Managing change saturation can be tricky. It is not necessarily something you can see or touch. It can be hidden. It can be hearsay. Without the right data organisations can miss the risk. Missing the risk can mean that your organisation suffers from performance drops, and at the same time your changes are not adopted. Managing the risk or presence of change saturation can be complex. In this article we leverage the principles of chi to do this.
Understanding Change Saturation
Managing change saturation is essentially about managing the organizational energy. When an organization experiences too many changes at once, it can lead to fatigue, resistance, and decreased productivity among employees. Just like in traditional Chinese medicine, where the flow of chi, or vital energy, through the body is crucial for good health, the flow and maintenance of energy within an organization is essential for its success.
The Principle of Chi
In Chinese philosophy, chi is the fundamental life force that flows through all living beings and the universe. It is the energy that animates and sustains everything. The concept of chi can be applied to organizations as well, where it represents the energy that drives processes, interactions, and productivity. Chi is recognized as the energy that flows beyond the physical, connecting us with universal energy.
By understanding and applying the principles of chi, organizations can effectively manage their energy and navigate through periods of change without succumbing to saturation. Just as in traditional Chinese medicine, where balance and harmony are essential for optimal health, maintaining balance and harmony within the organization is crucial for its well-being.
Symptoms of Change Saturation
Before delving into techniques for managing change saturation, it’s essential to recognize the symptoms. From an individual perspective, symptoms may include:
Burnout: Employees may feel overwhelmed and exhausted, leading to decreased motivation and productivity.
Resistance: There may be increased resistance to change as employees become fatigued from constant transitions.
Stress: High levels of stress and anxiety can manifest in physical and emotional symptoms such as headaches, insomnia, and irritability.
From an organizational perspective, symptoms may include:
Decreased Performance: The organization may experience a decline in overall performance and efficiency.
Increased Turnover: Employees may leave the organization due to stress and burnout.
Lack of engagement: Employees may not engage with where the organisation is heading and not feel invested.
Lack of Innovation: Change saturation can stifle creativity and innovation as employees focus on managing constant changes rather than exploring new ideas. During times of anxiety and stress, there is not sufficient mental capacity for innovation.
Recognizing these symptoms is a key step in addressing change saturation and restoring balance to the organization.
Managing Chi in Change Management
Just as traditional Chinese medicine emphasizes practices to cultivate and balance chi within the body, organizations can adopt techniques to manage their energy and navigate through periods of change effectively.
Some of these techniques include:
Building Capability and Capacity:
Building capability in managing change is essential for ensuring that employees have the skills and knowledge needed to navigate through periods of change effectively. This is similar to the process of developing and cultivation chi through learning. In a similar vein, change practitioners can take practical steps to build capability within their organizations which will increase the capacity for change, including:
Training and Development Programs: Implementing training and development programs focused on change management principles, methodologies, and best practices. These programs can include workshops, seminars, online courses, and coaching sessions to help employees develop the necessary skills and competencies for managing change.
Change Leadership Development: Investing in the development of change leadership skills among managers and leaders within the organization. Change leaders play a critical role in driving change initiatives forward, communicating effectively with employees, and fostering a culture of openness and adaptability. Leaders have a significant impact on the change outcome so this is critical.
Mentorship and Coaching: Establishing mentorship and coaching programs where experienced change practitioners can mentor and support employees who are new to change management. This provides valuable guidance and support to individuals as they navigate through change initiatives and develop their skills over time.
Communities of Practice: Creating communities of practice where change practitioners can come together to share knowledge, experiences, and best practices. These communities provide a platform for collaboration, learning, and networking among individuals with a shared interest in change management.
On-the-Job Learning Opportunities: Providing employees with opportunities to apply their change management skills in real-world scenarios. This can include participating in change projects, leading change initiatives, and taking on new roles and responsibilities that require them to apply their knowledge and expertise in managing change.
Establishing Routines:
Establishing routines and processes for managing change helps create structure and consistency within the organization. Think of this like exercising to develop the chi. Through exercises chi practitioners can harness the energy flow through controlled movements. Regular practices to cultivate and manage chi are essential. Change practitioners can implement the following practical routines to ensure that change initiatives are effectively managed and monitored:
Change Readiness Assessments: Conducting regular change readiness assessments to gage the organization’s readiness for upcoming change initiatives. This involves assessing factors such as employee readiness, organizational readiness, and potential barriers to change.
Effective change communication channels: Having effective communication channels that provide community based information flow and discussions as well as 2-way information sharing between the leadership and employees is critical. Effective communication channels need to be managed and promoted to ensure they are working to support change communication goals.
