How often has your company embarked on a major project only
to find that the organization went astray in the process? If your
answer is more than you’d like to admit, you are not alone. Most
change initiatives get lost along the way and fail to deliver the
expected returns sponsors hoped for.
PricewaterhouseCoopers says that nine out of 10 road blocks to
successful change programs are people related. And according to Ipsos MORI only one out of four employees believes change is
well managed in their organization.
The issue for most businesses is the growing disconnect between management’s desire to alter elements of its operation and an employee’s craving for clarity. Simply put, when companies do change, they focus too much on the “migration mechanics” and not enough on the employees affected.
Adding to the problem is that change communications don’t speak to the worker in their day-to-day language. They don’t illustrate success in tangible terms, and they don’t “sell” the pathway forward in a way that excites and motives employees.
Think of your employee recognition program as a better road sign. It can help steer employees in the right direction; driving alignment, putting behaviors into focus and accelerating the intended business improvements throughout the intersection of operations and employee groups.
Change is coming in your organization. If it’s not here already, it’s just down the road. The only question is what road sign are you using to keep your employees eyes on the pathway forward?
Who should be front and center on the change management challenge?
Who should own the outcome?
A. Senior management, who needs the ongoing flexibility to navigate its organization toward new approaches and better outcomes?
B. Middle managers responsible for all the moving parts—integration experts or system engineers who work to ease assimilation issues?
C. Other? HR for example—a group more prepared to manage the “human side” of change.
The answer should be “D” all of the above and here’s why.
Yes, senior management is highly dependent on their business’s ability to evolve and adapt in what’s a quickly changing business world. That’s one reason why their support and visibility is essential. No group is more prepared to explain the reasons and timing behind big changes, and has more riding on the outcome than the C-suite.
Support teams are also vital. Without them how would companies address any technical or functional glitch that might otherwise short-circuit the process?
Both roles are important but neither matters much unless the company is also focused on “the people dynamic”. That’s why HR must own the human side of change management.
Numerous thought leaders who know a thing or two about the discipline of HR—PricewaterhouseCoopers, Towers Watson, McKinsey—have all written about the lofty expectations top managers now have of their HR teams. In our talent-based economy, they expect HR to help prepare the organization to be more competitive. Owning the human side of change adoption is an area where HR can add a new dimension to the organization.
For more on this opportunity for HR, read our recent Performances Perspectives on change management.
How does your team deal with change?
This was a question posed recently to John Tortorella, successful head coach of the New York Rangers. I bring this up because his answer sounds like it’s coming from the mouth of an enlightened business executive instead of the coach behind one of the best teams in the National Hockey League.
Referencing the 29 teams his squad competes with, Tortorella noted how the Rangers must adjust and readjust to changing competition. His preparation revolves around three integrated aspects; skills, systems and strategy. He demands high skill levels but acknowledges that his team must sometimes modify their collective skills to better match the other team. “Our system—the routines we run, the combinations we deploy during the game—are flexible enough to bend and readjust based on the competition’s core strengthen. Our strategy for any of the teams we face is based on how we will leverage our skills—collectively, as individuals and teammates—and deploy them within the proper system as a cohesive unit.”
He also acknowledges that change—of their system and strategy—can let people off the hook if not properly managed. “If you don’t explain your rationale and don’t let everyone know what their roles are individually and why each role is critical to the big picture, they will question your plan and your leadership if things don’t go well. That’s why it important to keep everyone informed and motivated so they buy-into what we are doing here.”
Words we can all live by whether or not we make our living from behind a bench or a desk. Business leaders must keep the lines of communication open; they must translate the unit’s goals into specific actions and outcomes that individuals can understand and buy into, and they must keep everyone motivated and focused on how their individual skills support the group as a whole no matter how much the system or the strategy changes.
We recently contributed to a number of HR news stories exploring topics from employee recognition in Asia to crowdsourcing performance appraisals to retaining top talent.
“Asian Appreciation”
In the April issue of HR Executive, Madison’s Alex Alaminos and Mike Ryan commented on ways to boost employee engagement in China and the importance of localizing global programs. Alaminos acknowledged that older workers in China prefer to be recognized publicly, while younger workers adapt well to online recognition programs. “In China, it’s imperative that the program takes into account how employees culturally like to be recognized. HR should be involved in the process early on to make sure corporate is capturing everything,” said Alaminos.
“Inviting the Masses to Rate Employee Performance”
Mike Ryan contributed to a SHRM online story about crowdsourcing and employee performance appraisals. Ryan said, “It is shortsighted to think that a manager knows everything an employee has done with other teams and the impact that the employee has made…Crowdsourcing provides managers that additional insight and perspective.”
“Reducing Turnover & Keeping Top Performers”
For the Premium Incentive Products March/April issue, Mike Ryan discussed ways companies can keep high-performing knowledge workers as the global economy recovers. “When you have a high performer that you are sensing is disengaged and their contribution isn’t what it used to be, maybe it’s time to call and say, ‘I just want to take a moment to thank you for all of your efforts this last quarter to help us get beyond the last critical point,’” said Ryan.
I admit it. I too have resisted change. Guilty as charged.
It was before I joined Madison, back in my selling days when the company’s management team introduced a customer relationship management system to its reps.
For the marketing team, it was the Holy Grail. For sales, it was a huge red flag.
The issue for me—and the dozens of other reps covering hundreds of accounts ––was control. There were already rumors of layoffs and cut backs. We questioned what was going to happen to us after we handed over everything we had on our clients. Fear and uncertainty spread quickly. What was the real reason behind this new system? Was the company setting us up to be replaced?
Looking back now it’s clear to me that all of that anxiety could have been alleviated by leveraging the recognition program that was in place. My former employer could have explained that the CRM system would essentially help us penetrate our clients deeper and help lessen service problems –the kind of issues that monopolized our time and put future business in jeopardy. They could have rewarded the early adopters and they celebrated instances where the organization used the system to “team up” to deliver a better overall client experience. None of that happened and the rollout was less than successful.
Don’t make that same mistake. If you have a new process or procedure that you want your team (sales or otherwise) to embrace, use your recognition system to get them excited and focused on the benefits the change represents….your company will definitely see the results!