Leadership: Change Management

Comment: This is the third post of the Leadership Process series. I began this series because I saw a lack of rigor and discipline to leadership. The purpose of these posts is to look at a process model used by leaders. 

Change Management

After the vision and goals are set, the leader is now focused on putting the vision to task. There are two aspects of putting the vision to task; the introduction of the change caused by the vision and changes to the vision's goals as an ongoing process of incremental gains. The two aspects are considerably different.

Introduction of Change

Introducing change is a challenge and involves the art of persuasion. Often change at face value is rejected. Leaders must put together some sort of strategy to introduce change and the vision. This most often means that people must gain incremental buy off on the goals first before introducing the greater vision. This is the Secret of Socrates.

The process begins by assessing the environment. A leader will consider the level of tension or apprehension between the present and future states. The buyoff process involves knowledge, persuasion, decision, implementation, and confirmation. Knowledge is cognitive and reasoned. Whereas, persuasion is affective or sentient, feeling. The objective is to use just the right amount of knowledge in order to persuade people.

Knowledge communicates complex information relationships that may reveal an epiphany or revelation. The leader may use elevator speech, myth busting, wake-up calls, and repeating visible messages in order to grab the attention of the audience. However, the facts are held to just enough. Next the leader will attempt to persuade by transforming the knowledge into actionable causes through emotional connections, personal touch, analoguous stories, a shoulder to cry on, addressing fears, building identity, shocking realizations, and expressing sincere thanks. Successful persuasion removes tension between present and future states as well as engenders a belief in the need and ability to change.

In practice, there are several steps and they can be thought of as building the foundations for a constituency. Leaders will:

1. Test the waters. Leaders will dabble goals, strategy, and visions being formulated in small trusted circles by throwing ideas on the table and observing reactions to them. Leaders may test the waters more formally by porting a proof of concept.
2. Plan strategy for change.
3. Build awareness of need for change, spark interest, knowledge and persuasion.
4. Gain feedback and listen
5. Take time to reflect and empathize; I feel your pain.
6. Identify principle actors:
• Innovators
• Early adopters
• Early Majority
• Local sponsors
• Guru review
• Corporate angel
7. Respect resistance

Introducing a vision is change and change must be persuaded more than educated. The strongest approach to change is to have the core group, a constituency, recognize the need and to take ownership of the vision.

Ongoing Change Management

At this point the vision has been adopted. Pursuit of the goals has been ongoing and the need to make course corrections or add in a major change is necessary. This aspect of managing change is more formal and rigorous. There are numerous methods for change management. We will skim the surface in this post and return this topic in the post 'Planning for Updates'. Nonetheless, change management is rooted in documentation, baselines, deliberate planning, risk assessments, and communication.

A good change management program involves an understanding of roles, responsibilities, and adherence to project evaluation success criteria. Change management is a management program that requires a formalized change management method with the leader involved. A three phased method applies well to this type of change management:

1. Preparing for change; this is be discussed in a later post, 'Planning for Updates'
2. Managing change; this is the change management program in which changes are vetted.
3. Reinforcing change; this is a leadership duty involving core principles such as commitment, motivation, consequences, etc... This is be discussed in a later post on 'Core Principles'.

Typically, managing changes are documented and reviewed by a convening body of some sort. The base constituency, usually stakeholders, is usually involved in the decision to accept a change as well. Affects or impacts on cost, scope, quality, and schedules are assessed. If the change is adopted then it is integrated into the schedule and work packages are assigned.

Overall, ongoing change management is an integrated process beyond simply approving changes.