Change Governance: A part of practicing change is about regularly reviewing change data and making decisions to improve how change is managed and how change is implemented. This also includes ongoing monitoring of the capacity of change and any risks of change saturation. Ultimately, making the right decision on the prioritisation and sequencing of change has significant impact on change saturation.
Change Monitoring and Reporting: Establishing mechanisms for monitoring and reporting on the progress of change initiatives. This may include regular status updates and progress reports to feed data requirements of change governance bodies and identify areas for improvement. Collecting and reviewing change data should be viewed as a part of managing business (business as usual) vs. an ‘extra’ task.
Providing Support:
In the manipulation and healing of chi this is about transferring the energy from the healer to the patient to restore balance and health. Techniques like Reiki, Qigong healing, and therapeutic touch are popular forms. Likewise in change management, providing support to employees throughout the change process is essential for mitigating resistance, reducing stress, and fostering a culture of resilience.
Change practitioners can offer practical support in the following ways:
Change Champion Networks: Establishing change champion networks comprised of enthusiastic and influential employees who can help drive change initiatives forward within their respective teams or departments. Change champions serve as advocates for change, providing support, encouragement, and guidance to their colleagues throughout the change process.
Change Coaching and Mentoring: Offering one-on-one coaching and mentoring support to employees who may be struggling to adapt to change. This provides individuals with a safe space to express their concerns, seek guidance, and develop coping strategies for managing change effectively.
Change Support Resources: Providing employees with access to resources and tools to support them through the change process. This may include training materials, job aids, self-help resources, and online support forums where employees can access information, share experiences, and seek assistance from their peers.
Leadership Support and Involvement: Engaging leaders and managers at all levels of the organization in supporting change initiatives and modeling desired behaviors. Leaders play a crucial role in setting the tone for change, communicating the vision, and demonstrating their commitment to supporting employees through periods of transition.
Employee Assistance Programs: Offering employee assistance programs (EAPs) or counseling services to employees who may be experiencing stress, anxiety, or other emotional challenges related to change. Providing access to confidential counseling and support services can help employees cope with the emotional impact of change and build resilience over time.
Creating the Right Work Environment:
Managing chi is not just about the individual, it also extends to the environment. To harness good chi, factors such as room layout and the overall design of the environment are also important. The goal is to create an environment where chi can flow freely, bringing balance, health and prosperity.
Creating a supportive work environment can foster chi, and is essential for fostering resilience, innovation, and collaboration within the organization. Change practitioners can take practical steps to create the right work environment for managing change, including:
Promoting Psychological Safety: Creating a culture of psychological safety where employees feel comfortable expressing their ideas, concerns, and feedback without fear of reprisal or judgment. Psychological safety encourages open communication, trust, and collaboration, which are essential for navigating through periods of change. This needs to be modelled and supported through leaders.
Encouraging Flexibility and Adaptability: Encouraging flexibility and adaptability among employees by promoting a growth mindset and embracing change as an opportunity for learning and growth. Providing opportunities for employees to develop new skills, explore new roles, and take on new challenges can help foster a culture of resilience and agility within the organization.
Fostering Collaboration and Teamwork: Fostering a collaborative and inclusive work environment where employees feel valued, respected, and empowered to contribute their unique perspectives and talents. Encouraging cross-functional collaboration, team-building activities, and knowledge sharing helps break down silos and promote a sense of unity and common purpose among employees.
Providing Adequate Resources and Support: Ensuring that employees have access to the resources, tools, and support they need to succeed in their roles and navigate through periods of change effectively. This may include providing training and development opportunities, allocating sufficient time and resources for change initiatives, and offering ongoing support and guidance from leadership.
Celebrating Success and Milestones: Celebrating success and milestones along the change journey to recognize the efforts and achievements of employees. Acknowledging progress, rewarding contributions, and celebrating successes helps build morale, motivation, and momentum for future change initiatives.
Maintaining Cadence:
Maintaining a consistent cadence for change initiatives helps prevent overload and fatigue, ensuring that change is managed effectively and sustainably over time. Change practitioners can maintain cadence by:
Setting Realistic Timelines and Milestones: Setting realistic timelines and milestones for change initiatives based on the organization’s capacity and resources. This involves carefully planning and sequencing change activities to avoid overwhelming employees and minimize disruption to day-to-day operations.
Prioritizing and Sequencing Change Initiatives: Prioritizing change initiatives based on their strategic importance, urgency, and impact on the organization. This helps focus resources and attention on the most critical changes while ensuring that less urgent changes are managed effectively within the organization’s capacity. The sequencing and design of change impact activities across all initiatives is also critical as this shapes the experiences of employees.
Maintaining Governance and Oversight: Maintaining the right governance structures and oversight mechanisms to ensure that change initiatives are aligned with organizational goals, objectives, and priorities. This may include ensuring the right change management committees (including the right numbers of committees), capable change sponsors, and conducting regular reviews and assessments as to the effectiveness of the governance bodies.
