Step 2: Preparing the ground: success starts well before the boxes are opened.
Sometimes it’s tempting to wait until the new technology arrives at the loading dock to start briefing the team on what’s going to happen. But success has to start earlier. Change management starts with everyone believing a change is needed. The most successful sites we see implementing machine health start well before the implementation of our technology to get their teams on board. They enlist their cultural leaders and best experts in the process, getting everyone aligned that there’s a real problem to be solved, and that a new approach is possible and necessary.
People are often more open to new ideas when the idea is still a bit abstract and ‘future’ rather than a change staring them in the face at that moment, or worse, a surprise they see when they show up for work that day. Our most successful customers have champions at every site- at those champions are most successful when they’re bought in on the idea from the start. Take the time to anticipate the likely objections and learn from past examples of success or failure. And be open minded even when the objections seem emotional or selfish: if people are worried about losing their jobs or their status in the business, help them see how the new solutions could make them more impactful. If they feel they won’t have time to learn a new tool or use a computer for the first time, build in some breaks in their work day so they can get comfortable. Enlist your vendor to help once you’ve selected a solution but before you implement it. Do some workshops and Q&A sessions. If you know another site has used the same solution already, bring in their folks to have an honest conversation. And don’t be afraid to say there will be challenges. You will gain more trust from the team if they feel you’re being realistic about those challenges and you’ll be more ready to face them when they occur.
Also communicate well in advance what will happen. Make sure even people that might not use the system on day one are still briefed on why you’re bringing it in so they don’t feel left out. Give the team time to get comfortable that the change is what the benefits will be for them personally not just for the company’s balance sheet.
Change is hard: when it comes as a surprise or comes with a lot of unknowns the fight or flight reflect will kick in fast and hard, and you’ll be playing defense right from the start. Get ahead of that risk through early and clear communication so the team feels they’re part of the process, not just victims of some decision they had no part in making.
Comments
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Preparing the Ground - or what I called "readying the environment"…
For those most success sites, you eloquently stated "They enlist their cultural leaders and best experts in the process, getting everyone aligned that there’s a real problem to be solved, and that a new approach is possible and necessary." Hear, hear!
A commitment to this excercise goes far in uncovering many of the obstacles to change, both real and perceived. It requires an honest cultural assessment free of the workforce biases or rationalizations and generalizations typically made. For many organizations, the term "change management" is overly generalized as the term by itself has little contextual meaning related to the specific objective or outcome. Effectuating change must be as much about the how as it is about the what and why. Which is why it must be purposeful, deliberate and tailored.
Most often, culture is the hand to the glove of trust, defined by the credibility and integrity whithin leadership, whether real or perceived. This is why culture and organizational entropy are directly related (sometimes by orders of magnitude), thus dictating the level of communication and relationship building necessary to execute change.
In my experience, the barriers to adoption are rarely about the technology as it is about culture and trust.
Great post!
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