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Brown Bagger

This section is set up to provide a ready-made Brown Bag Session for you to use with employees and/or managers. Use as is, or adapt this information for a general employee group. You may reproduce as many copies as needed.

Keep Employees Focused and Committed to Change ompanies spend millions of dollars each year in order to make change initiatives a success.

And yet the results are frequently dismal — changes fail to achieve their objectives, and leaders are left wondering what went wrong.

Managers blame “change-phobic” employees, while employees counter that leaders didn’t manage the change effectively. Anyone responsible for helping drive change in an organization finds all this finger pointing frustrating. If only the origins of the failure could be pinpointed, perhaps it could be headed off at the pass.

Here’s some good news: A survey conducted by OnPoint Consulting revealed that the real source of the problem isn’t getting employees’ support for the initiative — it’s keeping their support and commitment at high levels.

“Most managers know they have to clarify the purpose of the change, develop a transition plan, and get employees committed to the change effort right up front,” said Richard Lepsinger, president of OnPoint Consulting, and co-author (along with Gary Yukl) of Flexible Leadership: Creating Value by Balancing Multiple Challenges and Choices, $44, Jossey-Bass/A. Wiley Imprint. “Many of them do a pretty good job at first. But in the first month after the big kickoff, a trend among both top-performing and less successful companies reveals itself — employment commitment and support for the change begins to falter,” Lepsinger added. “I call that point the ‘commitment dip.’ It’s the point where the employees’ support for, clarity about, and commitment to change falls off, sometimes dramatically.”

However, top-performing companies detect this dip and quickly take action to get back on track.

Less successful firms take longer to reverse the trend — and even if they are able to do so, many times their recovery does not stick. In fact, OnPoint research found that if an organization does not take corrective action to get the change initiative back on track in the first one to three months, there is little likelihood that it will achieve its objectives or

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realize its full potential.

Based on its research, OnPoint has devised guidelines for what managers and other corporate leaders can do to avoid the commitment dip and implement successful changes in 2008:  Be honest about the change and its impact.

Many leaders are hesitant to discuss major changes with employees. Sometimes it’s a misguided attempt to “protect” them. Other times it’s because managers are afraid that they won’t be able to answer all of their employees’ questions. In fact, 64% of OnPoint survey respondents said that open and honest communication from management, even when they don’t have all the answers, makes change easier.

The overall message is that workers want their superiors to be accessible and to engage in what Lepsinger calls “change talk.” According to Lepsinger, change talk simply means using questions like, “What do you see as the pros and cons of the change?” or “Do you feel confident that you can successfully make the change?” Such discussion keeps the lines of communication open, and it gives leaders an opportunity to engage in discussion that might otherwise be difficult to initiate. “It’s a good way to evaluate people’s level of changereadiness and to clarify key issues,” he stated.

“We’ve also found that this dialogue will help move people to the next level of readiness.”  Model behaviors that support the change.

In other words, “walk the talk!” Be sure that managers don’t revert to “old” behaviors. If employees perceive that there are two sets of rules and behaviors — one for them and one for upper management — the change will lose credibility and be seen as less important.

“It’s not enough to just say the right thing or even enthusiastically communicate the benefits and EA Report Brown Bagger 1

Brown Bagger the business case for the change,” Lepsinger said.

“Employees want to see those words backed up with behavior. That is how they judge how effectively someone is leading and managing. In order to be successful, everyone involved in the change should be ‘walking the talk.’”  Get middle managers on board.

Conventional wisdom emphasizes the importance of getting the senior team on board. But one big difference between top companies and less successful ones seems to be the extent to which middle-level managers feel they are involved and are an integral part to the change process.

OnPoint’s research showed that the involvement of mid-level managers in the top and less successful organizations is similar at the initiation of change.

However, top-performing companies are more effective at maintaining and increasing mid-level manager involvement in the first three months than are the less successful organizations. At the one- to three-month mark, top-performing companies experience a sharp increase in participation and engagement of middle-level managers, while the less successful firms remain fairly constant over time, with a slight drop-off at the 10-month mark.  Don’t put your plan on automatic pilot.

Many companies do a lot of work on the front end to put a plan in place that clearly communicates objectives, and prioritizes them so that employees know what they should be doing and when. They assume when they lay out the work to be done, all they need to do is switch on the automatic pilot and say, “Go,” and employees will remain committed to the plan and carry out whatever’s needed.

Companies that do this will find that they aren’t attaining the necessary objectives. “Planning, by definition, is working toward an unknown future date. When you’re making your plan, you know what you would like to happen, and you can predict some of the problems and obstacles that might pop up. However, you will discover what you are actually up against and the plan will have to be 2 EA Report Brown Bagger

adjusted,” Lepsinger said. “That’s why you must treat your plan as a living document — one that you keep coming back to and revising as you learn and discover unanticipated problems and opportunities.”  Set realistic objectives and milestones.

Regardless of how often you revisit and revise your plan, changes aren’t successful if management isn’t realistic about what can be accomplished in the time available. Don’t set employees up for failure by asking them to bite off more than they can chew in the first critical few months. If they feel overwhelmed in getting certain goals accomplished, they will lose enthusiasm for the effort. Thinking big is great, but not when it endangers implementation of your plan. As employees reach realistic goals and milestones, they will become more positive about the change and will see its benefits.

