All consultancy professionals must be an expert, in addition to their area of expertise, in change management. Change is what allows solutions to detected problems to be put into practice. The consultant cannot limit himself to proposing changes, he must guide the organization to carry them out, either with him as leader or relying on leaders who already exist in the company and are convinced that changing will improve the organization’s results.
What is change management?
Change management consists of making a series of interconnected decisions to leave behind the current situation and reach a new state more in line with our objectives in the short, medium and long term. It is important to know how to properly manage this process in order to reach the new state with the greatest possible guarantee of success.
Although the change can be seen from an individual point of view, that is, from the life of people, in this case we are referring to organizational change, that is, the one that can occur in a company in order to adapt to new circumstances. of the current market context, improving its competitiveness.
Elements of change management in organizations
In general terms, it is said that there are a series of elements that make up an organization and that will be affected, in one way or another, by the change in it. We are talking about:
- teams of people that they will have to adapt with restructuring and training that allows them to acquire the new skills necessary for change.
- The internal communicationwhich will be in charge of ensuring that the change is understood by all members of the organization.
- The external communicationbecause any change for the better in an organization can become news and make it attractive to consumers and other audiences.
- The corporate culture that you will have to adapt to the new times by going according to the changes.
- He organizational leadership It is a fundamental element because there must be a leader who creates a favorable environment for change so that the entire organization follows in his footsteps with the conviction that it is the best for them.
- The Goal setting for the implementation of the change are essential for the organization to understand the real reason for it.
- The performance measurement It will allow us to check if the change strategies applied are giving results or if it is necessary to modify them.
- He continuous learning It is a fundamental lever for change and adaptation in any organization. Without learning there is no progress possible.
- The recognitions and rewards They are the ingredients that keep all members of the organization motivated.
Resistance to change and its enemies
People tend to resist change for three possible reasons: They don’t know, they can’t or they don’t want to. However, resistance can also be group and not from an isolated individual. Everything will depend, to a large extent, on how it is raised and communicated to all levels of the organization.
We can mention eight forms of resistance to change: the confusion (when the change is not understood), immediate criticism (when you are on the defensive regardless of what the proposal is), the negation (when they don’t want to know because they don’t want to change), Hypocrisy (when externally it appears to agree although internally one thinks otherwise), the sabotage (when trying to prevent the change), the easy deal (when there is an agreement without resistance, but neither compromise), the deviation (when trying to divert attention so that the change is forgotten in the hope of avoiding it) and the silence (when you do not express an opinion, but actually disagree).
Leading Change: John Kotter’s 8 Steps to Change Management
There are various theories and models, but the most widespread is that of the professor at the Harvard Business School John Kotter, who in his book “Leading change” talks about the 8 steps towards change:
“Leaders set the vision for the future and set the strategy to get there” John Kotter
Step 1: Create a sense of urgency
Achieving motivation for change is essential, therefore, change must be seen as something necessary, but also imminent. Otherwise it will be easy to find a good part of the organization that wants to postpone it, and they succeed.
For this, we will identify the threats of the market and we will clearly show what the scenarios will be in the short, medium and long term, if the change strategy is not implemented. The opportunities and consequences of exploiting them properly will also be analyzed. With both data, we will be able to gather compelling arguments to start the debate on change. Our objective will be to convince at least 75% of the company’s managers, as this will be what can ensure the success of the change.
Step 2: Build a powerful coalition
It will take great leadership skills to convince that change is necessary. Begin to select the people with the greatest leadership, influence and persuasiveness skills in the company, if you manage to convince them the snowball effect will be generated and the rest of the organization will simply want to join the leaders.
Step 3: Create a vision for change
Create a clear overview that everyone can easily understand and remember to identify the change. People, if they understand the change, will be strongly committed to it. To do this, it will be of great help to create a vision, an image of the future of the organization when the change is effective, and that is quickly described in 5 minutes or less.
Step 4: Communicate the vision
Talk about the vision whenever you can and at all times, have it transmitted and present in the day-to-day of the entire organization in some way. Do not forget that in order for the vision to remain brilliant, you will have to lead by example and be prepared and willing to respond openly and honestly to all the concerns of the people who come to you with doubts.
Step 5: Remove obstacles
Check the elements that are resistant to change and eliminate them before they infect the entire organization, ruining all the work. To do this, you will have to identify the change leaders and ensure that they remain motivated and in line with the established vision, rewarding them for it. You will also have to identify the people who are resistant to the change and help them in any way possible to join it.
Step 6: Secure short-term wins
Nothing motivates more than success so focus on achieving clear short-term goals that show up as tangible results and keep the entire organization aligned with the long-term mission. To do this, start with small projects of guaranteed success that can be implemented as soon as possible and without too much criticism. Do not forget to recognize, by far, the effort of the people who achieve these first objectives.
Step 7: Build on the change
Although we achieve changes in the short term, we cannot forget that these can be reversible, and that the true change and success is that everything is sustained in the long term. So arm yourself with patience and continue to work hard on each project, year after year, before claiming victory.
Remember to analyze the successes and errors of each victory, set short, medium and long-term goals, and continually add change agents.
Step 8: Anchor the change in the company culture
The true victory of change comes when it is installed in the business culture itself, when it no longer depends on you or a group of leaders, but rather the entire organization has the capacity to lead change ideas in line with the established vision.
For this, it will be essential that everyone feels that they are an important part of the change, that their opinions are considered and that their initiatives are not hindered, but that they are recognized and encouraged.
How can a change management consultant help?
The fundamental ingredient of change in an organization is understanding. Understanding that change is nothing more than an improvement for the company to continue forward, being something positive for the entire organization, is something fundamental for which training by experts in the area is essential.
And that is where the consultant comes into play. Those experts in the area that will advise the change leader and the rest of the people who join, training them in the matter, will be consulting professionals.
For this reason, change management is an element that every consultant should study and control in each of the projects in which they are involved. Without change, the advice of a consultant would remain mere theories and improvements on paper, without the possibility of getting started and demonstrating its effectiveness.