I have said it before and will say it again: Your digital transformation will not be successful without the appropriate focus on the people-driven side of change. Without user adoption, even the most innovative solutions cannot deliver on their promises.
Throughout human history, any given notable change was invariably a threat to our well-being. And the solution was to manage or remove the danger immediately. But nowadays, we cannot manage change with fight or flight.
When it comes to changing the way we work, there are a few simple steps that you can take to begin supporting change within your organization:
- Identify the Change and help everyone in your organization understand the WHY and ultimately determine their own “What’s in it for me?” or WIIFM statement.
- Communicate the Process of change throughout- the good, the bad, the ugly, the lessons learned, and the pivots taken.
- Celebrate your wins! Shout from the rooftop when a change has taken place. Get people excited and close the loop on the idea that change is good for the organization.
However, if you want to become truly exceptional at leading change and eventually turn your organization’s ability to manage change into a competitive advantage, there are some additional considerations to make.
Here are three expert tips to help you level up your Change Leadership:
1. Mindset Shift:
First, you must appreciate and understand that change management is not a box to check. The people side of change will always be present.
Change management is not an expense line of a project but an investment to ensure you can capitalize on your project’s human-driven ROI (return on investment). Effectively managing the people side of change enables us to deliver on the promises of the technical components of a change.
Additionally, it is critical to understand that your team has a fixed capacity mentally to change adoption. If you pile on too much, you will not be effective.
Watch the short video with excerpts from Tim Creasy and David Loseby for more on the importance of a mindset shift for change management success.
2. Reskill Your Team
Change leadership is more than simply communicating a change. It is vital to ensure that you properly equip your team to navigate the new environment you are creating. In the world of digital transformation, this often means ensuring that your team fully understands the types of tools and technology being deployed.
In this video, two experts, Samuel Best and Vandana Khanna, break down how supporting your team through their digital literacy journey will support sustained change within your organization. If done right, reskilling your team will lead to further innovation over time.
3. Lead by Example
Leading a successful change requires more than just lip service from the leadership of an organization. Instead, leaders should strive to understand the driving principles behind technology changing their business. This understanding will help them effectively articulate its value to all levels of the organization.
Edward Halsey and Sidney Madison Prescott share why leadership involvement in a digital transformation is critical for user adoption and a unified approach to change.
Organizational agility is one of the most important core competencies that you can have to succeed in the world that we live and work in today. The organizations that have successfully adapted to life’s twists and turns over the last two years are living proof that change management matters.
Take these experts’ advice and you can turn a potential risk into a competitive advantage!
