Change is anything that is different from the way it was before. How big a change is can be viewed through the eyes of the beholder. For example, one company for which I consulted implemented SAP software that consolidated information from several IT systems into one. From the company president’s point of view, it was a huge change, because it involved many financial and human resources, and subsequent changes to the ways in which many people got their work done. From some employees’ perspective, the change was just a small blip on the radar screen. However, managers in another department decided to flip employee responsibilities as part of the overall change. To employees who worked in the affected areas and suddenly had a new leader, it was a huge change.

Change events cause two things:

1. Ripple effect changes within the organization
2. Employee transition issues

Change leadership involves demonstrating the type of leadership that is able to balance both of those issues in a proactive manner, anticipating the ripple effects and transition issues and putting systems in place to mitigate the impact of the change.

There are four steps involved in “ripple effect” planning:

Step 1: Clarify the change event by explaining what is changing and what is not.

Step 2: Assess the impact of the change event on your organization through the filters of the different organizational components, such as strategy, structure, process, rewards, and people practices.

Step 3: Understand which organizational components will likely need to be addressed in order to manage the ripple effect of change successfully.

Step 4: Create a detailed change plan that includes the ripple effect changes to your organizational components, as well as the actions you will take to help employees with the transition process.

For example, when implementing SAP, the company had to look at the program’s various organizational components and ensure that they were re-aligned, so ripple effects were mitigated. The strategy that once was focused on entrepreneurship had to change to one of consistency. The previous work processes had to be changed or retired and at least a few new ones had to be created. Some divisions had to be consolidated across profit centers. Moreover, a great deal of training had to be delivered to all affected employees.

A well-known change model is the one created by William Bridges, who pointed out that there are three predictable phases people tend to go through during change: Ending, Neutral Zone and New Beginnings. (See accompanying visual. Bridges, 1991)

During the Endings phase, the focus should be on helping employees deal with the scope of their losses. (The healthy outcomes of the change can be dealt with later.) Employees tend to think about issues such as: “Why must I change?” and “What’s in it for me?” and “What’s going to be the hardest thing for me to let go?” Practically speaking, plans should take these issues into account and provide opportunities for employees to let go and say goodbye to the current state.

During the Neutral Zone phase, employees are thinking about issues such as, “Can I make this change?” and “Will I tolerate ambiguity or will I resist?” and “How much stress can I handle?” Leader creativity is greatly needed at this point, because it is equally as important to set up feedback channels and hear concerns, as it is to deal effectively with resistance.

New Beginnings is a time when the change is institutionalized. Employees are thinking: “How do I get started in this new world?” and “Where do I fit in?” This is the time to celebrate successes and reinforce the new vision.

According to Peter Block (2002), resistance is an indirect or camouflaged expression of concern about control or vulnerability. It is not the same as directly raising concerns. Often an employee’s behavior will mask his or her real issues or concerns. For example, employees may ask apparently irrelevant questions about the change, covering their real concerns such as: After the change, they will report to a manager instead of an executive, and they are fearful that their positions will not be considered as important as they were before. After the change, they will not be considered in succession plans.

The only way to deal effectively with resistance is to confront it directly, while being supportive at the same time. For example, use voice tone, body language, eye contact etc. to demonstrate support while naming the resistance.

Form of Resistance	Name It by Making this Statement
Flood you with detail	You are giving me more detail than I need. How would you describe it in a short statement?
Attack	You are really questioning a lot of what I do. You seem angry about something.
Confusion	You seem very confused about this change. Are you confused about the change or just not sure what to do about it?
Silence	You are very quiet. I don’t know how to read your silence.
Intellectualizing	Each time we get close to implementing this change, you go back to developing theories to understand what is happening.
Compliance	You seem to be willing to do anything I suggest. I can’t tell what your feelings are.
Methodology	You are asking a lot of questions about the methods used to arrive at this change decision. Do you have any doubts about the credibility of the decision-making process?
Pressing for Solutions	It’s too early to have all the answers. I’m still trying to find out.

The golden rule of effective change leadership is communicate, communicate, communicate. There is no more important criterion for success. Think of communication in four parts: The PURPOSE of the change (why the change is being made), the PICTURE of the change (once implemented, what the change and its intended benefits will be like), the PLAN for change (how we’ll get from where are now to our desired future state) and everyone’s PART in the change (the roles that leaders and employees will play in the successful implementation of the change). Take these four P’s and translate them into a series of memorable, repeatable messages that can be used during every phase of the change. The key to successful change leadership is this: When you think you have communicated enough, double your efforts and communicate some more! (For more information, check out my tool entitled “Change Communication Planning”)

Leading change is not the same as managing change. Managing change involves coordinating the key tasks and events of a change (e.g., system implementation, office moves, etc.). Leading change, however, requires a great deal more. For example, leading change requires understanding what the impact will be on what is changing, which includes the organization and those individuals who will be affected. And leading change requires incorporating those anticipated effects into overall plans and remaining focused on those issues, so that changes are not merely implemented, but also integrated into the “way we do things around here.”

Do you want to increase employee support of a change you are proposing? Check out the other resources available online at www.acceleraconsultinggroup.com or give us a call at 407.376.8522 for a free consultation (including a free assessment: Change Readiness). We accelerate results by igniting leadership and organizational potential!