Communicating Regularly and Transparently: Communicating regularly and transparently with employees about the status of change initiatives, upcoming milestones, and any changes to plans or timelines. Providing clear and consistent communication helps keep employees informed, engaged, and ensures there are no surprises.
By incorporating these techniques into their change management practices, organizations can effectively manage change saturation and promote a healthy, resilient, and thriving organizational environment. However, one that supports change and is not prone to change saturation.
Change saturation can pose significant challenges for organizations, leading to decreased performance, employee burnout, and resistance to change. By applying the principles of chi and adopting techniques to manage organizational energy, such as developing capability, and cadence and creating the right environment, organizations can navigate through periods of change more effectively and promote a culture of resilience, innovation, and well-being. Just as in traditional Chinese medicine, where balance and harmony are essential for good health, maintaining balance and harmony within the organization is crucial for its success in an ever-changing world.
To read up more about managing change saturation check these out:
Change management is an intricate dance between vision, strategy, execution, and perhaps most importantly, adoption. The ultimate goal of any change initiative is not merely to implement new systems, processes, or regulations, but rather to embed these changes into the very fabric of the organization, ensuring widespread adoption and long-term sustainability.
However, achieving full adoption is no small feat. Many change initiatives falter along the way, failing to garner the buy-in and commitment necessary for success. Even when adoption is initially achieved, sustaining it over time presents its own set of challenges.
Understanding the Dynamics of Change Adoption:
Change adoption is not a one-size-fits-all endeavor. It’s influenced by a myriad of factors, including organizational culture, leadership support, employee engagement, and the nature of the change itself. Therefore, it’s essential to approach the measurement of adoption metrics with a nuanced understanding of these dynamics.
Before diving into specific metrics, let’s explore some fundamental principles of change adoption:
Context Matters: Every change initiative is unique, shaped by its context, stakeholders, and objectives. What works for one organization may not necessarily work for another. Therefore, it’s crucial to tailor adoption metrics to align with the specific goals and dynamics of each initiative.
Focus on Outcomes: Adoption metrics should go beyond mere activities or outputs and focus on outcomes. Instead of measuring how many employees attended training sessions, for example, focus on whether the training resulted in improved performance or behaviour change.
Continuous Monitoring: Change adoption is not a one-time event but an ongoing process. Continuous monitoring of adoption metrics allows organizations to identify trends, address challenges, and make course corrections as needed.
Now, let’s explore adoption metrics across different types of change initiatives:
Metrics for System Implementations:
System implementations, whether it’s a new CRM platform, ERP system, or productivity tool, often represent significant investments for organizations. To ensure a return on investment, it’s crucial to measure adoption effectively. Here are some key metrics to consider:
System Feature Usage Frequency: Measure how frequently employees utilize various features of the new system. This metric provides insights into whether employees are leveraging the system to its full potential and identifies areas for additional training or support.
Process Efficiency: Assess the efficiency gains achieved through the implementation of the new system. This metric quantifies improvements in workflow efficiency, resource utilization, and cycle times.
Customer Conversation Audit: If the change is aimed to improve the quality of customer interactions post-implementation, then the customer conversation should be audited. This metric focuses on whether the system enhances customer information accessibility, improves service representation, and ultimately leads to higher customer satisfaction.
Sales Volume: If the system aims to boost sales, track changes in sales volume post-implementation. This metric provides a tangible indicator of the system’s impact on revenue generation and business performance.
Information Completeness: Measure the completeness of customer information captured by the new system. This metric highlights the system’s effectiveness in capturing and storing relevant data, which is critical for decision-making and customer service.
Customer Satisfaction: Gauge customer satisfaction levels following the system implementation. This metric reflects the system’s ability to meet customer needs, deliver value, and enhance overall satisfaction.
Metrics for Compliance Initiatives:
Compliance initiatives, whether it’s adherence to regulatory standards, industry certifications, or internal policies, require meticulous attention to detail. Here are some key metrics to consider for measuring compliance adoption:
Process Compliance: Monitor adherence to regulatory processes and requirements. This metric ensures that the organization remains compliant with relevant regulations and mitigates the risk of non-compliance penalties.
Rated Compliance of Targeted Behaviours: Evaluate the compliance level of specific behaviours targeted by the regulatory change. This metric provides insights into whether employees are adopting the prescribed behaviours and following compliance protocols.
Frequency of Team Leader Coaching: Track the frequency of coaching sessions conducted by team leaders to reinforce compliance behaviours. This metric emphasizes the role of leadership in driving and sustaining compliance across the organization.
