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Attending the #SeventeenX event in Perth was inspiring and truly eye-opening. We cannot ignore the 17 UN Sustainability Goals that call for everyone to act now.
Whether we listen to First Nations taking care of the country and honouring the seasons or read about the ancient Greeks and Romans, people always knew that change is inevitable. Yet the uncertainty that comes with unchartered territory can scare the living daylights out of us.
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As a passionate change champion, I have learned that embracing the idea of change is a safe first step towards success.
In the last blog, we learned that Change Management is a process designed to help individuals and organisations navigate transitions effectively. All transitions require patience and continuous learning from both organisations and individuals. The successful transformation is then determined by us balancing across the tightrope between progress and maintaining the existing business.
This blog post will explore how to approach Change Management in a pragmatic way and how to level up with the right solutions.
We will start by discussing what Change Management is, why it is important and everyone's responsibility. We will then look at storytelling for change, using analogies like bridges, trees, and babies to illustrate different aspects of the process. We will then discuss how to scale your efforts, offering tips and resources to explore further. Finally, we will touch on safe and sustainable practices for smoother transitions.
Let’s get started!
What is Change Management and why should you care?
Change management is a systematic process focused on organisational change and how to prepare, manage, and sustain it. It is the process of helping individuals and businesses transition from a current state to a desired future state, while minimising disruption and maintaining alignment with overall objectives. Change management requires close communication and collaboration of stakeholders to ensure that everyone is engaged. It also involves developing strategies for dealing with resistance, anticipating potential problems, and mitigating change-related risks.
At its core, change management is about creating an environment that welcomes and encourages transformation. Change is everyone's responsibility and it is essential for companies to develop a culture of change. All stakeholders need to understand their change role and how it contributes to the business transformation. When stakeholders feel heard and respected during the transition period, they are more open to adapting and actively participating in the change management process. Emphasising the individual benefits helps to turn resistance into engagement. Investing in capabilities such as emotional intelligence, the psychology of change and a growth mindset can pay dividends when it comes to stakeholder engagement and scaling your change initiatives and efforts.
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Storytelling for Change
Storytelling is an effective way to engage stakeholders and build a sense of collective ownership around the change process. Aboriginals have been relying on stories since the dawn of time. Our ability to make sense of, empathise with and remember experiences is deeply entrenched in human nature. Stories help us better understand the context and purpose of change.
Here are four short stories to help you explain different aspects of Change Management:
Preparing for Change Impact: The Leaning Tower of Pisa Syndrome!
If you want to build a change success that stands tall, make sure you lay the right foundations; otherwise, it will be like building the Leaning Tower of Pisa - you will end up with an out-of-balance project and nothing to show for it! Change does not happen overnight, so plan your stakeholder engagement communications early during project initiation to prepare for change impacts and potential quicksand. Once the tower starts leaning, you will be fighting fires, treading water, complaining about the lack of time or hands on deck - all expressions Change Managers are unfortunately way too familiar with.
Build bridges, not walls
The Golden Gate Bridge provides amazing benefits by connecting two sides of the city and supporting hundreds of thousands of people every day to move from one side to the other. Without the bridge, people would be stuck at point A, aka the status quo, but somebody had a vision: Build bridges, not walls. If we replace the us-versus-them-walls with bridges, we can move forward together instead of against one another. This story is an excellent analogy for the importance of a powerful vision, collaboration, and collective action.
Nurturing and Engaging Stakeholders, Just Like Trees
Perth's biggest Park is filled with trees ranging from budding saplings to towering giants. Imagine you visit an old Gumtree here to reflect on how stakeholder management works much like the trees in Kings Park. Stakeholders have their own unique growth patterns, just like these trees. Some people quickly embrace and adapt to change, while others take more time to establish deep roots before they grow branches and develop lush leaves. You may point out that some of the older trees have withstood the test of time, provided stability, and helped the entire city. Just like trees, stakeholders can be nurtured, trained, and directed. All it takes are the right Change Management solutions and genuine engagement.
Guess what? This blog is inspired by our Speed Mentoring Change Conversation Starter Cards.
I pulled the card: "What skills help you manage and learn change?" and Sam pulled "We need to leave our comfort zone to change. How do you build a learning culture/habit?" and boom, the ideas just kept on coming. 15 minutes later, we agreed that you need to be privy to what we've learned. Watch this video to find out more innovative and fun ways to use the cards to excite your colleagues to change. Don't have the cards yet? Head over to our shop to get your deck, today.
Change is Like a Baby's First Year!
Business change starts with a new way of working, much like a mother introduces her newborn to the world. At first, things move slowly, and we may not see any progress, but a lot is happening inside. Important people are identified and involved, risks are assessed, and schedules are set. Just like the baby will start rolling, then crawling and eventually taking the first steps, so too the business moves through a series of stages to transition from its current state to its desired future state. This is where Change Managers support the organisation to get up when they stumble or trip. With the right Change Management Solutions, businesses learn and adapt quickly. Like toddlers, businesses evolve into thriving entities that spread joy and innovation across the world.
Telling stories is a powerful way to engage stakeholders and bring Change Management to life. Instead of just talking about change, stories help people relate to their shared change experience and realise their role and responsibilities in making change a reality. Without employees transitioning, there is no business transformation.
Level Up with Right Change Management Solutions
Let's look at a few tools and resources that I use to level up my Change Management Approach and overcome capacity or capability limitations.
According to Safe Work Australia, "Poor organisational change management is a psychosocial hazard. This means it can cause psychological and physical harm." Helping stakeholders to stay positive and open-minded can make a big difference in how changes are received and can have a significant impact on mental health.
Poor organisational change management is a psychosocial hazard. This means it can cause psychological and physical harm.
-Safe Work Australia
Safe Work Australia explicitly calls out "poorly planned changes (e.g., changes are disorganised or do not have a clear goal)", so having a proper change management foundation is critical. Putting that foundation into place requires time, money, and people. Unfortunately, in my experience, too many organisations still skim that part and launch into projects without a Change Manager, a Change Management budget, a training window, and proven Change Management Solutions.
If you cannot wait, know that the right tools and resources can save you significant time in the run-up to a change and, with that, allow you to reduce risk, scale capacity, build capability, reduce stress, and save time later.
There are many change management tools available that I find indispensable.
Here are my top 3 picks:
With these versatile Change Management Solutions, I find it easy to make time to nurture relationships, build trust and address any concerns head-on. Rather than being busy, I can manage the transition and change in a safe and sustainable way.
This blog post covers the importance of building bridges rather than walls in order to move forward together, how stakeholders must be nurtured and engaged just like trees, and how Change Managers can use tools and resources to help ensure a successful transition. Additionally, it uses analogies such as the Golden Gate Bridge, babies' first year and Perth's Kings Park to illustrate this point and make change management come alive. By using proven and tested Change Management Solutions, you too can be successful in managing change and delivering sustainable transformation with measurable benefits and success.
Now, it is time to put these tips into action! What Change Management Solutions do you prefer? Share your thoughts on social media using the hashtag #exceleratingchange. Start a conversation, learn how to make a difference, and reach the 17 UN Sustainability & Development Goals.
Eva is one of the masterminds behind Approach Services' blog and The 6 Cents of Change. She is an innovator, trainer and change manager. Her work has been published in the Schmalenbach Journal of Business Research. In her spare time, she enjoys camping with her two little boys and permaculture gardening.
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