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JWI 556 (1196) Page 1 of 8
JWI 556
Leading Change by Putting People First
Week 4 Lecture Notes
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JWI 556 (1196) Page 2 of 8
WHAT’S IN IT FOR ME?
What It Means
The first thought that goes through most people’s minds when presented with a change –
especially one that is going to take a lot of work and cause a lot of disruption – is What’s in it for
me? It’s not that we don’t care about the impact of the change on others. Of course, we do. But
we really, really…really care about how it impacts what we do every day. If you’re going to lead
change by putting people first, you had better be prepared to explain and demonstrate what’s in
it for them.
Why It Matters
• It’s not enough that you understand what the wins are. You have to communicate these
to every stakeholder in a way that is clear and compelling.
• You have to empower stakeholders to be drivers of the change that will impact them, not
pawns who see the change as something being done to them.
• To ensure the value of the change is real and meaningful, you have to lock in short-term
wins. This will provide proof that everything is going in the right direction, and also create
opportunities for celebration for those being asked to work hard to make the change a
success.
“Transformation is not a process involving leadership alone;
good management is also essential.”
John Kotter
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JWI 556 (1196) Page 3 of 8
EFFECTIVE CHANGE COMMUNICATION
“Talk about the vision for change over and over again.”
Jack Welch
Every change initiative needs a communication plan that identifies the messages and information to be
shared. It lets people know who the stakeholders or audience will be, and explains when the
communication will take place and how it will be carried out.
The guiding coalition may have spent hundreds of hours chewing through data, assessing alternatives,
fine-tuning the vision, and growing their commitment to it. But if everybody else in the organization is
expected to understand and follow the change in a fraction of the time with a fraction of the information,
we are setting ourselves up for failure.
In fact, the potential for a communication failure exists even before the communication plan is rolled out.
“Failure in the first three phases of a transformation effort often contributes to problems
here. When the urgency rate isn’t high enough, people don’t listen carefully to information
about a new vison. If the guiding coalition isn’t the right group, it will have difficulty both
creating and sending an appropriate message. If the vision itself is too blurry or just a bad
idea, selling poor goods becomes a tough job…
For people who have been trained only to be managers, communication of vision can be
particularly difficult. Managers tend to think in terms of their immediate subordinates and
boss, not the broader constituencies that need to buy into a vision. They tend to be most
comfortable with routine factual communication, not future-oriented strategizing and
dreaming. Of course, they can learn. But that requires time, effort, and, perhaps most of
all, a clear sense of what the problem is and how it can be solved.”
Leading Change, pp. 88-89
Communication shortcomings typically come in four flavors:
1. Not Enough
There is simply not enough communication to create real understanding, let alone change
behavior. Communication may be plentiful at the most senior levels, but never penetrates down
into the organization.
2. Too Much, Too Soon
Many well-meaning organizations, determined to avoid the “not enough” charge, flood their
communication channels with information at the beginning of a change effort. Then, the talk
quickly trails off. Everybody’s heard the message, right? This creates the perception that the
change initiative is no longer a priority – it’s all done. Management has likely moved on to its next
preoccupation.
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JWI 556 (1196) Page 4 of 8
3. Happy Talk
Few people like to deliver bad news or be cast as the villain in an organizational drama. At the
beginning of a change effort, leaders may not know the details of which jobs may be lost or how
lives may change. A change that greatly benefits some parts of the organization may cause
others to suffer. Too often, executives seek to conceal these complexities under a blanket of
happy talk. “This is a merger of equals!” “Everyone will benefit!”
4. Mixed Messages
Mixed messages may stem from different communicators being on different pages. HR is saying
one thing, while sales management is saying another. But even more frequently, mixed
messages come from disconnects between the words and the actions of key leaders. Who is
being promoted? Where is the money going? Who is tightening their belt or turning to face their
customers? Who is not? Mixed message anecdotes sweep through an organization in transition
like wildfire, and actions always speak louder than words.
To address these, Kotter lays out seven principles for good communication during change.
1. Simplicity
All jargon and technobabble must be eliminated.
2. Metaphor, Analogy, and Example
A verbal picture is worth a thousand words.
3. Multiple Forums
Big meetings and small, memos and newspapers, formal and informal interaction – all are
effective for spreading the word.
4. Repetition
Ideas sink in deeply only after they have been heard many times.
5. Leadership by Example
Behavior from important people that is inconsistent with the vision overwhelms other forms of
communication.
6. Explanation of Seeming Inconsistencies
Unaddressed inconsistencies undermine the credibility of all communication.
7. Give-and-Take
Two-way communication is always more powerful than one-way communication.
Leading Change, p. 92
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JWI 556 (1196) Page 5 of 8
THE IMPORTANCE OF EMPOWERMENT AND ITS ROLE IN
THE CHANGE PROCESS
“Environmental change demands organizational change. Major internal transformation
rarely happens unless many people assist. Yet employees generally won’t help, or can’t
help, if they feel relatively powerless…The purpose of stage 5 is to empower a broad
base of people to take action by removing as many barriers to the implementation of the
change vision as possible…”
Leading Change, pp. 105-6
A common theme in both sharing best practices and redesigning processes is that they are most effective
as group efforts. Those involved in the process engage in candid dialogue and open-ended discovery as
they carry out the work. But, a number of factors can stand in the way of empowerment:
• Structures
Older structures and processes can make it difficult, if not impossible, to implement the new
vision
• Skills
Training is provided, but it is not enough. People are expected to change habits built up over
years or decades with only five days of education. People are taught the technical skills, but not
the social skills or attitudes needed to make the new arrangements work. People are given a
course before they start their new jobs, but aren’t provided with follow-up to help them with the
problems they encounter while performing their jobs.
