Closing the change management gap
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/SHR-04-2019-0030 |
| Pages | 168-175 |
| Published date | 12 August 2019 |
| Date | 12 August 2019 |
| Author | Holly Lyke-Ho-Gland |
| Subject Matter | Hr & organizational behaviour,Employee behaviour |
Closing the change management gap
Holly Lyke-Ho-Gland
Abstract
Purpose –Change has alwaysbeen hard. But now, change is becoming a constant.Defining change –
identifyingthe new strategy, business model or processthe organization needs to retain market share–is
difficult enough.Leading the organization through changeis even harder. The purpose of this paper is to
use a combination of survey and case studies to measure organizations’ change maturity andprovide
guidance on how organizationscan move from check-the-box approaches to ones that drive behavioral
shifts.
Design/methodology/approach –This paper is based on the combination of a broadcastsurvey and
seriesof best practice case studies.
Findings –And while organizations have made strides in committing resources and planning for
change,they continue to struggle with long-term, sustainablechange. But what really createssustainable
change? Sustainablechange means moving beyond ‘‘check-the-box’’efforts –focused on the execution
of communicationplans and project milestones. Instead, organizationsshould bolster their efforts with a
focus on leading, not just communicating, the change and engaging staff cooperatively to drive new
behaviors.
Originality/value –This paper focuses on best practices that do more than require check-the-box
adherenceto a series of change activities and methodologies.
Keywords Change management, Leadership, Culture
Paper type Conceptual paper
Change has always been hard. But now, change is becoming a constant. Defining
change –identifying the new strategy, business model or process the organization
needs to retain market share –is difficult enough. Leading the organization through
change is even harder.
And while organizations have made strides in committing resources and planning for
change, they continue to struggle with long-term, sustainable change. But what really
creates sustainable change?
Sustainable change means moving beyond “check-the-box” efforts –focused on the
execution of communication plans and project milestones. Instead, organizations should
bolster their efforts with a focus on leading, not just communicating, the change and
engaging staff cooperativelyto drive new behaviors.
This article uses recent research exploring organizations’ change maturity and provides
guidance on how organizations can move from check-the-box approaches to ones that
drive behavioral shifts.
Walk the walk
“Nothing undermines change more than behavior by important individuals that is
inconsistent with the verbal communication.” –John P. Kotter, HarvardBusiness School
Leadership is essential to the success of any change projects. When leaders are negative
and recalcitrant about change,their reports are likely to follow suit.
Holly Lyke-Ho-Gland is
based at Research
Services, APQC, Houston,
Texas, USA.
PAGE 168 jSTRATEGIC HR REVIEW jVOL. 18 NO. 4 2019, pp. 168-175, ©Emerald Publishing Limited, ISSN 1475-4398 DOI 10.1108/SHR-04-2019-0030
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