Leaders are Pivotal to Change Adoption

​We’ve all heard the research.  Roughly 70% of project fail to achieve the intended return.  Approximately 50% of the time this is due to leadership protecting the status quo.  Change is hard.  Even for leaders, it is difficult. 
 
As leaders, we don’t set out to protect “the way we’ve always done it” but we have habits too.  We are used to making decisions using similar criteria or in a certain way.  We also have very busy schedules which sometimes affect our decision making as it relates to change.  We make choices every day and sometimes we have to weigh the time it may take to deal with an issue one way vs another.  We may choose the easier option as we don’t have the time to dedicate to the more difficult path and the results will be similar anyway. 
 
The challenge for leaders is that our staff is looking at our actions.  They are evaluating what they are hearing and they are looking to see if actions are aligning with what is being said.  They are taking their ques from what is being done versus what is being said.  Leaders go through the same change cycle as everybody else.  It can take time to fully comprehend the changes taking place and how you should react.  While you are going through the change cycle, you are sending signals to our staff about the importance of adopting the changes taking place. 
 
Invest in Four Key Areas to Maximize the Opportunity for Success

1. Be authentic and transparent.  Communicate that you are still figuring out what the changes mean for everyone.  You may not have all the answers and the team needs to work together to figure it out. 
2. Form a coalition of sponsors.  You can’t be everywhere at once and when an organization is undergoing significant changes, sometimes you will just need a break.  At the onset of change, engage key leaders to help.  They can facilitate changes in their department and they can participate as part of a broader team that evangelizes the need to change.  When you aren’t in the room, they can take the lead to deliver the message and help to manage resistance. 
3. As the organizational impact of change is recognized, ensure leaders at all levels understand what is changing and why.  Every leader should craft key talking points for their direct reports to ensure there is consistency and understanding among the entire leadership team.
4. Every leader with staff affected by change needs to be visible throughout the change and facilitate an ongoing conversation.  If it sounds like additional work, you are being realistic.  As a leader, you need to be visible and engage the team.  It is more than sending an email or attending a status meeting.  The team is looking to you for guidance and encouragement.  Town halls, lunch and learns, open office hours, random visits to team members, etc should be routine throughout the entire lifecycle of the project. 

 
Yes. It is extra work.  The coalition can help and you can grow the coalition over time.  It won’t replace you being present but it can lessen the load.  Also, consider the organizational consequences of delayed or partial change adoption.  Investing time and energy into being visible and fostering a conversation will pay dividends and you may even achieve a greater return from the change than you expected.
 
Research over the last 15+ years has repeatedly shown that effective leadership is pivotal to the adoption and success of change.  Leaders at every level need to effectively engage and take action.  It is an investment of time and energy but the returns are well worth it.

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At AdOPT, we are transformation consultants focused on strategy, innovation, process, and culture to increase effectiveness, improve efficiency, and optimize costs.  Discover how an cultural assessment can help you identify key steps to influence change adoption.   Ask us to complete an assessment today and discover how to improve the return on your initiatives.  Contact us at  info@adoptitsm.com or by calling 520-591-2427.