• Systems
HR systems must support the new vision. Performance evaluation, compensation, promotion, and
recruiting and hiring must all be tied to it. This may be one of the most important areas where HR
professionals can be proactive change leaders – taking steps to ensure that the system is ready
for, and aligned with, the post-change realities.
• Supervisors
Managers have to be supported and trained in the new processes so they are true believers and
don’t get in the way of the change by continuing to apply old management practices to new
situations.
Change leaders must be sensitive to these barriers and take action to remove or minimize their negative
impact. If left unchecked, they can leave even the most fervent change agents feeling powerless. Once
your change agents begin to feel they are nothing more than cogs in the machine, they will disengage.
What’s more, you may not realize they have disengaged for weeks or months. But slowly, what was once
the burning passion for change will dwindle down to an ember, and eventually go out altogether.
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JWI 556 (1196) Page 6 of 8
THE ROLE AND BENEFITS OF SHORT-TERM WINS IN AN
ORGANIZATION’S CHANGE EFFORTS
“Every time you have a success and pass a milestone along the way of the change
process, stop and celebrate so people can see that it’s worth it.”
Jack Welch
Nothing succeeds like success. It makes you feel great and it motivates you to do more. But the benefits
aren’t just for those leading the change. They’re for those watching the change develop, who may be
judging whether to continue supporting it if they are an executive sponsor, or worse, may be actually
rooting for the effort to fall flat. Getting wins on the board early proves you’re going in the right direction.
“Major change takes time, sometimes lots of time. Zealous believers will often stay the course no
matter what happens. Most of the rest of us expect to see convincing evidence that all the effort is
paying off. Nonbelievers have even higher standards of proof. They want to see clear data
indicating that the changes are working and that the change process isn’t absorbing so many
resources in the short term as to endanger the organization.
Running a transformation effort without serious attention to short-term wins is extremely risky…
Sometimes you get lucky; visible results just happen. But sometimes your luck runs out…”
Leading Change, p. 123
Many experienced managers who are tasked with driving major change initiatives ignore the vital role of
quick wins. Some of these managers are actively disparaging, dismissing the focus on small, early results
as a distraction from achieving big, long-term goals. Some are deeply uneasy about demanding
immediate results. Many believe that months or years of properly planned activity will generate the
desired results at the end of the day, so they see no need to accelerate the process. But these beliefs are
costly and often fatal to the success of a transformation. In large-scale, long-term change initiatives,
you’ve got to generate a steady stream of short-term wins if you want to reach the ultimate finish line.
“Systematically targeting objectives and budgeting for them, creating plans to achieve
those objectives, organizing for implementation, and then controlling the process to keep
it on track – this is the essence of management. With that in mind, one can easily see
that the need to create short-term wins in a successful change effort demonstrates an
important principle: Transformation is not a process involving leadership alone; good
management is also essential. A balance of the two is required…”
Leading Change, p. 133
Good short-term wins are: (a) visible – large numbers of people can see for themselves whether the result
is real or just hype, (b) unambiguous – there can be little argument over the call, and (c) clearly related to
the change effort. And they serve six roles:
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JWI 556 (1196) Page 7 of 8
1. Provide evidence that sacrifices are worth it
Wins greatly help justify the short-term costs involved.
2. Reward change agents with a pat on the back
After a lot of hard work, positive feedback builds morale and motivation.
3. Help fine-tune vision and strategies
Short-term wins give the guiding coalition concrete data on the viability of their ideas.
4. Undermine cynics and self-serving resisters
Clear improvements in performance make it difficult for people to block needed change.
5. Keep bosses on board
Provides those higher in the hierarchy with evidence that the transformation is on track.
6. Build momentum
Turns neutrals into supporters, reluctant supporters into active helpers, etc.
Leading Change, p. 127
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JWI 556 (1196) Page 8 of 8
GETTING THE MOST OUT OF THIS WEEK’S CLASS
As you read the materials and participate in class activities, stay focused on the key learning outcomes
for the week:
• Identify the principles of effective change communication
Map out a communication plan for a change initiative you would like to see happen. Do you have
a good understanding of all the communication tools that are available to you within the
organization? Think about email blasts, newsletters, town hall meetings, and other media/events
that could be used to get the message out. Identify the stakeholders you will need to reach.
Which parts of the organization will require the most communication and why? Make sure your
communications are clear, and that they keep the vision statement front and center. Align what
you are saying to the Mission and Values of the organization. Include a “roadmap” (even a high-
level one) of action steps and milestones so people understand the journey and the timeframe.
And finally, make sure your communication allows for dialogue and questions, and does not turn
into a download.
• Understand the importance of empowerment and its role in the change process
Are your change leaders being given what they need to get it done and make a real difference,
or do they feel like cogs in a machine? Talk with your team to identify the things that take power
away from them. What would it take to change that? Go back and review Patty McCord’s book,
Powerful. What ideas are presented that could be leveraged to make changes to empower your
team? If you are a team leader, identify three things you could do within 30 days to empower
your people more. What effect would this have on the performance of the team and the
organization?
• Analyze the role and benefits of short-term wins in an organization’s change efforts
How are you keeping score in the progress of your change initiative? If you have been a part of
a previous change effort that was able to capitalize on short-term wins, what did they do? How
can you replicate it? What are the metrics, measurements, and milestones that matter in order
to provide concrete data that demonstrates things are going in the right direction? Remember,
meaningful short-terms wins should:
ü Be fact-based
ü Be easy to remember
ü Measure what matters
ü Provide specific examples of what is achieved
ü Hold people accountable
ü Create opportunities to celebrate success
