The details in this article resonate well with my career, especially the early part. The paradox of being good at problem-solving and providing solutions was lived out daily. You have a history of solving problems so naturally you are given larger problems with more complexitywith greater impact to more people. As you drive the solutions you quickly find out that change is easier when you are an individual contributor. The more people that are involved, the greater the need for a plan for change management. The article notes these three keys for turning the tide on leading change:
- First, acknowledge past failures.
- Ground your plan in evidence.
- Regularly ask how your plan for change feels different from past efforts.
I would like to offer some insight into the second key on grounding your plan in evidence.
The methodology and tools / resources are not mine. I adopted them and use them regularly combining them with other lean tools like A3’s. It is the frustration and failures of past change attempts that keeps me tied to the list of change management tools that follows. They will be upacked individually insubsequent posts but are listed here as a foundation for developing your own rigorous change management plan. When these were adopted and practiced with discipline I found them to be a change enabler that shortened the adoption time of the proposals and also lessened the resistance and eased the emotional cycle that stakeholders experience when going through change.
My change notebook – my “plan in evidence” consists of:
- Change Management Charter
- Change Readiness Assessment
- Stakeholder Analysis
- RACI Matrix
- Communication Plan
- Risk Management Assessment
- Risk Management Plan
- Impact/Effort Wins Matrix
- Change Implementation Plan with milestones
- After Action Review
More to come on the use of these tools so stay posted.
I’d love to hear what you have experienced and learned through your challenges to implement change in your organization. Feel free to leave a comment or send an email.
Source: Leading Change in a Company That’s Historically Bad At It
Operational Excellence Playbook 