I recently read that 70% of change initiatives fail and change practitioners are most likely at cause. As a change leader, I often felt like people did not understand my good intentions and although I was never in a position of hierarchical authority, I sometimes wished I could have forced change onto them.
People who have been watching the latest Netflix comedy series called “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt” may recall an episode during which Jacqueline starts giving medication to her son Buckley so he would be less agitated. The first days are a relief for the mother. Jacqueline finally feels like she is a good mother and she experiences a connection she had never had with her son before. But a few days later Jacqueline realises that Buckley is a little dull and almost boring. He just executes all commands without arguing and the connection between mother and son fades away.
If you dream of a work environment in which all team members would just drink in your words and apply your recommendations to the letter, without arguing, you may just find yourself in Jacqueline’s situation. At the beginning it could feel exhilarating: you think people finally trust you, they believe you can make a difference and your skills and experience are finally recognised. You might ask yourself “Is it what it feels like to be a real boss?” However after a while you slowly begin to realise that the creativity has gone. Your employees rely solely on you and you start to feel the weight on your shoulders. You become the source of truth as your team is scared of taking initiatives.
Forcing change onto people may cause them to become like Buckley on medication. It will most likely kill their creativity and emotions. They will come to work and leave their brain at the door. In the Lean philosophy, under-utilised capabilities and skills are considered one of the 8 wastes in the workplace.
So how do you not lose your hair over the introduction of change when your staff don’t hear you? The answer is engagement. It’s almost become a buzz word in the Lean community, and not without reason. It is the key to sustainable change.
My suggestion is to involve the people from the start, as soon as you realise a change or new process must be introduced. You may have a strategy or solution already in mind. But the team may have other views considering their experience as users. So be transparent about it. Propose a solution to start with and let them modify it a little if they want to. Hold back and let them run trials for a short period of time so they can get a feel for it. They are probably going to make mistakes, and that’s ok. You are here to guide them.
It will possibly take a little longer than if you had forced the change onto them but they will know that you value their opinion. Your process will be more robust and your team will realise what a great leader you are.
Transforming organisations through a people-centric and scientific approach