Customer Feedback: Solicit feedback from customers regarding their experience with the organization post-compliance implementation. This metric captures customer perceptions of the organization’s adherence to regulatory standards and its commitment to compliance.
Number of Incidents: Depending on the nature of compliance requirements, track the number of incidents related to non-compliance. This metric serves as an early warning system for identifying areas of weakness in compliance efforts and implementing corrective actions.
Metrics for Restructuring Initiatives:
Restructuring initiatives, whether driven by mergers, acquisitions, organizational realignment, or cost-cutting measures, often have far-reaching implications for employees, departments, and the overall organizational structure. Measuring adoption in restructuring initiatives requires a nuanced understanding of the changes’ impact on employee morale, productivity, and alignment with organizational goals. Here are some key metrics to consider:
Employee Engagement and Morale: Measure changes in employee engagement and morale before, during, and after the restructuring initiative. Surveys, focus groups, and one-on-one interviews can provide valuable insights into employees’ perceptions, concerns, and levels of commitment to the new organizational structure.
Organizational Alignment: Assess the degree to which the restructuring initiative aligns with the organization’s strategic objectives and long-term vision. Key performance indicators (KPIs), such as revenue growth, market share, and customer satisfaction, can help gauge the effectiveness of the restructuring in driving organizational alignment and performance.
Communication Effectiveness: Evaluate the effectiveness of communication channels and messaging during the restructuring process. Metrics such as employee feedback on communication clarity, frequency of updates, and perceived transparency can shed light on the effectiveness of communication strategies in managing change and alleviating uncertainty.
Employee Productivity and Performance: Monitor changes in employee productivity and performance following the restructuring initiative. Key metrics may include employee turnover rates, absenteeism, and performance evaluations. By tracking these metrics over time, organizations can assess the impact of restructuring on employee motivation, workload, and job satisfaction.
Leadership Effectiveness: Assess the effectiveness of leadership in navigating the restructuring process and driving adoption of the new organizational structure. Metrics such as employee ratings of leadership communication, support, and decision-making can provide valuable feedback on leadership effectiveness and its impact on employee morale and commitment.
Team Dynamics and Collaboration: Measure changes in team dynamics, collaboration, and cross-functional cooperation post-restructuring. Surveys, team assessments, and project outcomes can help identify strengths and weaknesses in team dynamics and collaboration, enabling organizations to address barriers to adoption and foster a culture of teamwork and collaboration.
Implementing and Measuring Adoption Metrics:
Once you’ve identified the relevant adoption metrics for your change initiative, the next step is to implement and measure them effectively. Here are some practical strategies to consider:
Surveys: Utilize surveys to gather feedback from employees, customers, and other stakeholders. Design surveys to capture both quantitative data, such as ratings and frequencies, and qualitative insights into the perceived effectiveness of the change initiative.
Observations: Encourage stakeholders, subject matter experts (SMEs), change champions, and leaders to observe and provide feedback on the implementation process. Their firsthand observations can uncover valuable insights into adoption barriers and successes.
System Tracking Data: Leverage data captured by the system itself to track usage patterns, process compliance, and other relevant metrics. Analyze this data to identify trends and areas for improvement in adoption efforts.
Employee or Stakeholder Feedback Sessions: Conduct regular meetings, interviews, or workshops to solicit feedback from employees and stakeholders. Create a safe and open environment for sharing concerns, challenges, and suggestions related to the change initiative.
Continuous Improvement: Use adoption metrics as a basis for continuous improvement. Regularly review and analyze adoption data to identify areas of success and opportunities for enhancement. Make adjustments to strategies, communication plans, and support mechanisms as needed to drive greater adoption.
Measuring Behaviours in System Implementations:
A significant portion of change involved system or digital change. In system implementations, the successful adoption of new technologies and processes often hinges on changes in employee behaviours. While it’s essential to track macro-level outcomes such as system usage frequency and process efficiency, measuring micro-behaviours provides a stronger link to the direct, underlying drivers of adoption. Here’s how to measure targeted and specific micro-behaviours in the context of a system implementation:
User Interface Navigation: Assess employees’ proficiency in navigating the new system’s user interface. Track metrics such as the time taken to complete common tasks, the number of clicks required to access key features, and the frequency of help requests. If these are not available, observational studies and user feedback can also provide valuable insights into usability issues and training needs.
Data Entry Accuracy: Measure the accuracy of data entry performed by employees using the new system. Compare the quality of data input before and after the implementation, looking for improvements in data accuracy, completeness, and consistency. Conduct periodic audits and spot checks to identify errors and areas for improvement.
Workflow Integration: Evaluate the extent to which employees integrate the new system into their existing workflows. Track metrics such as the proportion of tasks completed using the new system versus legacy systems, the frequency of workarounds or manual interventions, and the level of integration with other tools or processes. Interviews and focus groups can uncover barriers to workflow integration and inform targeted interventions.
