Practical approaches to managing change

Introducing and leading change as a registered manager isn’t an easy task. Luckily there are theories and techniques which can help with managing change. We look at some practical approaches you can use.

The Beckhard-Harris Change Equation

The change equation is a good starting point when it comes to introducing change. It looks at what circumstances are required for change to be successful.

The equation states that to successfully introduce change you need:

• dissatisfaction with the status quo
• a vision of a positive future state
• first steps in the direction of this vision.

The power of these three factors combined needs to be greater than the resistance to change for change to be successful.

What this means in practice is that if there’s a great enough need for change and clear vision of what an improvement would look like and how you’re going to get there, this should outweigh the hesitation that people may feel towards making change.

Knowing this can help you to put in place a clear road map for first introducing and communicating change to your team.

Kotter’s 8-Step Change Model

This model provides a good way to build on the change equation and lays out the eight steps needed to successfully introduce change. These are:

1. increase urgency
2. build the guiding team
3. get the vision right
4. communicate for buy-in
5. empower action
6. create short-term wins
7. don’t let up
8. make change stick.

Let’s look at each of these steps in a little more detail.

Step 1: increase urgency

Colleagues must get a feeling that the upcoming change is essential and it’s beneficial to them as well as the organisation.

Step 2: build a guiding coalition

Identify the people showing interest in the change and form a team to manage and encourage your other employees to buy-in to the transformation process.

Step 3: get the vision right

A clear and achievable vision can help people understand why you're asking them to change. The initiative is likely to be complicated and often difficult to understand, so you need to create a vision that’s clear and understandable for all employees.

Step 4: communicate the vision for buy-in

Once you have a clearly defined vision, you need to communicate it. For higher effectiveness, repeat your vision statement at every chance you get. Your aim is to capture the hearts and minds of your team and inspire them to support the transformation.

Step 5: empower others to enact action

You need to empower others by removing obstacles through open communication and with the support of the guiding coalition.

Step 6: generate short-term wins

Success is the best motivation. In the process of transformation, give your employees a taste of success at the earliest possible time. This will motivate them and create momentum for your vision.

Step 7: don’t let up

After the initial success, push the pedal to keep the momentum going. Keep setting goals, monitor the progress frequently, and keep looking for improvements.

Step 8: incorporate changes into the culture

To have a lasting effect, you must anchor and truly embed the changes within the core of your organisation.

Identifying sources of resistance

To combat resistance, you first need to identify and understand the reasons for resistance. There are three primary reasons people resist change, these are disagreeing with the change put forward, feeling that their insight hasn’t been respected or considered within the consultation process, and feeling that they’re being rushed.

Many of these reasons for resistance can be combatted by simply taking time to talk openly with your team, listening respectfully to their input, and being prepared to change your approach based on what you learn.

You should also consider whether timelines can be adjusted to support those people in your team who require more time to process change.

When talking with your team to understand their resistance keep in mind four ground rules.

1. Forget efficiency. Motivating true change requires unhurried, face-to-face, one-on-one conversation.
2. Focus on listening, you must make everyone feel understood.
3. Be open to change yourself. A team member who senses you’re listening only so you can get what you want won’t open up and definitely won’t get on-board.
4. Have multiple conversations. Effective dialogue typically requires a minimum of two conversations. In the first conversation, you listen and diagnose the roots of the resistance. In the second conversation, your goal is to make clear that you’ve reflected on what you heard and to outline what will be different, or not, in your approach to the change based on that conversation, and to explain why.

Effective change management is critical to the vitality and progress of every organisation. Where most people find a challenge is in managing resistance effectively. Doing so requires an ability to listen and understand the source of resistance, and to communicate the need for change clearly. These methods can help leaders to achieve that.

Find more information and resources for registered managers with our #ChampioningRMs spotlight webpage.

This article was originally published in 2022. It's been updated and republished in March 2024.

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