REFLECTIONS

“Our only security is our ability to change” – John Lilly

Being able to design, execute, and sustain change is key to continuously improve the health of any organization. I have now been associated with 2 such transformation journeys in my career and today, as I reflect on these experiences, I see uncanny similarities in those. Both these organizations are part of different industry verticals & catered to different customer segments with one providing services to local companies and the other catering to the global set. Yet, the journey, the experience and the levers exercised to affect the change were largely similar. And that compels me to think that there is possibly a template and a process that obviously would need customization as per the context but ultimately can be pursued similar to a checklist to bring about any transformation. Here goes the recipe.

·        Buy-in at the top

I can’t emphasize the importance of this one enough! It is THE most important thing in any transformation journey. I am not in any way arguing in favor of top-down vs bottom-up management. Both approaches have their merits, in my view. But the leadership has a central role in the evolution and cultivating an organization. And unless they see a need for the change, it is an almost impossible task to drive it throughout the organization. I have been fortunate in both cases to have visionary leaders who not only supported me with their insights and experience all through but also extended their relentless support in bringing about this change throughout the organization.

·        Change agent as an enabler and an anchor

I have used the words ‘enabler and anchor’ here after a lot of deliberation. It is one thing to drive the organization change when you have the authority but it’s a completely different thing (and possibly a more challenging one) when you have to drive this by influencing folks across the hierarchy. And in such cases, it's extremely important for the change agent to be well informed about the market dynamics himself, build expertise on the subject and maintain a very healthy relationship with all his peers. In addition, the change agent not only needs to build mindshare amongst the internal employees but also with key folks outside the organization so that the new narrative starts getting socialized and accepted amongst a broader audience.

·        Success is the next chapter to failure

I know I have borrowed this phrase from the latest web series, The Scam 1992, and I must say the actors, director and everyone involved with the series have done a remarkable job on the subject. But coming back to the topic at hand, there will be numerous cases wherein your strategy and initiatives will fail and your patience and persistence will be tested. However, be prepared to fail fast and recover. Be prepared to make amends and tweak your plans. There will be loose ends to be tied up during every phase and that is where your relationship with peers, your buy-in from the leadership, and your mentors’ guidance will come in handy.

·        Regular Cadence

Its often perceived that strategy is an art. But an artist also follows a process to create the masterpiece. Likewise, it is extremely important to break down the overall journey into smaller, manageable workstreams. Identify action owners for each workstream, define timelines for them and have regular cadence around it so that the dependencies and hurdles can be tackled in a timely manner.

·        Set a process for Scale up

As you start the rollout, you will see some bright sparks get off the ground early on. Identify those bright sparks in your team and rally behind them with all the support they need. Set up a culture of best practice sharing which will not only help in gaining perspectives but also improve collaboration within the team. Work with Learning & Development Teams within your organization to identify skill gaps among employees and teams then develop and deliver training to bridge those gaps. Create a reward structure for employees that will encourage them to lead the change in their realm of responsibilities.

·        The importance of that First Mega Win

The proof of the pudding is in the eating. In my experience, as soon as you get your First Mega Win, every single person will start believing in your strategy. The change will start getting adopted at a much faster rate and the context of the conversations at every touchpoint will change. And therefore, don’t shy away from making that aggressive proposal and rallying all your troops behind that first mega project. It will go a long way to turn the tides of resistance into groundswells of support.

Would love to hear about your experiences.