Y’all ready for this…?
Well, while the youngest of Gen Xers now have a 2 Unlimited earworm*, it might be surprising for the rest of you to know that there are no universally accepted grand theories of organisational change management.
That is, there isn’t a single way of knowing about it or working with it.
And by universal I really mean “accepted by virtually all qualified researchers, with only a small amount of dissent, while remaining open to refinement or advancement” **.
There is no theory that we ALL agree on that explains why some organisational change is successful and leaves humans feeling energised, and other organisational change leaves us wishing we could stay home and be with our dog all day.
Have you met my dog though?! I’m not biased.
What we do have is a series of partial models that each describe some part of the change process. And just like a teacher’s favourite students, the most influential of these have floated to the front of the line and we have all lined ourselves up behind one of them.
HOWEVER, what I think we do all agree on is that regardless of how we explain or intervene in organisational change, CHANGE READINESS IS A THING.
Most of us in this field tend to agree that there are some features of an organisation that better prepare it for change than others. If we want to mitigate the psychosocial risks associated with change, as well as protect the benefits of the change for the organisation, we must care about change readiness.
So, what is it?
Like all things I describe as a psychologist with a PhD in Organisational Psychology, I describe change readiness through a series of layers.
This might get technical… hang in there.
- Layer 1 – In most organisational change the behaviour of individuals and teams directly contribute to the overall success of the change through adoption and uptake. Change readiness sets the foundation for this behaviour. I can behave either in a supportive way such as turning up to information sessions or training sessions and asking great clarifying questions, or in a hindering way such as complying superficially but not taking the change seriously or not engaging with change communication.
- Layer 2 – Change readiness is best defined as a bunch of beliefs and feelings about the change. When readiness contributes positively to change behaviours it includes positive beliefs about the need for the change and whether the change is an appropriate solution for the organisation. Change readiness also captures pleasant and unpleasant feelings about the change and well as how I expect to feel in the future.
- Layer 3 – The layer where change management planning and implementation are most effective is the change environment. This is where we see the factors that precede change readiness and influence it the most. These antecedents can be categorised as contextual, social, and change process related.
For example, the relative priority of the change and the organisation’s values are contextual antecedents in the change environment. Whereas the positive tone set by my leader is largely a social antecedent as it influences a group of people. The change management planning, communication, and support are all process antecedents within the environment.
Why is this important?
The priority for change management planning and implementation should be two-fold:
1) mitigating risk by reducing the impact of psychosocial hazards associated with the change, and
2) protecting the benefits the organisation needs to get return on their investment.
Understanding change readiness is a way to navigate both priorities.
Historically, change readiness has been seen only as an individual factor and weaponised such that those who are not ready for change are seen as bad actors wilfully resisting it and, well, just “bad” with change (think “Who moved my cheese?” in the 1980s).
But we now know that this is a flawed and mean-spirited way of thinking about change readiness. While its possible there will be one or two bad actors in any change or transformation, as a designer or implementer of change, you rarely have much control over them. Effective change interventions almost always focus on creating a change environment that best supports change readiness.
So, what do I do?
First and foremost, know what you are working with. Measure the beliefs and feelings about the change, as well as elements of the change environment.
Second, use this data to plan your change. If change readiness appears low, seek to understand why. Interview people who will be most impacted by the change and get their thoughts.
Third, look to the things you can leverage or control in the change environment. This will mostly be addressing the process antecedents in your change planning. You should also articulate the challenges that the contextual and social parts of the environment will create and work with your change sponsors and leaders to find a way through. The advantages in the environment can also be used as a lever. For example, if a leader is positive about the change and has their team enthusiastic and turning up to meetings and training and provides regular feedback on the change process then lean into that. Ask the leader to speak at forums about their journey with the change and celebrate their wins.
Need help? Let us know! We have a change readiness assessment package ready to roll out and inform your change!
Cheers, Meg
*… ahem the classic “Y’all ready for this (Space Jam)” was released in 1991, one of Gen Xer’s last years of high schooling…
**This wiki is a fascinating explanation https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scientific_theory