Part two of a two-part series on innovation
Innovation often comes from outside an organization. Why? “Outsiders” have fresh eyes and are not undoing something from the inside. As discussed last week, people are comfortable with things staying the same (assuming what is taking place works to a degree).
In a session on change, the presenter asked us to cross our arms. We did this easily. For me, it is my left arm over my right. We were then asked to change it. For me, it meant putting my right arm over my left. Changing it up was not easy or comfortable. (Try it yourself.) The message is, If this small change is hard, imagine how difficult a big change is. If one cannot manage and lead change, then innovation is extremely challenging.
The compelling driver is the why things need to change. Often conditions must get pretty bad before change happens. For example, a child is killed on a street that has been dangerous for a long time. Sadly, until a tragedy, the dangerous street was accepted. A person is diagnosed with an illness that was influenced by lifestyle. Then the person changes.
This is why continuous improvement is important. When we make change a normal part of our culture, we may prevent crises.
Here are some tips for successful change management:
- Make the case for why the change is needed.What will happen positively and what will happen if a change does not take place? Both scenarios are important.
- Assess the skills or behaviors necessary for the change to work.When people feel ill-equipped to be successful, the pushback is greater. The fear factor builds. Investing in skill-building is critical.
- Identify barriers. In the Models of Care Insight Studyconducted by Joslin Insight, regarding something that managers felt the staff would like, responses showed that a larger group was resistant to the change than assumed. Barriers could be around time to adjust, facility issues, equipment needs, trust, and so forth.
- Build the critical mass.Building support for the change is critical. This is where the reason for change from point one comes in. I often change when the discomfort of not changing is greater than the discomfort of the change.
- Pilot the change.Start small and see how the innovation works. This is the testing ground to see how best to implement. Adjust and then scale the innovation. I suggest reading the book The Voltage Effect by John A. List, PhD, on how to scale actions.
- Recognize and celebrate small wins.Recognized behavior gets repeated.
- Be ready to address those individuals who are struggling the most with the change. Is it a skill issue? Will more investment fix the issue, or is the skill needed beyond the person’s capability? If it is a skill issue, then another place in the organization may work. If not, departure with support, such as outplacement services, may be needed. If it is attitude, address this, and if the person does not self-correct, they need to go. It does not take many people to negatively impact change.
- Emphasize that change is not a “one and done.” Make continuous improvement part of the culture. This takes away the idea that people are doing something wrong. It is that they always want to get better.
The best change managers are the best leaders. Thank you for always working to be the best leader you can be.
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