Leading Change Intelligently

Managers often fight shy of examining themselves, their attitudes, feelings and strengths and weaknesses - what appears at first to be navel-gazing. However, if presented in the right way people can become engaged in self discovery, particularly when they understand the benefits for handling change more successfully. Managers risk getting out of their depth if they don't know themselves and their reactions, for example, at times of change or stress, uncertainty and disorder, or during challenges to their self-esteem. Self-knowledge is a kind of toolkit against the unexpected.
An important tool of self-awareness during change is to understand the transition curve, which plots typical reactions to sudden change and its impact on well-being and performance.

A tool to understand personality is another valuable means to open up insight into oneself and others. A surprising number of people believe that everyone reacts as they do, and a questionnaire that highlights differences of approach can open up new insights; questionnaires such as Bar-On EQi, MBTI, Firo B, Honey and Mumford Learning Styles Inventory (these are all copyright and require trained administration and interpretation).

Expand personal skills

Change puts your managerial skills to the test like never before, particularly these areas:
- Communication and influencing, how to get the message across for understanding and commitment
- Listening, demonstrating that you are actively taking on board what is being raised. Allan Leighton at the Royal Mail is instigating far-reaching changes, but he is systematically picking up issues from the ground floor and acting upon them.
- Questioning, the ability to get to the bottom of issues without closing down the discussion too soon
- Supporting, giving visible encouragement in the right way at the right time
- Innovating, finding new ways to address tough problems
- Team working, working cooperatively to solve change issues which are bound to arise

Explore 'What if' scenarios

Change can sometimes lead managers down blind alleys that they can't see a way out of. They are trapped in seeing the world as it used to be, and only feel able to respond in out-of date ways. They need help to expand their horizons, exploring possible scenarios at an early stage. Shell responded better to the oil crisis of the 1970s because it had considered the rapid rise in oil price as a possible scenario and had plans in place.

Examine culture

Few managers can see their own organizational culture, which is so clear to outsiders. Mapping culture and then charting the desired climate and culture is a process which managers find fascinating and worthwhile. It gives a means to make a start to face one of the most difficult areas of change, those unspoken barriers which can kill change stone dead and how to make a change.

Application of skills and insights to real issues

It makes sense to managers to tackle real, live issues in a development context. This can be very challenging for many trainers who may prefer to stick to well-proven case studies or role-play situations with known outcomes. It requires trainers and HR professionals to be flexible and work to a consultancy, not a didactic framework.

Set up 'self-help' task groups

Managers can sometimes solve specific change issues by working with others to overcome obstacles and change problems. A facilitator can help at these meetings to assist learning.

Build change management capabilities into all programmes

Given the all-pervasive nature of change, it is sound advice to build change management capability, without exception, into all general management and leadership programmes.

Make yourself 'Change-ready'

We have directed your attention towards the leader's ability to handle change.  However as an HR professional you have a special influence. You are now in a better position to review your own change-readiness:

• How much do you know about change?
• How well do you facilitate change?
• What can you do to strengthen your weak areas and make the most of your change capabilities?

We believe that an accessible way to gain personal insight into the change agenda is through the four elements of the Change Compass. As a development professional, you can use it to develop your own personal change checklist.

Sarah Cook and Steve Macaulay specialize in the development of managers and organizations to achieve change. They are the authors of 'Change Management Excellence', published by Kogan Page price £16.99. They can be contacted through Sarah Cook at the Stairway Consultancy, on 01628 526535.

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