Chapter-3
Change Implementation
• Once people are convinced that change is necessary,
and that the change vision is the right one, it’s time to
move forward with implementation.
• A survey conducted in the mid-1980s identified seven
implementation problems that occurred in at least 60
percent of the ninety-three firms polled:
[Link] took more time than originally
allocated (76 percent).
[Link] problems surfaced during implementation that
had not been identified beforehand (74 percent).
[Link] of implementation activities (for example,
task forces or committees) was not effective enough
(66 percent).
[Link] activities and crises distracted attention
from implementing this strategic decision (64 percent).
[Link] (skill and abilities) of employees involved
with the implementation were not sufficient (63
percent).
[Link] and instruction given to lower-level employees
were not adequate (62 percent).
[Link] factors in the external environment had
an adverse impact on implementation (60 percent).
Enlist the Support and
Involvement of Key People
• Your implementation will go more smoothly if it has the backing
and involvement of key people—and not just the CEO and his or
her court.
• Enlisting support entails building an effective team of change
makers that can act together toward stated goals. But how can
you be sure you’ve picked the right people for the team? Here’s a
set of questions that will help you know if your team has the right
stuff:
1. Are enough of your company’s key players (people in relevant
positions of power) members of the team?
2. Do members of the team have the relevant expertise to do the
job and make intelligent decisions?
3. Does the team include the needed range of perspectives and
disciplines to do the job and make intelligent decisions?
4. Does the team include people with sufficient credibility so that
employees and management will treat its decisions seriously?
5. Does the team include people with demonstrated leadership
skills?
6. Are the team members capable of forgoing their personal
immediate interests in favor of the larger organizational goal?
Craft an Implementation Plan
• While a vision may guide and inspire team members
during the change process, an organization also needs a
nuts-and-bolts plan for what to do, and when and how
to do it. This plan should map out the effort, specifying
everything from where the first meetings should be
held, to the date by which the company should
reasonably expect to achieve its change goals. Here are
some characteristics of a good implementation plan:
• It’s simple.–An overly complex plan may confuse and frustrate
participants in the change effort. So if your flowchart of activities
and milestones looks like the wiring diagram for the space shuttle,
rethink it with an eye toward simplicity and coherence.
• It’s created by people at all affected levels.–This goes back to
Step 1 of the change process,which advocates “joint identification of
business problems and their solutions.” The implementation plan is
part of the solution, and shouldn’t be imposed on the people asked
to push it forward. If the implementers and other people affected by
the change are involved in making the plan, they’ll be more
enthusiastic in supporting the initiative.
• It’s structured in achievable chunks.–Overly ambitious plans
are usually doomed to failure. People look at them and say,“We’ll
never get this done—not in our lifetimes. ”They’ll be defeated from
the beginning. So build a plan that can be tackled in manageable,
achievable segments.
• It specifies roles and responsibilities.–Like every
endeavor, a change plan should detail clear roles and
responsibilities for everyone involved.
• It’s flexible.–As noted in the previous chapter, change
programs seldom follow their planned trajectories or
timetables. Thus, a good implementation plan is a living
document open to revision.
Support the Plan with Consistent Behaviors and
Messages
• Once the need for change has been articulated
convincingly and broad support has been enlisted, that
support must be maintained through a set of consistent
behaviors and messages. Inconsistency in either will
send a damaging message—that management is either
not serious about implementing change or unwilling to
do its part.
Develop Enabling Structures
• Enabling structures are the activities and programs that
underpin successful implementation and are a critical part of
the overall plan. Such structures include pilot programs,
training, and reward systems.
• Pilot programs give people opportunities to grapple with
implementation and its problems on a smaller, more
manageable scale.
• Pilots are test beds in which implementers can experiment
with and de-bug change initiatives before rolling them out
more broadly. These programs can be valuable proving ground
since it’s almost always easier and less risky to change a
single department than an entire company.
Celebrate Milestones
• Change initiatives can be long and frustrating. But you can keep up
peoples’ spirits and energy if you identify milestones—even small ones
—and celebrate them as they are achieved.
• Celebrating a series of short-term wins can:
• neutralize skepticism about the change effort;
• provide evidence that peoples’ sacrifices and hard work are paying off;
• help retain the support of senior management;
• keep up the momentum; and
• boost morale.
• There is a fine line between celebrating a successful milestone and
making a premature declaration of victory. Crossing it will dissipate the
sense of urgency you need to keep people motivated and moving on
toward future hurdles.
Communicate Relentlessly
• Communication is an effective tool for motivating employees, for
overcoming resistance to an initiative, for preparing people for
the pluses and minuses of change, and for giving employees a
personal stake in the process. Effective communication can set
the tone for a change program and is critical to implementation
from the very start.
Here are eleven tips for communicating during a change effort
• Specify the nature of the change.–
• Explain why.–
• Explain the scope of the change, even if it contains bad news.–
• Develop a graphic representation of the change project that
people can understand and hold in their heads.–
• Predict negative aspects of implementation.–
• Explain the criteria for success and how it will be
measured.–
• Explain how people will be rewarded for success.–
• Repeat, repeat, and repeat the purpose of change
and actions planned.
• Use a diverse set of communication styles that is
appropriate for the audience.–
• Make communication a two-way proposition.–
• Be a poster-boy or poster-girl for the change
program.–
Thank You
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