Pathos Leadership Group’s strategy for managing change consists in scope of the entire organization: leadership leading change, front line managers implementing change initiatives with associates, and associates following-up/following-through with change.  We’ve identified four distinct phases:

• PHASE I – IDENTIFICATION: Identifying the key areas within the organization which are most applicable for change initiatives.
• PHASE II – LEADERSHIP ENGAGEMENT: Leadership that is prepared to change themselves before the opportunity to change elsewhere in the organization.
• PHASE III – ASSOCIATE ALIGNMENT: Associates aware of where they “fit” within the change management process and able to implement established goals.
• PHASE IV – MEASUREMENT MANAGEMENT: Identified at the launch of the change management initiative, establishing measurement criteria that will reflect what the future state of success will “look” like.

Organizations that can not adapt to change risk failing because of an inherent drop in productivity, abysmal engagement at leadership and associate levels, and/or employee/customer defection.  By structuring an effective organizational change management process that turns the business into advocates for change, companies can achieve desired results from change initiatives – and increase their stance in today’s competitive business atmosphere.

At Pathos Leadership Group, we view leadership as being 100% responsible for leading the charge when it comes to change initiatives throughout the entire organization – ensuring that there are present processes that allow individuals at every level possess the capabilities and have organizational support to carry through.

We went on to identify that a “first step” in creating the appropriate change culture consists of assessing the organization with a readiness assessment.  The Pathos Readiness Assessment measures behaviors present and considers organizational structures which advance/inhibit results in a changing atmosphere.   This assessment provides leaders and their associates with an effective tool for understanding their strengths and weaknesses when it comes to their behaviors at play during change moments.  Leaders can utilize results as a precursor to conversation to strategize appropriate methods for communication.

Lastly, we recognize that leaders need to ensure that every level of the organization learns how to appropriately respond to managing change that takes into account their roles, responsibilities, and control over the process:

• LEADERS need to forecast, plan, and launch change initiatives, ensuring engagement within the organization.  Crucial to the change initiatives success is organizational participation and communication.
• FRONT LINE MANAGERS must facilitate change and orchestrate their associates towards understanding and adopting change.
• ASSOCIATES will need assistance to fend off the natural resistance to change through behavioral assessments, associate development programs, and transparent communication from organizational leadership.  Employees need to understand the reasoning for change, their roles within the change initiative, and ways in which they can contribute (rather than detract) from moments of change.

We recently concluded a study that identified a statistically significant relationship between effective change management and a variety of metrics associated with monitoring/measuring performance.  Furthermore, we found the relationship can be expanded to include an organizations financial success compared with how effective they are at managing change.  In those companies, we identified nearly 60% of the associates answered that “change was handled effectively” in their organization, compared with just 16% of associates in low-performing organizations.

Equally as important, we identified that employee engagement directly corresponds with effective change management – crucial elements regarding an organization’s productivity and performance.  We found that disengagement arises when employees can relatively easily site that change management initiatives are not handled effectively.  Conversely, when associates could identify effective change management initiatives taking place by organizational leadership, over 60% were engaged.  The numbers bear an even worse chain of events for those who could not effectively manage change, in as much there corresponding organizations were nearly four times as likely to lose talent and encounter difficulties when recruiting replacements (Difficulties such as increased length of time to secure, lack of clarity regarding what the job description should consist of, poor associated social media image perception, etc.)

Furthermore, when we reference the apparent direct link between effective change management and an organization’s performance, we found that many fall short when it comes to managing change, especially true when considering leadership performance.  43% of associates agreed or strongly agreed than their organization was able to effectively handle change.

Change should be looked upon as a given.  When it comes to assessing the business landscape, change can be seen as a necessity.  Organizations have little choice but to respond to change, given the depth of complexity and fast-paced business landscape.  This changing landscape causes an organization to sometimes make dramatic changes when it comes to managing people, ranging from restructuring initiatives to reductions in force.  Simultaneously organizations must address other change initiatives, such as the appointment of new leaders through succession planning, the introduction of new technologies, and expanding product, or service, offerings.

So with change being such a constant, many organizations underestimate the importance of effectively managing their change initiatives.  In doing so, they undermine the goals or objectives associated therein.  This undermining can have costly results on the organization, ranging from reduced employee engagement, retention, productivity, as well as performance.  These results can have short-term ramifications on bottom-line results, as well as long-term outcomes associated with organization longevity.

As a result, organizations face an imperative decision – to introduce systems for effectively managing change that assist the workforce in actively participating, as well as adapt to the new priorities.  There is a need for adopting a dynamic process that addresses organizational change not as a one-time event, but as an ongoing reality, encompassing many different types of change (Those which are predictable, as well as those which are not!)  The fact remains that effective change management should adequately prepare the organization’s leadership towards focusing on and achieving business goals/objectives.

Based on our research in preparation for our Engagement Mapping and Engagement Play programs, Pathos Leadership Group analyzed the relationship between change management, organizational performance & key metrics, as well as select initiators of effective change management.  Our findings revealed that effective change management initiatives must be lead by senior organizational leaders, and include other crucial key elements such as organizational roles and capabilities awareness, talent management strategies, and organization structure.  Most importantly, leadership must put in place a method for accurately measuring and monitoring the change initiatives, as well as making appropriate modifications.  Out in front of these organizational change initiatives it goes without saying… but bears repeating: Leaders simply must lead!