and application.

Whether it is Don Harrison's Accelerating Implementation Methodology (AIM); a set of strategies, tactics, principles, and tools that can be applied to any change, including Transformational Change; or my Catalyst of Change Cultural Transformation framework; or Ed Schein's culture change principles, Kotter's Twelve steps to change an organisation; Bremmer's more recent cultural tools; or Wheatley's principles of chaos and complexity thinking from the New Sciences; or any other methodological approach that drives your transformative wheels:

We/you need to utilise much exceptional vigour, rigor and focus upon the human elements of transformative, cultural and behavioural patterns of change. We must apply as much to the human side of change as to operational and financial areas, using our new core operating models and frames of reference as a grounding, grass roots platform to launch the new ways of working.

Transformational Change is a radical and complex change management and project management phenomenon requiring specialised, developed and explicit expertise and strong implicit attitudes and resilience.

Transformational change requires much effort on the ground as well as in the air, so to speak, from sponsors.

It requires active sponsors with wise minds and clever decisions.

It also requires clever change management and project personnel with shoulders to the wheels in terms of methodological advice and coaching support every centimetre along the way.