Transformation Pillar - Executive and Leadership Support
About a 4 minute read
Change in organizations occurs at varying levels and scope and exists in myriad forms, from projects to operational enhancements to everything in between. How change is handled will vary from one organization to another based upon, among other things, industry, structure, and strategic goals. An empowering organization will have teams and individuals capable of independently managing and implementing the small and medium changes that occur in the due course of conducting business. Large-scale change, especially that which shifts how areas of an organization operate, should have significant leadership involvement up the hierarchy. Regardless of breadth, all change should have clear alignment to organizational and strategic goals, and because of this, all change should have unified leadership support coming from the executive and senior levels.
For the purposes of this post, we are going to operate from the context of a mid to large-scale change that impacts organizational practices. I have found this type of change to be particularly challenging for several reasons. First, there is an expectation of others to be adaptable and roll with evolving requirements, uncertainty, and venturing into unknown waters. When we become the recipients of change, however, there is a natural tendency to dig in and resist the unfamiliar. Second, everyone has an opinion, and that means there will be hundreds of ways to do something "better", so it is a fool's hope to try appease everyone impacted by change. Third, leadership may state they are on board, but that does necessarily mean they understand the changes occurring or the purpose. While there certainly are other hurdles to clear when managing change, these are the three that stand out and highlight the importance of aligned and unified leadership support.
Organizations that empower their employees can create a more fulfilling people-focused culture, but that places more strain on the middle and lower hierarchical levels to manage change both up and down. Change leaders must not only work on transitioning teams and individuals to a new state, trying to ensure nobody is left behind while maintaining a positive outlook and culture, they must also keep other leaders focused on the change's goals and encourage them to be active participants in leading their areas to the finish line. This likely includes managing up to high levels in the organization. For "managing up" to be successful, leadership simply saying they are on board is not enough; they must also walk the walk to show their personal investment toward a successful outcome.
What, then, should appropriate leadership involvement look like?
Taking the time to thoroughly understand the goals, desired outcomes, and change plan
Regularly meeting with change leaders to maintain alignment on progress, next steps, and messaging
Carrying a consistent message forth to their respective areas to keep their teams and people moving in the right direction and to support the change leaders' efforts
Ensuring the change leaders have the tools and support necessary to effectively execute the change plan and their responsibilities
Executives and senior leaders must wholly believe in the change, or changes, taking place. Unilateral support will not carry enough influence to sustain the change initiative and the time it will take to reach a change's goals. Stopping short of the goals (even if they have evolved since the start) risks leaving the organization in a limbo state that may put the organization in a worse position than before the change journey began, and it will almost certainly necessitate additional change efforts and a longer timeline. Essentially, if leaders are going to empower others to bring about organizational change, they must still be active participants supporting those individuals in carrying out keystone events, providing consistent messaging that elevates the actions of the change leaders, and remaining diligent that their actions or requests are positive contributors rather than detractors that will overburden the change leaders.