Creating change

WE HAVE IDENTIFIED 10 forces that impede change. Each arises as a consequence of some measure of success in a change process.

Sustaining change requires understanding the sources of these forces and having ways to deal with them. Challenges of Initiating Four forces come into play early, arresting movement before it achieves much change.

1. Time: "We don't have time for this stuff." Trapped between the daily workload and aspirations to change the workplace, leaders quickly realize that even ideas that have broad appeal never get implemented because there is simply no time for people to engage in serious change efforts. Strategies to cope with this challenge depend on identifying ways that time is wasted and enabling people to regain control over their time: 1) integrate initiatives and set a focus; 2) trust people to control their time; 3) value unstructured time for reflection, dialogue, discussion, practice, and learning; 4) eliminate unnecessary work; and 5) say "no" to political game-playing and to non-essential demands.

2. Help: "We have no help" or "We're wasting our time." Developing new learning capabilities takes time, persistence, and coaching from experienced people (consultants or mentors). Don't underestimate the help needed. If it was easy to develop capabilities for reflection and dialogue, to raise complex issues that were previously ignored to protect people, to understand complex interdependencies, and to build shared aspirations, everyone would be doing it. The quality of help matters. Finding effective help requires a team to articulate its goal; and needs. Strategies for coping with this challenge include: 1) investing early in help; 2) creating internal capacity for coaching; 3) finding partners who can counsel one another; 4) building coaching into line managers' responsibilities.

3. Relevance: "This stuff isn't relevant." This challenge stems from the question, "Why is a change initiative important for people's business goals and job requirements?" Managers often think that because a change is relevant to them, the relevance is clear to others. Yet top-down change initiatives are routinely undermined when managers do not see the relevance to their own goals. If the change is not relevant, a commitment gap arises. Strategies for meeting the challenge include: 1) build awareness among team leaders; 2) raise questions about relevance in the group; 3) make more...