Many of us have been speaking and writing about how change management has to change to keep up with a world of constant change that is increasing in velocity, disruption and uncertainty.

We also know that much of this has fallen on deaf ears as traditionalists cling to their templated tomes of strategies, plans, roadmaps and systematic approach to change. 

Most of this predicated by a belief that change needs careful planning because people will resist change.

from the rooftops

I have been screaming for the last three years that ‘change is broken’ and ruffled many precious feathers along the way.

I never said that we did not need change management – far from it - but that the way we had traditionally approached it needed to fundamental change.

The approach did not:

·       provide a change platform on which everyone could institute and drive change

·       enable the workforce to embrace constant and uncertain change and be resilient in the face of it

·       provide employee autonomy and place decision-making with the people best suited to make the decision and respond to change at a necessitated speed

·       recognize that that change is not episodic

·       accept that change is a process and not a program

·       approach change in an agile and iterative manner

·       trust in the capability and adaptability of employees to change when the need for change and its urgency was clear

·       provide a ‘fit-for-purpose’ change construct

along came a pandemic

COVID-19 has been a catalyst for change.

It has caused many organizations to step back and re-evaluate the common practices of change management.

Since March 2020 many long-held assumptions have been challenged and proven false.

Office bound employees became remote and distributed workers overnight. They proved that they could embrace change. They proved that they could be trusted to be as productive and efficient prior to the pandemic. In many cases they became more productive and efficient.

They adapted rapidly to new, often never used before, technologies for communication and collaboration.

The crux of the matter is, that when employees understand the imperative and necessity for change, they will adopt it and adapt as needed 

Organizations have realized that the ‘what and ‘how’ of change has never been a driver of change. The ‘why’ is the force for change.

Employees had no doubt ‘why’ change was needed in the face of the crisis. They were ready to change. The ‘what’ and ‘how’ were secondary and dealt with in an agile and iterative manner.

There was no resistance to change. We learnt that if we clearly communicate and demonstrate the ‘why – the need for change – anything is possible.

missing in action

So much of the way change was been done before COVID-19 went missing.

There were no documented and approved change strategies; stakeholder maps; stakeholder engagement plans; sponsorship roadmaps; formal communication plans; or resistance management plans.

The change happened regardless.

 There was less reliance on the bureaucracy of change and non-essential activities.

wake-up call

This is a serious wake-up call for anyone involved in driving and leading change in organizations.

Do not go back to the old approaches to change.

Let’s put in place a new ‘fit for purpose’ approach to change that encompasses:

·       Getting back to basics

·       Frequent communication

·       Active listening

·       Removal of activities that add no value

·       Challenges to the status quo

·       Agility and iteration

·       Continual feedback loops

·       Employee autonomy and self-management

·       Speed and trust

·       An organizational wide change management competency

·       Leading with compassion and empathy

·       Leading with purpose and humanity

·       Adaptation and evolution

Above all our approach needs to have at its core, the necessity to create, maintain and sustain a workforce that is resilient in the face of constant and uncertain change.

It is time to stop talking about resistance and start talking about resilience.

call to action

Let’ be bold and let’s be courageous. Let’s not build a ‘new normal.’ Let’s build a ‘better normal.’

It is a choice.

The choice you make will be the determination of your organization’s future and that of the people within it

On Thursday 6th August, I will be running a virtual iworkshop called ‘the game has changed’ and exploring how we create the ‘better normal’.

This 3-hour interactive and explorative workshop will look at:

·       Why the game has changed

·       The challenges

·       Charging the change capability

·       New constructs to drive change

·       Organizational change enablement 

All participants will receive an exclusive download of my 2019 publication ‘Game On! Change is Constant. Tactics to Win When Leading Change is Everyone’s Business.’

More information and registration here.