My best days as a change consultant are often when I get inside the business and build an understanding of what people really think about change and how it impacts them. Too much change is designed and implemented in a bubble, with little consideration for those adversely impacted.
I recently spoke with someone deeply impacted by a change. When I found out about the nature of the impact and its recency, I offered to end the discussion. Things were raw. They declined, citing the value of speaking to someone. My natural disposition to listen and be curious—learned through decades as a social worker—kicked in.
The discussion uncovered considerable resourcefulness and resilience. It allowed for a shared moment to reflect on the merits of the Satir change curve. For me, it provided a small piece of feedback about what people impacted by change want.
Someone to hold the space for the departure or support stability in rebuilding the future.
There are two contrasting ways to approach change management. You can treat people as an abstraction, using documents to populate templates. This will satisfy many leaders because it gives the appearance that the change is being managed and can be controlled.
This is conducive to the idea that change follows a clear and linear path. The implications of this thinking are felt later, threatening the long-term value of the change because the required behaviour changes are not embedded very deeply. The change is starved of feedback that gives implementation validity and strength.
The second approach uses dialogue to build an understanding of the business, the case for change and the implications of this change. This approach moves beyond the template and into the conversations you have with employees. These conversations also provide a fantastic opportunity to set an example of the change leadership, personal stability and innovation you would like to see demonstrated during the change.
These conversations get beyond the template or tool, helping fulfil their purpose, and build feedback loops within an organisation. They also embody values and perspectives that are ‘people friendly’: listening, perspective, imperfection and storytelling. Taken together, these activities provide a foundation of stability, a pause, and a shared effort to make sense of the change and transition together. This builds trust and insight, and ultimately an understanding of what transition management needs.
It may seem obvious that people are at the heart of change, but my experience of change consultancy suggests otherwise. Often, people are an impact or a risk to be managed as part of an overall process. Listening and responding means using what we hear to adapt implementation and shape the support people need. Maybe listening and responding to impacted people is the PROCESS. And everything else a consequence of this process.
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