Collaboration and Knowledge Sharing: Measure employees’ engagement in collaborative activities and knowledge sharing facilitated by the new system. Look for indicators such as the frequency of document sharing, participation in online discussions or forums, and contributions to shared repositories or knowledge bases. Social network analysis and peer assessments can highlight patterns of collaboration and identify key influencers or knowledge brokers within the organization.
Adoption of Best Practices: Assess employees’ adoption of best practices and standardized workflows supported by the new system. Monitor adherence to established guidelines, protocols, and procedures, looking for deviations or non-compliance. Use performance metrics such as error rates, rework cycles, and customer satisfaction scores to evaluate the effectiveness of best practices in driving desired outcomes.
Change Agent Engagement: Measure the engagement and effectiveness of change agents, champions, or ambassadors tasked with promoting adoption of the new system. Track metrics such as the frequency of communication and training sessions led by change agents, the level of participation in peer support networks or mentoring programs, and the impact of their advocacy efforts on adoption rates. Surveys and feedback mechanisms can assess the perceived credibility, accessibility, and responsiveness of change agents.
Implementing and Measuring Micro-Behaviours:
Define Clear and Measurable Objectives: Identify specific behaviours that are critical to the success of the system implementation and define clear, measurable objectives for each behaviour. Ensure alignment with broader adoption goals and desired outcomes.
Select Relevant Metrics: Choose metrics that are closely aligned with the targeted micro-behaviours and are actionable, observable, and trackable over time. Consider a combination of quantitative data (e.g., completion rates, error rates) and qualitative insights (e.g., user feedback, observational data) to provide a comprehensive understanding of behaviour change.
Utilize Multiple Data Sources: Gather data from multiple sources, including system logs, user activity tracking, surveys, interviews, and observational studies. Triangulating data from different sources enhances the reliability and validity of measurement and provides a more holistic view of behaviour change.
Monitor Progress Continuously: Establish a system for continuous monitoring of micro-behaviours throughout the implementation process. Regularly review and analyze data to identify trends, patterns, and areas for improvement. Use real-time feedback mechanisms to address issues and reinforce positive behaviours promptly.
Provide Timely Feedback and Support: Provide employees with timely feedback on their performance and progress toward behaviour change goals. Offer targeted support, training, and resources to address skill gaps, overcome barriers, and reinforce desired behaviours. Celebrate successes and recognize individuals or teams that demonstrate exemplary behaviour change.
Iterate and Adapt: Continuously iterate and adapt your measurement approach based on ongoing feedback and insights. Adjust metrics, data collection methods, and interventions as needed to respond to changing circumstances, emerging challenges, and evolving user needs. Be flexible and open to experimentation to optimize the effectiveness of your behaviour change efforts.
How Many Metrics Should I Use?
When it comes to measuring behaviour change in change initiatives, the age-old adage “less is more” holds true. While it may be tempting to track a multitude of metrics in the hopes of capturing every aspect of adoption, focusing on the critical few behaviours that will have the most direct impact on the outcome of the change is essential. You are also not going to have the bandwidth and resources to measure ‘everything’. Here’s how to determine the right number of metrics to use:
Focus on Key Objectives: Start by identifying the key objectives of the change initiative. What are the primary outcomes you hope to achieve? Whether it’s increased system usage, improved process efficiency, enhanced customer satisfaction, or compliance with regulatory standards, prioritize the behaviours that directly contribute to these objectives.
Prioritize High-Impact Behaviors: Narrow down your list of behaviours to those that have the most significant impact on achieving your key objectives. What are the critical few behaviours that, if changed, would lead to the greatest improvement in outcomes? Focus on behaviours that are both important and feasible to change within the scope of the initiative.
Consider Complexity and Manageability: Be mindful of the complexity and manageability of the behaviours you choose to measure. While it’s important to capture a comprehensive view of behaviour change, tracking too many metrics can become overwhelming and dilute focus. Aim for a manageable number of metrics that are meaningful, actionable, and directly linked to the desired outcomes.
Quantitative vs Qualitative Metrics: Whilst quantitative metrics are usually preferred by executives and easier to report on, sometimes you may need to incorporate qualitative metrics to gain a holistic understanding of behaviour change. Quantitative metrics such as completion rates, error rates, and productivity measures provide objective data on behaviour performance, while qualitative insights from surveys, interviews, and observations offer deeper context and understanding.
Consider Interdependencies and Trade-Offs: Recognize that behaviours are often interconnected, and changes in one behaviour may impact others. Consider the interdependencies and potential trade-offs between different behaviours when selecting your metrics. Focus on behaviours that have a ripple effect and can drive change across multiple dimensions of the initiative.
