How to Lead a Team Through Change

Only a third of change initiatives are successful. Is this because of poor planning or execution? Not usually. It's because we under-emphasize the importance of strong leadership and the impact of employee attitudes. More leaders can lead change by engaging employees with the initiative.

A change can be new technology or a new product line, but it can also be a new leader or role within the team. A similar change may have occurred previously without a hitch. That doesn't mean it will be successful during or after a change. Why is this?

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I like using an analogy of a bus to discuss the topic of change. Let's start with the bus deal-breakers.

1. You need a vision or a destination on a bus. People don't generally get on a bus without knowing where it's going.
2. You want to trust that the method/process/technology, or the bus itself, works. If a bus pulls up all rickety, can it be trusted? The same thing if someone comes to me with a half-schemed idea.
3. You need someone driving the change bus that you trust. Is the driver a child who hasn't done this before? Is it a road rage driver? You don't necessarily need the person who created or built the bus, but it needs to be someone who has learned the ropes or trusts their work ethic or morals to get it done right.

Now that we know the dealbreakers let's get into pieces that will make the bus ride from okay to great.

1. A bus that communicates the stops, or milestones achieved, is a nicer ride. We still know where we are going, but we also know how far we have come.
2. A great bus treats people that have different needs differently. In the bus scenario, this means the bus can lower itself for ease of entry, there are wheelchair-accessible seats, and there are designated seats for those who may need to sit. This means we have different approaches, communications, training, etc., by stakeholder groups in an organization. Some may need more information, some may want to provide input along the way.
3. Another way to make the bus experience great is that you get to choose which bus to take. That is, there are so many scheduled during a day, and you choose which is the best timing for you rather than adjusting a whole day to make just a single bus. In a change, having the volition to make that choice builds your sense of engagement.

Overall remember that even a small thing can have unanticipated resistance. So it's always better to plan, over-communicate, and individualize to ensure the change is a success. You will know you have had a successful change initiative when people are more than just comfortable with the change–they feel empowered by it. This allows them and any work processes to be more effective after the change than before.