Recently, I have been quite close to a few major change initiatives and I’ve noticed how certain basic principles associated with making change work are routinely overlooked.People support what they help to create – Here’s a basic question for the leaders of change: Have you consulted the people who will be most impacted by the change? Leadership experts like Meg Wheatley and others have taught us that “people support what they help to create.” A simple and powerful truth about human nature. If you want the buy in of people in your organization, you must treat them with respect by inviting them to discuss the change. Listen to their concerns, and to their ideas. There’s a great quote from Warren Bennis on this: “Good leaders make people feel that they’re at the very heart of things.”
Don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater – How often have you seen this scenario? A CEO gets fed up with something in his organization that he perceives as dysfunctional and says “Shut it down.” No discussion, no debate, and certainly no consultation with the people working in the system. The reaction of the people? Surprise, dismay, anger, hurt. When such organizational bathwater is tossed out, the baby often goes out the window too. Is it any wonder people resist change? Ask yourself, What gets lost?
Be careful to preserve what’s working now – The “baby” we were just referring to represents what is now working well, even in a process or system that needs major change. There is always something that is working well now. This is where change agents would do well to study Appreciative Inquiry and use its methods to find out the current strengths of the as is process. If change makers are not careful to preserve what’s working now, the intended improvements may actually cause setbacks.