By focusing on the critical few behaviours that have the most direct impact on the outcome of the change, you can streamline measurement efforts, maintain clarity of purpose, and maximize the effectiveness of your change initiative. Remember, the goal is not to measure everything, but to measure what matters most and use that information to drive meaningful behaviour change and achieve successful adoption of the change.
Change adoption dashboard
Now that you have determined exactly what you want to measure to drive adoption, you may want to create a dashboard. Check out our article on ‘Designing a Change Adoption Dashboard’.
Change adoption is the ultimate goal of any change initiative, and effective measurement of adoption metrics is key to achieving success. By understanding the dynamics of change adoption, selecting the right metrics, and implementing them effectively, change practitioners and leaders can navigate the complexities of change and drive meaningful outcomes for their organizations. Remember, adoption is not a destination but a journey, and with the right metrics and strategies in place, sustainable change is within reach.
To find out more about leveraging a digital platform to create a change adoption dashboard click the below to chat to us.
Central to many contemporary approaches to agile change management is the concept of “failing fast.” This idea, popularized by agile methodology, suggests that failure is not only acceptable but desirable, as it provides valuable insights that can inform subsequent iterations and improvements. While the intention behind failing fast is noble—to accelerate learning and increase the likelihood of success—it’s essential for change practitioners to critically examine this notion and consider if this actually works.
We’ll explore the nuances of failing fast within the context of change and transformation initiatives. Drawing upon insights from research, real-world experiences, and best practices, we’ll delve into the complexities of learning from both success and failure. We will explore the myth of failing fast and discuss practical actions that can help change practitioners improve the change outcome success.
Understanding the Myth of Failing Fast
At its core, the concept of failing fast is rooted in the belief that failure is an inevitable part of the innovation process. By embracing failure and learning from it, organizations can iterate more quickly, adapt to changing circumstances, and ultimately increase their chances of success. However, the reality can often be far more complex.
Research has shown that failure is not always a reliable teacher. Psychological barriers, such as ego and fear of failure, can hinder the learning process and prevent individuals from extracting meaningful insights from their experiences. Moreover, the correlation between failure and success is not linear—simply experiencing failure does not guarantee future success.
Research by Lauren Eskreis-Winkler and Ayelet Fishbach showed that failure may not always be a good teacher, often because ego gets in the way. Eskreis-Winkler and Fishbach write that failure can be a big hit to one’s ego, which may reduce motivation. And when the researchers removed ego from the equation by having some people learn from others’ wrong answers, not their own, participants learned equally from failures and successes. “Because people find failure ego-threatening, they will disengage from the experience, which means they stop paying attention, or, tune out,” the researchers write (for more check out the Chicago Booth Review article).
Also, learning from failure requires the person to be open enough and aware enough to notice the potential causes of the failure. Not all leaders are in this category. There may also be hundreds of reasons for failure and so attributing particular causes that directly led to the failure may not always be easy.
For more research on the myth of failing fast check out this article that reviewed research on failed companies and industries.
For change and transformation practitioners, it’s essential to approach the notion of failing fast with a critical eye. While failure can certainly provide valuable lessons, it should not be glorified or pursued at the expense of achieving meaningful outcomes. Instead, change practitioners should strive to create an environment where both success and failure are celebrated as opportunities for learning and growth.
Embracing a Balanced Approach to Learning
Rather than focusing exclusively on failing fast, change practitioners should adopt a more balanced approach to learning—one that encompasses both success and failure. This entails recognizing that success can be just as instructive as failure and that meaningful insights can be gleaned from a variety of experiences.
One effective strategy for embracing a balanced approach to learning is to leverage the retro process following both successful and unsuccessful change initiatives. By examining the factors that contributed to the outcome—whether positive or negative—change practitioners can identify key insights and lessons learned that can inform future efforts.
Amy Edmonson, in her booked titled “Right Kind of Wrong” makes a case for learning from “intelligent failure” with the four following attributes …”it takes place in new territory, the context presents a credible opportunity (in relation to risk) to advance toward a desired goal, it is informed by available knowledge, and finally the failure is as small as it can be to still provide valuable insights” (to read more check out the HBR article).
Additionally, change practitioners should cultivate a culture of psychological safety within their organizations, where individuals feel empowered to take risks, experiment with new ideas, and share their experiences openly. This not only promotes knowledge sharing and collaboration but also fosters a mindset of continuous improvement and innovation.
Leveraging Success as a Learning Opportunity
While failure often receives more attention in discussions about learning and innovation, success can be equally instructive. When a change initiative achieves its intended outcomes, it’s important for change practitioners to reflect on the factors that contributed to that success and identify best practices that can be replicated in future endeavours.
