3 Tools for effective leveraging of change

If you followed the posts this week you will realise that change itself is not the goal, but the environment in which you live and work. To get a clear understanding of how people react to change, what causes resistance to change and strategies on how to overcome resistance to change, I strongly recommend that you read the posts I published this week. Today I end my discussion about change by introducing 3 tools you can use to effectively leverage change.

1. Increase communication

During times of change communication is one of the most powerful tools you have in your toolbox. Without effective communication you will be comparable to a construction worker without a power-drill. Within an organisation it works very well to channel all suggestions to a action forum. The action forum will focus on the discovery and bargaining process where the forum can discuss the impact of change on each individual, and identify the potential negative and barriers that need to be crossed. The ultimate goal of the action forum is to find ways to help make the change reality.

2. Try before you buy

It is a good idea to identify a small group of enthusiastic people who are able and willing to run a trial or test to see what the impact of any change will be. The purpose of the trial is to get real people into a real scenario in order to measure real outcomes. This provides a low-cost, reduced-risk snapshot of what will happens. You will certainly not buy a car if you didn't take it for a test-drive. Why will you make the mistake of not testing the impact of change before you implement it?

3. Feedback, analysis and what-if scenarios

Change can not be implemented effectively without continuous feedback, analysis and action. You have to implement methods to monitor and adjust your change strategies as you encounter unplanned variables.
It is easy to create success scenarios and make something work on paper. It is however not so easy to create failure scenarios and make something succeed in reality. What if key-players in your organisation decide to quit? What if you run out of resources halfway through the process of change? What if the market shifts suddenly and your current plans become obsolete?
Donald Trump comes to mind when he said that he can accept defeat, but he hates to be caught by surprise. Get as many people possible to contribute and take part in this, often creative, planning process to think ahead and create various change scenarios.