Transformational change is everywhere. Or better put, attempts at transformational change are everywhere. But while there is significant focus on the strategy side of transformational change, Sponsors still don't put enough emphasis on the actual implementation of the transformation. 
As a result, we are teaching our organizations lessons every day. These may not be the intended lessons, but they can be powerful none the less. And unfortunately, the primary lesson is usually, "this transformational change really isn't that important."
This message gets conveyed through the actions of Sponsors of the transformational change who:
- fail to prioritize the transformation as the top one or two strategic initiatives for the entire lifecycle (through to value realization)
- mistakenly delegate activities to Change Agents that are actually the responsibility of the Sponsors themselves
- speak to the importance of the transformation but fail to change how they are personally operating on a daily basis--most importantly, what they are reinforcing with their own direct reports
- don't provide sufficient resources to fully implement the transformational change
When Sponsors fall into any of these traps, they teach the organization that the transformational change isn't that important. While this is completely unintentional, these are powerful lessons that live on in the cultural mindset of the organization even when the current transformational change ends.
Failure to Prioritize Teaches Lessons
While every organization claims to be "unique and different," there is a striking similarity amongst all of them. The failure to prioritize is creating a climate that makes transformational change extremely difficult. Limited resources are being diffused across way too many initiatives. In many cases, senior leaders don't even have a real picture of how much is going on in terms of projects and initiatives, what they are spending, and whether the projects fit with the overall strategy and mission.
The fact is that there are significant changes at the system, area, and local levels in organizations today. With no clear picture of the number of changes, the use of resources, the inter-dependencies between initiatives-- a true picture of the change portfolio-- leaders really can't make good decisions on what is a priority.
The end result is that leaders send the unintentional message that every project carries the same weight of importance. Project managers are focused on implementing their own assigned projects regardless of how that project may take away from the focus on the transformation. This is despite the reality "that no change occurs in isolation, it occurs in the context of all the other things going on in the organization, and the lessons previously learned."
In this type of climate, transformational change is essentially dead on arrival.
Sponsor Behavior Teaches Lessons Every Day
Transformation also requires transformational change in Sponsor behavior. If Sponsors at all levels of the organization continue to operate in the same way they always have (both individually and collectively) they teach their direct reports that nothing really has changed.
Most importantly, these Sponsors must reinforce their direct reports in ways that align with the new culture (the future state of the transformation.) There is no new system or process that will get fully implemented to value realization unless there is a corresponding shift in reinforcement between the Sponsor/manager and his or her direct reports.
This reinforcement is weighted toward formal and informal rewards, but must also include consequences for non-compliance!
These reinforcements are not universal-- they must be in the frame of reference of the Sponsor's own direct reports. Our change management consultants use the AIM Targeted Reinforcement Index tool to help Sponsors identify which reinforcements will have the greatest impact with specific Target groups.
Reinforcement occurs all day, every day in subtle and not so subtle ways. Knowingly or not, your Sponsors are teaching lessons.
Lessons Live On
Perhaps the most troubling reality of these lessons is that the unintended "messages" from
Sponsors carry forward to future implementations. Therefore, if the transformational change is not successfully implemented, there are both short term and long term, direct and indirect "costs" to the organization.
The most significant impacts are in the lower quadrant:
- confidence in leadership decreases
- resistance to change increases
- future changes are more likely to slow down or fail
When it comes to transformational change, what lessons are you teaching your organization?
