Get the skills: Change management

‘This organisation needs to change.’ At some point, we have all said something similar, or heard those around us say it. However, organisations do not change; it is the people within them that do, and then, only when they understand and support the need for change.

 

Change management is about helping individuals to get to grips with change from understanding the reason behind any transformation project and what it means for the individual to providing the skills employees need to play their part in the change and celebrating success.

 

For sustainability to become embedded across the organisation, change needs to happen at all levels of the organisation. It is a multi-step process, but all too often we dive straight into the middle. 

 

Managers and team leaders often forget that they have had a chance to discuss what needs to change and why during the planning phase of a project. The rest of the team only gets to hear about the change when it is in motion, for example when a new training programme is announced. The manager or team leader has jumped straight to implementation and is surprised that a project which is ‘so obviously needed’ meets resistance. 

 

All teams need to have an opportunity to explore what will change and why so they are not surprised and wonder ‘where this has all come from’. Adopting a structured approach to change management ensures essential steps are not overlooked.

 

Theories of change

ADKAR, Kotter’s Theory of Change, McKinsey’s 7 Ss… There are many different change management frameworks to help you plan and facilitate change. They all have a number of common principles at their core. Taking time to stop and think how these principles relate to any business transformation will help, whether you want to roll out a new process or help the organisation to become more sustainable.

1. Map it out: While change is rarely a linear process, it is important to start by thinking about the current state of play and what you want to achieve. Only then can you really see what needs to change and how. You can also begin to think about the various stages and whether it is one large disruptive change, or a series of incremental developments that are transformational over time. From your plan, identify key people and points where engagement is essential (see points 8-11 below).

2. Understand what makes the organisation tick: Every organisation has its own culture and ways of doing things. While senior management support for any new sustainability initiative is always important, a top-down drive for change is more influential in some organisations than others. It is also worth thinking about the capacity for change, whether the organisation is nimble and reacts to change quickly, or is more of a super tanker that takes time to alter direction. Does it have the people, skills and resources in place to effect change? Is the organisation’s culture aligned with its sustainability strategy – if not, it is going to be challenging to achieve the necessary changes. The organisation may have navigated a number of transformation projects in recent years, which might lead to potential resistance.

3. Know the triggers: What are the drivers for change in the organisation? Does the organisation need to comply with new regulations or align with industry developments? Have the senior management team set out a new vision, or is demand coming from particular functions or groups of employees or customers? Spell these drivers out for those people that are critical to the change. 

4. Think about timing: Sometimes there is a regulatory change on the horizon which dictates the timeframe for action. If not, it is important to help employees understand when they need to give a new project their attention alongside the myriad other priorities they already have on their work list.

5. Create alignment: Speaking of priorities, think about how people might embrace aspects of sustainability in a way that helps them to realise other goals or tick items off their priority to-do list. If there is a clear win-win for individuals, they are more likely to see the reason to embrace a new way of doing things.

6. One size doesn’t fit all: With any business transformation individual employees and teams are affected in different ways. For some, the initiative may bring about a radical change in their role and responsibilities; others may only have to adopt the occasional new process. Thinking about how different groups are affected and the skills and information they need to navigate the change is essential to create the right strategy for each group.

7. Co-create the future: You may know the outcome you are trying to achieve, but there could be several routes to reaching that goal. Work with those individuals and functions most affected to design the change. Helping to design the process or solution will increase the chances of people taking ownership of the final result.

8. Identify the roadblocks: Any change programme inevitably meets resistance along the way. Taking time to think about those potential barriers at the outset means you can also plan how to avoid or address them, ensuring any project is not derailed once underway.

9. Identify allies and champions: Employees are most strongly influenced by those they are closest to or trust the most. Build alliances with the early adopters so that they can tell their own stories about why the change is important and help you to influence those that need longer to adjust. 

10. Celebrate the wins, even the little ones: There will be lots of steps and false starts along the way, so take time to celebrate any and every small win, whether it is the first draft of a new training programme or the first time a supplier has navigated a new sustainability review as part of your procurement process.

11. Communicate, communicate, communicate: You should always aim to communicate more than you think is necessary about any new project and in as many different ways as possible, so you can ensure that everyone has the information they need. It does not all have to be ‘memos’ from the centre. Give managers and sustainability champions the information they need, so they can talk about the transformation to their peers in a team meeting, or over coffee. 

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