Change is an important part of successful organizations (check out the stories at fast company). One issue that occurs within organizations is how much change can be implemented before it begins to be counter productive. The timing of new change initiatives is critical to their success.
I have always held the view that there are four groups that are key to organizational change. By dealing with these groups effectively, change can happen quickly and it becomes part of the culture sooner.
The first group is the naysayers. The people in your organization that always see the glass half empty and nothing is ever good enough. The best solution is to not allocate any resources in dealing with this group. Let them be. They will either get on board or leave the organization. This may sound harsh, but many organizations see change initiatives die because they put to much energy in trying to get this group on board.
The second group is the thoroughbreds. No matter what the change, they embrace it and are advocates for the change. They lead the charge. The challenge with this group is that they need to see the change quickly or they will shift their energy elsewhere. Give this group projects and tasks that support the change, but in the context of allowing time for the other groups to buy into the change. If the thoroughbreds are to far out in front, the other groups look at them as privileged or aloof, and the change initiative will hit a brick wall.
The third group is the steady eddys. This group expects change, and as long as they are given education, training and the purpose of the change, they get on the change wagon in short order. This is the biggest group and the foundation of a company's culture.
The fourth and final group is the fence sitters. They need extensive training, ample time for questions and an extended period to incorporate the change into their day to day activities. This is the group that you must watch closely before you add new changes into the organization. If they are still coping with an existing change, they will not handle more change and you will have organizational chaos if you move to quickly. By focusing on this group, you can accelerate change and its acceptance.
Balancing change within these groups falls on the shoulders of owners, CEOs and senior management. Be sure you take the time to plan change with these groups in mind. Failure to do so will guarantee the change initiatives are a waste of time.
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