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FOUR KEY FACTORS TO DEVELOPING CHANGE CAPABILITIES
The results on change capabilities show that managers aiming to lead their companies on the way towards agility still have some internal work to do before embarking on this journey together with the whole organization. Building more advanced change capabilities set the base for a successful agility transformation. Since the decision for implementing agility requires not only a tactical change, agile approaches also call for strategic and cultural readjustments:
BOOST LEADERSHIP AWARENESS: Increase and broaden the internal channels of communication regarding change so that leaders of change initiatives can better understand the other changes going on in the organization and be less likely to “bump into” those changes unexpectedly. Leaders are more likely to see the need for coordination and orchestration when they have this awareness.
LEVERAGE DESIGN THINKING: There is a clear need for more design thinking in organizations. Organizational changes that are not aligned in service of the organization’s strategy, business model, and operating model can be wasteful efforts.
ASSURE TAILORED APPROACH: In today’s diverse world, no single change fits all situations. Change must be tailored to fit both the global strategies and values of the corporation as well as the local situation. Novice change practitioners do not have the breadth of experience to be able to understand how change processes can be adapted and organizations should look to hire or develop these skills.
MONITOR CHANGE ACTIVITIES: The weakest element in the change capabilities is monitoring. The ability to quickly sense whether a change is on track, supported, and aligned means more efficient change processes and the ability to make quick course corrections. Digitalization is likely to be an important contributor to the development of this change activity.