5 key skills for delivering Organisational Change

5 Key Skills for delivering successful Organisational Change

Did you realise that we are all potential Change Superheroes? This blog outlines the 5 key skills and attributes or ‘secret powers’ we need to develop in order to deliver successful organisation change for delivering organisational change.

The 5 key skills for delivering organisational change include: Courage, Connect with Strategy, Corroboration, Communication and Collaboration. Let’s explore them in more detail.

Courage

We must start with being courageous if we are to be true Change Superheroes. A bit like the Lion in the Wizard of Oz, we need to be brave enough to stand up and be counted. Depending on our personality, challenging the status quo can feel quite scary. Even more so is the potential requirement to courteously challenge leaders if they are not ‘on message’ or blocking change that they should be supporting. It is helpful to recognise that those with seniority still hold the same natural emotional reactions to change as anyone else. Therefore the best approach is to have the courage to communicate with these resistors on a personal level. Remember they are still just people; by speaking with them you may discover why they are resistant to change. If they feel they are being listened to, there is a greater chance of them coming on board or agreeing on a middle ground. They may also have legitimate concerns. For example how the change is being managed or communicated that need to be addressed before wider roll out.

Furthermore, if they are the sponsor of change (e.g. a remote training initiative), yet are not fully committed, then this presents an ideal opportunity to agree on messaging. For example, deciding on a behaviour style and language to be used so that they appear supportive. By directly and courageously agreeing what acceptable behaviours look like it makes it easier to address any lapses in role modelling at a later date.

Connecting with strategy

If we are to become change superheroes, we must inspire people to want to change. Often we forget to tell people the reason for the change. This is about looking up and being strategic, asking where do we want the business to go? It is about helping people to see the future and also creating a sense of urgency for change.

It is also about inspiring people as to why that future could be so much more exciting so that they back the need for change. This could well involve showing people what is in it for them. We don’t always like change but if we understand the bigger picture we may be more inclined to go along with it. For example, you may not want to go to the gym, or not have that piece of cake. However, if you understand the need to make such lifestyle changes to look good on the beach, you will be more likely to change your behaviour.

Change Superheroes are great about making the connection between where we are now and where we need to be – the strategic ‘golden thread’. This gives people purpose and buy-in and helps motivate them to ride out the more painful aspects of any change.

Corroboration

Corroboration links to us being evidence-based. It is about having the power to influence others through logical argument, through facts and figures. This may take the form of data, case studies, innovation from third parties, or professional bodies that are relevant to your audience. Notice again, it’s about understanding your audience and making things relevant to them. It is about the logical argument for change.

For example, you could take a case study of a different organisation within the same sector that has successfully rolled out a programme tried to do something in a certain way, and had a really good result. – for example a successful rollout to a Hybrid workplace. Or, it could be about understanding and presenting the evidence correctly. One way you could present the information is by identifying that your organisation’s current attrition rates are set at X and are therefore 20 percent lower than the national average.

Communication

To successfully carry out the change we need to listen to people and understand that not all change is going to be received positively. There are human emotions to consider and people will react differently. Therefore, we should consider the language we are using to communicate with the audience we are addressing. It is also important to convey that the change is here to stay and that although individuals may not be happy with it, you are here to support them through it.

Kotter’s 7 Step Change Model can really help provide a structured process for implementing change. Often, when people think they’ve made the most of the change, communication can stop. Kotter suggests that you should communicate short or quick wins to avoid this. Almost celebrate what has happened in order to help the organisation to get through the change fully.

Collaboration

No one can create change alone and the bigger and stronger the ‘league of change superheroes’ you have, the greater your chance of success. True collaboration results in synergy where the result is greater than the sum of the parts. It is about collaborating not just for the purpose of change but because it is the right thing to do. People make or break any change. Change Superheroes are naturally collaborative team players, they think ‘We’ not ‘I’

Ask the question, how can we work together to bring about positive change? Be prepared to personally support others and to get behind other causes. Building relationships outside of the HR department will help when needing collaboration from others to bring about change successfully.

Become a Change Superhero

This content is taken from the book How to be a Change Superhero by Lucinda Carney CEO of Actus. It is available in paperback, e-book or on Audible. Other aligned resources include virtual in house training or our Actus Academy E-Learning Course on Managing Change Effectively. 

Become a Change Superhero! If you would like to know more about the book or supporting resources, click on the buttons below.

The Change Superhero Toolkit

The HR Uprising Podcast: 5 Secret Powers of a Change Superhero