It’s commonplace to say that change is now the norm, to such an extent that the usual approaches to change and transformation with, supposedly, a beginning and an end not only no longer work, but give employees the impression of being cheated, because as soon as one change program ends, another begins, if they’re not subjected to several at the same time.
But accepting this fact means that we now have to accept that “change happens all the time”, and that it has to be carried out in a different way, as close to the ground as possible, with a strong involvement of managers (Change and transformation need a new approach). And here we’re no longer talking about managing change, but about changing management.
A question which some may find rhetorical, but which sums up a reality that reflects the tensions experienced in the field by employees who are often disconnected from the transformations they are undergoing and, worse still, sometimes even from day-to-day management.
Change management: an old remedy that no longer works
Change management is a highly structured process. Businesses use methods (Kotter, ADKAR etc.) to assess resistance points and create communication and training plans, but these approaches have their limits.
First of all, they are top-down approaches. Transformation is conceived at the top and imposed on employees in a uniform manner, sometimes without taking into account their day-to-day realities.
Secondly, these approaches often focus on tools rather than behaviors, with the idea that change can be managed as a technical project, leaving the human dimension aside (The Hard Side of Change Management).
Finally, they don ‘t hold up over the long term. When teams fail to embrace change, old patterns reappear as soon as management attention wanes.
Changing management: the eternal long running issue.
Conversely, the idea of changing management is based on the idea that, rather than treating change as an event to be managed, we need to make adaptability a natural individual and collective skill.
On the other hand, while traditional approaches comfort managers in their habitual postures, this one calls for some profound rethinking.
First and foremost, we need to move from a controlling role to one of support. The manager becomes a facilitator, leading a process of co-construction.
It also requires transparency and trust. Managers need to explain the “why” behind changes, provide visibility on the stages involved, and even listen to and take into account feedback.
This calls into question the training managers receive, and even the personality traits we look for in them. Very often, if they excel at making the existing system work and optimizing it, they don’t know how to be vectors of transformation, and in fact tend, by reflex, to protect the status quo.
All these factors explain why, even if everyone is aware of the benefits of a change of approach, little changes in the end.
Is a hybrid model possible?
Given that the people most allergic to change in the business are those who decide and lead it, we might well ask whether a hybrid model is possible that would enable some to continue to indulge in verticality, while giving others the ability to exist and have a say in the process.
The idea would be for the course to be set from above, but for implementation to be decided and adapted locally.
If the impetus comes from the top, it’s still possible to co-construct the project and its approach, even if it means leaving the final decisions to management.
Last but not least, the implementation of continuous improvement processes would enable change dynamics to be maintained over time, as close as possible to local needs, without having to constantly initiate vertical processes.
Bottom line
Today, management is no longer a factor in the success of change processes; it is even the main obstacle. Whether change is imposed or chosen, it shows us the limits of managerial practices.
To put management back at the service of change, we need to put change and management back at the service of the employee.
So, in a way, changing management becomes an indispensable lever for driving change.
Image: change management by VZ_Art via Shutterstock.
