Sponsorship is the most critical success factor in ensuring a fast and successful implementation of transformational change. Sponsors must do more than just make sure the project gets launched, or authorize funding for an initiative. Sponsors must be active beyond project launch. In fact, quality Sponsorship is determined by both action and position.
Sponsors are the key drivers of transformational change. What they say, what they do, and what they reinforce on a daily basis determines 50-70% of the likelihood of achieving value realization for the transformation. So, what do you do when they are the ones who are reluctant to change?
Consider for a moment the phases of transformational change projects. Transformation typically begins with a core team that develops a vision of the future state. Over time, the team may engage others as it moves through the design/development/testing phases—all leading to the “go-live” or “cut-over” date. These steps represent the installation phase of your program.
If you are going through an organizational change, no matter how big or how small, whether it is being perceived as negative or positive, resistance is unavoidable. It may be out in the open, or lurking in a dark corner in the break room. But trust us... it’s there.
We often encounter organizations that half-jokingly claim they’ve never met a project or imitative they didn’t like. But these same companies also struggle when trying to resource and deliver all of their initiatives fast enough and within budget. Sound familiar? We are betting it does.
Last week, our blog focused on the fact that reinforcement is the golden key to implementation success. We explained that if you want people to change their behavior; you have to alter their reinforcements. It’s a pretty simple concept really and one we don’t think surprised many of you. But now we ask, how exactly do you go about doing that? Why does one reinforcement tactic work for one person, but not another?
There is a fundamental principle of human behavior that states, “People follow the reinforcement.” In other words, if you want people to change what they are doing, you have to alter the reinforcements. That's why Don Harrison, President and founder of IMA, tells our clients that "every time you see a behavior, there either is or was a reward for it." No behavior occurs in isolation of reinforcement.
There is a huge amount of investment being made in assessing and building employee engagement. It is a widespread belief that an “engaged” workforce is a necessary component of long-term organizational success. But what does an engaged employee really look like, and is that truly desirable behavior? How do so-called engaged employees help to build innovation and other transformational changes?
Are you currently working on a transformational change? Maybe you are you going through an organizational re-design or implementing new technology. It could be a Shared Services implementation or a Lean Process Improvement. If you are involved in any strategic change where people will need to do things differently, you are likely starting to think about how you are going to build capacity.
As change management and project implementation consultants, we’ve seen our share of unsuccessful attempts at change. These failed implementations happen for a multitude of reasons. Most commonly, organizations just don’t apply the same business-discipline and rigor for managing the human elements of their change as they do the timeline, the budget, and the technical objectives for the project.