“As we’ve mentioned, our research shows that things will get worse before they get better during the first month,” Lepsinger said. “Targeting unattainable goals certainly isn’t going to speed up our successes. If anything, it’ll frustrate and demoralize employees during those first few critical months, and the time and energy you’ve spent preparing for the change will have been a waste.”  Don’t underestimate the resources required. Either an overcommitment of existing resources, or an underestimation of what it takes to accomplish objectives are primary causes for failing to meet intended outcomes.

Keep in mind that employees have other responsibilities aside from the work they’ll need to do to make the change a success. If management doesn’t provide them with the resources needed to be successful, they either won’t be able to commit themselves to making the change successful, or they won’t be able to do their other work well.

“Eighty-two percent of the people at top-performing organizations we surveyed said that the availability of adequate resources is a key element in successfully achieving objectives,” Lepsinger stressed. “Without the proper resources, employees will quickly become frustrated.”

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 Maintain enthusiasm among employees.

Think about what’s going on during the first month of a major organizational change.

Senior-level managers are pumping up the troops, traveling from office to office promoting the change and making sure everyone is on board. Banners, buttons, and other promotional materials are circulating to ensure that the change is on every employee’s mind. After the first month, though, senior-level managers return to their usual day-to-day responsibilities, and employees can lose focus on the task at hand. To keep employee enthusiasm from waning, continuously celebrate the company’s successes and communicate the benefits of the change to employees to keep them motivated and performing at a high level. Devise a reward system so that employees benefit when they successfully meet objectives or reach set milestones.

“You have to keep the change in front of employees at all times — not only during that first month,” Lepsinger said. “It’s another reason why you can’t put your plan on automatic pilot, and it’s why leaders need to model behaviors that support the change for the duration of the initiative, not just at the kickoff.”

Brown Bagger Effectively managing major change is crucial to any organization. It’s no wonder that this factor crops up on nearly every list of keys to organizational and leadership success. Yet, despite the amount of time and money that has been invested in educating organizations and training leaders in the tools and skills to effectively manage change, the results have been uneven at best. OnPoint’s survey provides a key step in showing companies where the problems are, and what they can do to make changes more successful.

“It is possible to avoid the commitment dip,” Lepsinger stated. “Follow our recommendations, and you will keep your employees highly committed and focused on making change in your organization a success.”

Richard Lepsinger has extensive experience in formulating and implementing strategic plans, and managing change. He has addressed executive conferences and made presentations to leadership teams on the topics of leader effectiveness, strategy execution, managing change, performance management, 360degree feedback, and developing and using competency models to enhance organizational performance. For more information, visit www.onpointconsultingllc.com.

The Four Stages of Change n awareness of the four stages of the change process will help manage expectations and response more effectively.

The Change — This is the initial stage when the big change occurs. Emotions are heightened and people are fearful during this time because they don’t know what the change is all about. If the individuals affected by the change don’t understand or agree with the reasons, they may feel anxiety, dread, or resentment.

Resistance — Once the initial emotional response is over, there is usually a period of resistance. During this stage you may hear statements like: “This will never work,” “They don’t have a clue what they are doing,” “The way we used to do it worked just fine!” “I’m not going to do this unless I have to,” or

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“They’ll have to prove it to me first!”

Compliance — In this stage people begin doing things the “new way” even though they are still feeling some resistance. They may say things like: “I don’t like it but I’ll do it,” “I’ll go along with this for now because it will never last,” or “OK, I’ll do it, but I don’t agree.”

Acceptance — The new way of doing things becomes the norm. In fact, the new norm becomes “the good old way” that people cling to when the next change comes along.

Source: Jim Dawson, managing partner of ADI Performance.

Jim trains professionals in the strategies of leadership, communications, and management. He can be reached at (770) 6400840 or jrdawson@adiperformance.com.

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Brown Bagger H A N D O U T Change can be Liberating taying focused and committed to change isn’t easy. It’s human nature to resist change, but in today’s technological, global society, change can’t be avoided. The slower-paced lifestyle that our parents and grandparents knew is gone. However, it is possible to break down a complex change process into smaller, easier steps. I have organized them by using the acronym L-I-B-E-R-A-T-E.

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3Look — Determine what needs to change. Start small. What is ONE behavior or action that can be made?

3Importance — Consider the value of the change. Recognizing that the future value will outweigh the current status quo can help make people more receptive to change.

3Blocks — What are the perceived obstacles? Many times, change is difficult because obstacles derail us. Identify the obstacles.

3Eliminate — How can you eliminate obstacles? Believing that obstacles are insurmountable can bring organizational efforts to a grinding halt. Brainstorm with someone that isn’t “stuck” in this same way. Entertain all suggestions to see if any are viable.

3Reinforce — Making big changes is easier when we have support. Whether this comes in the form of an employee assistance professional, co-worker, or someone else, support can clarify what’s needed and motivate employees to action.

3Assess — Assess the results. This step could be compared to taking a car for a test drive to see what it can do.

3Tweak — Next, fine-tune your approach and try again. This is an ideal time to review the impact or value of the change once it’s completed.

3Engage — When you engage yourself and make strides toward goals, you’ll become your own best agent of change.

Source: Connie Butler, author, and personal and professional coach. She can be reached at (305) 534-1119, connie@conniebutler.biz or visit www.conniebutler.biz.

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