There is also plenty of evidence that support a ‘strength-based approach’ to learning and development, i.e. focusing on what a person does well and has had successes in. This approach focuses on extending the strength of a person rather than focuses on the weaknesses. Check out the Gallup article on creating a strengths-based culture.
One effective strategy for leveraging success as a learning opportunity is to document and share success stories within the organization. By highlighting examples of successful change initiatives and the strategies that led to their success, change practitioners can inspire and motivate others to adopt similar approaches in their own work.
Change practitioners should encourage a mindset of continuous improvement among their teams, where success is viewed not as an endpoint but as a milestone on the journey toward excellence. By celebrating successes and acknowledging/reinforcing the hard work and dedication of stakeholders, change practitioners can reinforce positive behaviours and drive sustained performance.
Integrating Learning into the Change Management Process
Learning should be an integral part of the change management process, woven seamlessly into each phase of the initiative. From the initial planning stages to implementation and beyond, change practitioners should prioritize reflection, feedback, and continuous improvement to drive successful outcomes.
During the planning phase, change practitioners should conduct thorough research and analysis to identify potential risks and challenges and develop strategies to mitigate them. Learn from what has or has not worked in the past. By incorporating lessons learned from past experiences, change practitioners can increase the likelihood of success and avoid common pitfalls.
During the implementation phase, change practitioners should monitor progress closely and adapt their approach as needed based on real-time feedback and data. By remaining flexible and responsive to changing circumstances, change practitioners can optimize their strategies and increase their chances of achieving their objectives.
Following the completion of a change initiative, change practitioners should conduct a comprehensive review to evaluate the outcomes and identify areas for improvement. By soliciting feedback from stakeholders and conducting a thorough analysis of the results, change practitioners can extract valuable insights that can inform future efforts and drive continuous improvement.
In the ever-evolving landscape of change and transformation, the ability to learn from both success and failure is essential for driving meaningful outcomes. While the concept of failing fast has gained popularity in recent years, change practitioners must recognize its limitations and adopt a more balanced approach to learning—one that values both success and failure as opportunities for growth and improvement.
By embracing a culture of continuous improvement, fostering psychological safety, and integrating learning into every phase of the change management process, change practitioners can position their organizations for success in an increasingly competitive and uncertain environment. By leveraging the insights gained from both successes and failures, change practitioners can drive meaningful change and transformation within their organizations, ultimately leading to sustained growth and success.
Enterprise change management reporting is changing. It no longer consists of general updates of change streams of project progress or updates on various change capability training session volumes and satisfaction rates. Executives are demanding more value from enterprise change functions. The pace of change since Covid has not slowed down. For many, it has increased in pace and volume. To gain better insight into how the change management function is supporting the success of organisations, reports and dashboards have often become a visible linchpin of what value an enterprise change management delivers.
Having the right content and format for your enterprise reports can make or break your reputation. Do it right and you could start a ripple of high-impact and strategic conversations across senior stakeholders that drive focus on improving change. You can be in the spotlight in influencing change leadership and the achievement of change and transformation goals. Do it wrong and you may never have another opportunity to have the room to talk about change management to senior leaders. You may be associated with not providing much value and too ‘operational’.
Unlocking the Potential of Enterprise Change Management Reporting:
At its core, enterprise change management reporting goes beyond merely tracking progress. It encompasses a holistic approach that considers various factors crucial to the success of organizational initiatives. While monitoring progress, readiness, and the amount of work done may be interesting components, true impact comes from focusing on impacts, adoption and predictors for benefit realization.
Executives and stakeholders are not just interested in receiving progress updates; they seek insights into the likelihood of initiative success and the potential risks that may impede desired outcomes. These risks extend beyond project timelines and budget constraints to encompass broader business implications such as performance impacts, capacity constraints, prioritization effectiveness, and the sustainability of behavioural change.
Impacts of change:
Quantifying and visualising impacts are not new to change practitioners. The key is how the data is presented over time. A lot of change practitioners would settle with a standard heatmap based on personal ratings. This does not deliver much value as the data cannot be easily substantiated by evidence (since it is more of a finger in the air estimation). Standard heatmaps also are too high level and does not really support key decision making.
Decision making requires specific data points such as:
Change saturation or change tolerance levels (these levels need to be substantiated based on business indicator reference to justify the levels, and not be someone’s personal opinion)
What division, team, role and which week the saturation points are forecasted
Corresponding data on what initiatives, and their respective impact activities that contribute to the saturation risk, and therefore proposed options
A key part of representing change impacts should not just be at an operational level, which is more concerned about capacity and bandwidth. Impact should also be tied to strategic levers, portfolio types, benefit types and readiness.
Predictive Indicators for Success:
To create impactful change management reports, organizations must incorporate predictive indicators that go beyond change volume and risk assessment. These indicators should provide insights into business performance, strategy achievement, and the realization of intended benefits.
