Creating the Desire for Change

The best way to build trust and ensure your change initiative is successful is by being open and honest from the start. If there are going to be roles re-deployed or job losses then it is better that you address these issues – rather than having them addressed through informal communication channels. Did you make any new years resolutions this year? Be honest: Have you slipped back into your old habits and forgotten all about them? If you have then you’ll understand how difficult it is to change. Similarly, in business, one of the major reasons for failure to deliver successful change initiatives can be attributed to the over-emphasis on process and technology, rather than people. Change is all around you as organizations continue to seek out new ways to transform themselves and get ahead of the competition. A model developed by research company Prosci, first published in 2003, focuses on five actionable outcomes. These drive successful individual change and therefore successful organizational change. It uses the acronym ADKAR which represents: A – Awareness of the need for change. Once completed the individual will understand why the change is necessary. D – Desire to support and participate in the change. The individual makes a personal decision to support and participate in the change. K – Knowledge of how to change. This addresses the training and education component of the change so the individual knows how to change and how to perform once the change is completed. A - Ability to implement the change. This stage supports the actual performance of the individual through practice, coaching and feedback. R – Reinforcement to sustain the change. The final stage ensures individuals don’t revert back to the old ways of doing things. The key building block of this model is creating, at the individual level, the desire to support and participate in the change. A number of organizations will roll out a standard communication and training plan, and tick the change management box with the expectation that this creates the necessary desire for the change. But by focusing on the individual level and understanding peoples’ attitude to change you are able to target and engage those folks most affected by using different strategies to increase their desire to accept the changes being introduced. Your change initiative becomes much more successful as more people make a personal choice to embrace it. Some good examples of strategies for creating the desire for change include: Effective leadership – Empower leadership teams and sponsors with a clear vision of the end state and ensure these messages are communicated effectively. People will follow leaders who are excited and enthusiastic. There is no better way to increase an individual’s desire to change than through effective leadership. Communication and participation – A lot of decisions are made by project managers and leadership teams that can impact individuals outside of the project team. Get them involved early, listen and understand concerns before signing off on decisions that directly affect them. People are more responsive to change if they have been involved with some of the decision-making. People will help build what they help to create. Open and honest from the start – People are smart. The best way to build trust and ensure your change initiative is successful is by being open and honest from the start – if there are going to be roles redeployed or job losses then it is better that you address their fears rather than having them addressed through informal communication channels. Everybody has a choice – Oftentimes, individuals need to be made aware of their choices. If they don’t agree with the change or don’t have the desire to change then they can always ‘step off the bus’. Listen – Ensure communication is two-way. By listening to and understanding objections you are able to provide clarity about the change and address the concerns and objections at an individual level. Summary Giving employees the opportunity to make a personal decision to support and participate in the change takes time and can’t be done successfully in one meeting – there are a number of different strategies and techniques that need to be applied to each situation. One technique that will never fail you is sitting down with people that are being impacted by the change and asking, ‘How’s it going?’ [eventpdf]

Creating the Desire for Change

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