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Joining Forces for Sustainable Change

Brenda Sprite
Author Profile
Leadership Development
Collaboration, Change management, Strategy

In the post-pandemic workplace, organizations are facing a flurry of changes. As the time available to implement change initiatives shrinks, key success factors for sustainable change are often cut based on the belief that they are an optional luxury or will slow things down. This can result in anxiety, confusion, low morale, and potential turnover of high performing employees.

Start with the basics

When planning for a change, the first question to ask is, “How do we help employees get from where they are today to where we need them to be tomorrow?” 

Astute leaders draw on their empathy and put themselves in the position of an individual employee to understand how they may react to the impact of the change on their role, performance, and longevity with the organization. They dedicate operational excellence and change management teams to analyze and recommend actions that promote quick, consistent, and sustainable change adoption.

Partners for success

Operational excellence teams have a method to address process improvement changes. Change management teams have a method to address behavioral and cultural changes. There is synergy in encouraging these two teams to collaborate to holistically consider all the aspects of a coming change. 

Integrate perspectives and data

  1. Collect your data:
    • What process will change?
    • How will it be different from today? (e.g., new automation, centralization/ decentralization of work)
    • What will be changed? (e.g., workflow, decision-making process, regulations)
    • What type of change is it? (e.g., cultural, skill, responsibility, work volume, performance measurement)
  2. Outline the appropriate change management intervention, based on the type of change:
    • Culture change – Sponsorship around messaging and extensive communications
    • Skills change – Learning activities
    • Responsibility change – Adjust roles and responsibilities
    • Work volume change – Adjust staffing levels
    • Performance measurement change – Align incentives and rewards
  3. Show who will be changed – What are the roles? How many people are in each of the roles? What units have roles that will be changed?
  4. Map learning impacts to the most-effective learning delivery method(s)

Share results to gain leadership buy-in

Summarize the data and perspectives related to the full list of process changes to create a one-page, high level business-unit impact summary. Present the summary to inform leaders of the holistic impact of all planned process changes on each role in their organization, then offer them proposed interventions. Get ready to execute!

Interested in learning more about tools and tips for managing process change impacts? Join Brenda Sprite for her high-impact “Keeping Process Change Adaptable” workshop at the 2023 COE Summit. 

Participants who attend the April 11 workshop will receive training in The Success By Sprite Process Change Impact Log and will learn how to:

  • Capture process change impacts, affected stakeholders, recommended OCM interventions, and learning activities in a single location.
  • Conduct high-level business impact discussions with executives.
  • Improve the probability of successful and sustainable change adoption.

Learn more and register for the COE Summit 2023

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