Be the Change...

Most of us know that, in the vast percentage of major enterprise transformation efforts, stockholders, the Board, the CEO and senior management care about the desired organizational change succeeding. Lower-level employees know, in particular, that their boss (if the boss is on the right side of the issue as assessed by those in the layers above her/him/them) cares, as well. They know all these people care because, (1) they hear them trumpeting about it all the time and (2) they know (and don't need to be told this part) that in most cases, these change promoters have a lot of skin (read $$$’s) in this game of change.

In fact, many employees are well aware that their superiors and the board members above them, care about the success of the organizational change that is afoot.  But what about those who are not typically in the know when an organization merging with another, shifts its focus or is taken over by another firm? And what is the impact of organizational change on employees?

Has anyone asked? In our experience, significant organizational change is typically laid on “boots on the ground” employees well after folks far above the ground have already made that strategic commitment. That leaves employees to deal with it, sort of like being served liver for family dinner for the third Sunday in a row. It’s been purchased, prepared and served---none of those stages was inclusive of future diners’ input. Now it is in front of them once again, and their assignment is clear: eat up.

The place where employees’ ideas about the change typically come to the fore is when the change is at the execution stage; that is when the organization needs people in the enterprise at all levels to actually DO something differently. But how does an organization engender the motivation in employees not merely to watch the change train rumble by, but to get on board?

That is a question that seems to be an afterthought in many cases, and that is highly unfortunate. After reflecting on dozens of our transformation consulting experiences, we conclude that change can be a spirit killer. The ways in which it typically comes down on employees at work sets up the change to be a destructive force. And the irony is that this is a moment in time when the enterprise needs the best performance out of its employees. From our vantage point, we think that the key to addressing the dilemma of getting employees to make the extra effort to add change to their long list of current job responsibilities is to build a “burning level of job commitment.” Thank you, Dr. Price Pritchett, change management expert and author, for coining this phrase. And it had better be done quickly before job commitment has been further decimated. 

If organizations miss the boat, employee engagement plummets. Formerly dedicated employees get disenfranchised; teams begin to crumble.  But does change have to be a deadly force? 

We think not. But the qualities demonstrated by great employees, like high performance and team spirit, come from employees perceiving that there is something in it for them. The employee experience that leads to that conclusion is that the organization has seen them, demonstrated that it cared about them and is offering something beyond a simple paycheck, in terms of the employee/enterprise partnership. We believe that the employee experience during organizational change can supply these requisite elements, but employers need to continue to push that agenda in spite of their natural focus on executing change.  In fact, we would cite the first rule of change management this way: If you have successfully invested in generating a committed workforce in your enterprise, when you commence a focus on organizational change, the first rule is DON’T STOP ENCOURAGING COMMITMENT NOW!

Just as organizations need their employees to be uber-committed during periods of transformation, employees expect their organizations to recognize that that very process of change engenders a necessity for the organization to focus on new employee needs. Only then can the organization ask employees for the level of commitment that will move the needle on the change effort. 

Is it hard to ask for strong commitment during challenging times? The reality is that there truly is no choice: organizations need the benefit of employee commitment to make organizational change succeed; that is no easy feat, given that most change efforts prompt employee feelings of anxiety and questions about the future. Consider a period in which an organization is downsizing: that change is bound to provoke employee concerns about whether they will continue to have their jobs.

Clearly, what organizations and employees really need most at this time is great performance. And well-performing employees are the backbone of organizational performance. So another way of thinking about asking employees for commitment during a period of change is that it is actually a win/win strategy. But what’s in it for employees to commit during these stressful times?

Pritchett reframes the common misconception that there is an inherent negative correlation between organizational change and employee commitment during those transformational periods.  He points out that “Commitment is self-nourishing…Commitment gives meaning to work and deepens one’s sense of self-worth.” Most importantly, “It offers the best protection for the employee even as it strengthens the organization.”  

So how does the organization deliver this reframed message to employees? The most critical point of dissemination is in the behavior and approach of its managers. This is a time when all employees’ eyes are on their boss, and what they observe is key: A boss who appears committed to the change, is an inspiration. This enthusiasm is a signal to employees ,that someone who knows more than they do, about what may happen in the days ahead,  foresees a successful outcome. The more senior managers demonstrate that they are committed, the more those who work for them are drawn to follow them toward the tasks that need to be successfully completed. Pritchett believes that the intensity of the managers’ commitment establishes the bar for employee commitment, and, relatedly, the performance level of those that work for them. 

In sum, if you are leading others, be overtly passionate about your commitment to your work.  Let your demonstration of your own commitment be contagious. Communicate frequently and passionately to your subordinates. Note: we especially appreciate an example Pritchett offered on that subject. “It’s worth noting that Martin Luther King, Jr. did not say, ‘I have a strategic plan.’  He shouted, ‘I have a dream!’ And he created a crusade.”

Once employees see the vision, those in charge should create a work context where people can achieve. Getting things done---and successfully, to boot---breeds commitment to the job. In times of change, it is easy for people to pull back, wait and see and, in the process, become ever more anxious. That is the route to becoming immobilized with fear. Achievement is the antidote: provide it by giving people meaningful work they can bring to completion. Your organization will be the better for it and employees will internalize the idea that commitment is the route to success. Then, self-empowered, they will be able to keep their commitment strong.

That fire of commitment can also be stoked by leaders by making their people feel needed. If employees begin to believe that their commitment doesn’t matter, and that their efforts really aren’t valued, they will be unlikely to sustain the level of commitment the organization truly needs during periods of change. Showing that you need your people isn’t a sign of weakness; it is a route to engendering and maintaining commitment despite the roiling distractions and unknowns of change. You control this variable: this is a place where, whatever your specific role, you can make a difference as a leader. Make your people feel necessary; demonstrate and communicate that each one’s results are an important contribution. Commitment will not only be sustained, it will grow.

In a related manner, conveying trust also encourages commitment; trust that can easily be communicated via the assignment of responsibility. This is the time to give employees the opportunity to deliver, deliver, deliver. Coupled with some “stretch” assignments, it will clearly send a message to those in charge who are betting on their ability to successfully deliver, demonstrate to the employees themselves how competent they are when they bring rich rewards to the organization, and fuel their commitment to exceeding beyond even already high expectations.

There are lots of challenges to everyone in an enterprise when change is on the agenda. It is possible, however, that shifting paradigms through communication, modeling behavior and strategic actions can inspire and instill essential levels of dedicated effort in employees, even during execution of potentially nerve-wracking change agendas. People leaders are the executors of organizational change; they must simultaneously run twin agendas: (1) keeping their own eyes on the prize of their people delivering organizational change while also (2)  integrating those new expectations into commitment-inspiring action as their role model and coach.  

Great change leaders can juggle these two work-streams and use each to the advantage of the other. Keeping employee commitment high is an essential element of ensuring that employees can and will do their best work; that commitment is inspired and nurtured by assigning employees significant responsibility for outcomes, communicating how key each person’s deliverables are in achieving organizational priorities, overt recognition of employee achievements and demonstration of trust in employees’ abilities to reach even stretch goals.  This is thoughtful, active leadership, and it requires attention, energy and commitment on the part of the boss or manager. But it is not more, in fact, than what we are asking employees to do in their own roles. If employee commitment is our goal, then this is the work that will get organizations there in times of change.  

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