Transformation Pillar - Education
About a 5 minute read
Have you ever looked into a body of water and wondered about the shadows or what exists in the depths just out of sight? Whether the ocean or a swimming pool, shadows are keepers of the unknown. In the pool growing up, my imagination ran wild with visions of a Jaws-esque predator lurking, waiting to snatch me up if I ventured into where the sun could not reach. Equipped with a snorkel, jumping into the ocean for the first time was a leap of faith hoping I would not encounter anything unwanted below the surface. Thankfully, and not really unexpectedly, all of my aquatic escapades have come and gone without incident. What they all have in common, however, is the presence of the unknown. And as in other areas of life, uncertainty and the unknown can be scary. When an organization undergoes change, there may be a significant amount of uncertainty. You can almost guarantee the people impact will be greater than leaders will anticipate. This leads to the next transformation pillar: education. Akin to communication's value in a transformation, education helps bring the sunlight to those shadows to reduce the unknowns and get a transformation started on the correct foot.
The education pillar can encompass as much information as needed and will vary based on the type and scope of change. Yet, there are several key topics that should be considered. While it will be apparent there is overlap with some of the other pillars, the "Education" pillar is intended to represent hands-on engagement with the impacted parties to ensure they understand the transformation's value and purpose and then have the skills and knowledge to fit into the "new world". Let's look at the potential high-value education topics.
Transformation Purpose
Stating and reiterating the "why" behind undergoing an organizational transformation or other major change cannot be overdone. Yes, another dedicated pillar covers communication on purpose, so the "Education" pillar focuses on meeting one-on-one with leaders and organizational sub-groups (like individual departments) to go through any key tenets for why the transformation is taking place. The personal touch helps to not only demonstrate a concern for those individuals, it demonstrates a commitment to being a conduit for questions or concerns, and it provides focused participants in navigating difficult conversations.
In many cases, there may be confusion as to why change is necessary, especially if processes have been running smoothly and the business is successful. Process smoothness and business success are relative and lagging indicators that are positively influenced by forward-looking organizations and leaders, hence the need for the occasional transformation. This would be a scenario where those spearheading the transformation and senior leaders would want to reiterate, ad nauseum, that the organization is building upon what it already does well to be even better and establish a runway to future successes. (The runway analogy is a personal favorite because of the imagery it instills of a purpose-built path that leads to a take off and soaring to the next destination.) And why would this messaging want to be repeated to the point people are sick of hearing it? Well, because people forget or lose sight. When you are in the trenches of day-to-day responsibilities with a major transformation looming above, it is easy to lose track of why anything that is getting done needs to be done.
What to Expect Moving Forward
Sharing how the transformation is being approached must occur with broad strokes at a high level and more personalized for specific departments and roles. Once again, there is overlap with the "Plan of Attack" pillar, which covers the obvious need of having a plan and communicating it. For the "Education" pillar, the intent is to tailor messaging for the dedicated touchpoints as the transformation is launching. If a department is going to perpetually be on the periphery of the transformation either by design or simply because they are not as impacted, be forthright with that fact and with how they will be kept in the loop. If a particular area is heavily impacted, perhaps as the transformation's focus, share how that will look for them moving forward with their job duties, involvement with transformation leaders, timelines, etc. These actions simply represent good communication and collaboration, but the effort investment to ensure individuals are in the know about what is coming their way and what is expected of them will foster greater buy-in and smoother waters in the future.
Skill development
Because a transformation is intended to be, ahem, transformative, the outcomes will create a new existence where the roles and responsibilities of yesterday may not look the same nor have the same expectations, and new skills may be required. Any organization and leader, when putting people in that situation, should ensure they are providing the training and development necessary to thrive in the "new world". Perhaps more than the prior topics that lean toward communication competency, providing training is an educational necessity. Existing workforces contain deep institutional knowledge and experience, and by not providing the education necessary to develop new skills and adapt along with the organization, there is risk those individuals leave or become alienated and disengage, causing those experiential riches to disappear. So, whether training and skill development is cultivated in-house or outsourced, its value cannot be overlooked.
The goal of the “Education” pillar is to bring transparency to the transformation process and support to those impacted. Providing the reasoning for change, answering questions, and training necessary competencies will become a repetitive experience, but the value provided in creating a smoother transition is immeasurable. Remember, the unknown can be scary and angst-inducing. Taking the necessary steps to shine a light into the shadows and giving a clear picture how individuals will be supported through change will build the trust and positivity necessary for the transformation to be successful even beyond its official conclusion.