These are some of the ways you can incorporate predictive indicators:
Forecast lines. With sufficient data you can forecast such as impact or capacity levels (which may be seasonal), or even readiness levels across the initiative lifecycle historically across initiatives.
The types of factors that can be included as predictive indicators can include readiness. It could be that readiness levels only get lifted just before go live or at go live. Adoption levels can also be forecasted if you have trend data across initiatives
Change tolerance levels across different parts of the business can also be seen as a predictive way of forecasting how much capacity there is for change beyond which saturation may be a key risk
Adoption and Behaviour Tracking:
Central to successful change management is the adoption and sustained implementation of new processes or technologies. Tracking adoption rates, user engagement, and behavioural changes are crucial indicators of initiative success. However, it’s essential to strike a balance between capturing relevant metrics and overwhelming stakeholders with unnecessary data.
Capturing behaviour change data can be key for larger initiatives or transformations. Behavioural change can be central in a range of changes such as customer centricity, efficiency, team collaboration or effectiveness. Measuring key behaviour changes that drive the initiative outcome the most is critical. For example, having effective conversations with customers to improve customer experience is a behaviour that can be rated, tracked and reported. Depending on the change, there may also be system features that can aid the tracking of these behaviours.
Effective change management goes hand in hand with strategic alignment. Reports should assess how initiatives contribute to overarching business objectives and whether they align with the organization’s strategic direction. Metrics related to revenue growth, cost savings, customer satisfaction, and employee productivity can provide valuable insights into the impact of change initiatives on business performance.
You can also link your change impacts to each strategic lever. In this way you can visually show the size of the impact per strategic lever. This will give your executives a way to examine whether the right level of impacts in the right areas of business are planned as a part of the course of each strategic lever.
The other angle is to visually show the pace of change against the strategic levers. Are certain key initiatives being driven at the right pace at the right time? Will the velocity of change exceed the ability of the business to absorb the changes? Or is the velocity not sufficiently meeting leadership expectations?
Benefit Realization:
Ultimately, the success of change initiatives is measured by their ability to deliver tangible benefits. Change management reports should include metrics that track the realization of expected benefits, whether they are financial gains, process efficiencies, or competitive advantages. By monitoring benefit realization, organizations can course-correct as needed and ensure that investments in change deliver the intended outcomes.
A key responsibility for change is to focus on those foreward looking measures that predict eventual benefit realisation, including readiness, adoption, engagement and behaviour change. Be sure to link these specifically to high benefit initiatives to provide strategic oversight.
Balancing Complexity and Clarity:
While incorporating a diverse range of metrics is essential for comprehensive reporting, it’s equally important to maintain clarity and focus. Reports should be structured in a way that highlights key insights and trends without overwhelming stakeholders with excessive detail. Visualizations such as charts, graphs, and dashboards can help distill complex data into actionable insights, facilitating informed decision-making at all levels of the organization.
All aspects of chart and dashboard designs are critical. These range from colour scheme chosen, number of charts, commentary, titles, legends, sequencing of charts, and type of charts chosen all act to either contribute to simplicity and clarity or complexity and confusion. Your narrative as you talk through the charts also plays a key role in building the story-line, and simplifying the key messages and actions you would like to impart to the audience.
Charts and dashboards tell a story and in presenting them you should always incorporate any actions required from the audience. If this is not done then it will always remain a FYI. FYI content will be deemed lower in the value curve over time and your stakeholders will lose interest. Instead, you should work on crafting a continual story that ebbs and flows. The following are key questions you should be asking when crafting you ongoing charts and dashboards:
Is there an emerging risk or opportunity that warrants specific focus for this month?
How are we tracking the effectiveness of stakeholder actions through data? This feedback loop is critical and gives your stakeholders a reference point for their own effectiveness
Is your data-based story uni-dimensional? Are there other dimensions beyond what you have been presenting that stakeholder should be aware of?
Are you giving stakeholders what they are most interested in? Whether it be strategic success progress, or benefit realisation?
Are you presenting change data in a holistic way in terms of how the business is run? Vs. just focused on standard change management function-specific metrics such as training sessions, or number of workshops completed?
Enterprise change management reporting is a critical tool for navigating the complexities of organizational change. By focusing on predictive indicators, including adoption and behavior tracking, business performance alignment, and benefit realization, organizations can unlock the full potential of their change management initiatives. However, achieving impactful reporting requires a careful balance between complexity and clarity, ensuring that stakeholders receive actionable insights without being inundated with unnecessary information. Ultimately, by harnessing the power of enterprise change management reporting, organizations can drive successful outcomes and thrive in an ever-evolving business landscape.
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