insist on rolling out larger significant changes the organization is not ready for and the project therefore fails . In failed transformations you often find plenty of plans , directives and programs but no vision . Without clear vision those affected by the change can become confused or feel alienated .
4 . Under-communicating the vision leads to de-prioritization of the mission . If the leadership does not “ live and breath ” the change they want to make , the vision is only partially communicated and this results in cynicism and belief in the vision . Employees will not make shortterm sacrifices , even if they are unhappy with the status quo , unless they believe that change is possible . Without credible communication , and lots of it , the hearts and minds of the troops are never captured . Leadership needs to drill the vision at all times , tie the vision in with every performance review process and Q & A session , everything must be constantly tied back into the vision and progress towards that end . Leadership must demonstrate their buy-in in both words and deeds . Nothing undermines change more than behavior by leadership that is inconsistent with their words .
5 . Failure to remove obstacles to the new vision hinders progress . Communication is never sufficient by itself . Renewal also requires the removal of obstacles . There may be many willing to move down the path but an obstacle appears to be blocking the path . In some cases the obstacle in in the persons head and they must be convinced that no external obstacle exists , in most cases the obstacles are real and are indeed inhibiting progress . If leadership allows obstacles to remain in place , those expected to support and rally for change will question the leadership ’ s commitment to renewal and change , cynicism will grow and the whole effort can collapse .
6 . Short-term wins are essential . If the organization does not continually feel positive movement toward the vision ’ s objectives by attaining achievable short-term goals , interest and momentum will be lost . People will not continue the long journey unless the process is yielding expected results . Without short-term wins , too many people give up or actively join the ranks of those people who have been resisting change . Don ’ t be over-anxious , it could well be 12-24 months before the change results become incontestable .
7 . Beware of declaring victory too soon . After many months or years of hard work , it may be tempting to declare a victory with the first clear sign of measurable performance improvement . Celebrating a win is fine , declaring the war won can be catastrophic . New practices are fragile and subject to regression if the change has yet to deeply root into the changing culture , see # 8 below . Ironically it is often a combination of change initiators and change resistors that creates a premature victory celebration . Enthusiastic change initiators can go overboard over a clear sign of progress , they are then joined by the change resistors who are quick to spot any opportunity to stop change . Once the celebration is over the resistors point to the victory as a sign the
38
insist on rolling out larger significant changes the organization is not
ready for and the project therefore fails. In failed transformations you
often find plenty of plans, directives and programs but no vision. With-
out clear vision those affected by the change can become confused or
feel alienated.
4. Under-communicating the vision leads to de-prioritization of the
mission. If the leadership does not “live and breath” the change they
want to make, the vision is only partially communicated and this results
in cynicism and belief in the vision. Employees will not make short-
term sacrifices, even if they are unhappy with the status quo, unless
they believe that change is possible. Without credible communication,
and lots of it, the hearts and minds of the troops are never captured.
Leadership needs to drill the vision at all times, tie the vision in with
every performance review process and Q&A session, everything must
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