The first three phases of any change strategy
I was talking about methodologies with another consultant a few weeks ago, and when I broke down Commcoterie’s Change Management Process, she said something I haven’t stopped thinking about.
“The first stage of your process is Discovery,” she pointed out, “but that’s your process for working with clients, not the change process. Discovery is a consulting thing; we all do it.”
I couldn’t disagree more (and told her so, of course; I love talking shop with my pals). In fact, I don’t think leaders and leadership teams do enough discovery at their own organizations, especially when embarking on change.
So often, leaders simply make a decision so that they can can get to the action. It feels decisive. It let’s us pat ourselves on the back for not letting momentum dissolve in the whirlpool of endless meetings and approvals.
But the first three phases in the Change Management Process, Discover, Define, and Align, are the most important, whether a leader is working with a trusted outside partner or tackling change on their own. Taking the time to truly begin at the beginning with discovery helps avoid costly missteps later on, and it makes successful change more attainable.
Discover
There is of course the concept of discovery as part of the consulting process. As an external expert, I need to know things about a leader, an organization, and its current state in order to guide and do the work.
But to truly design a strategy rather than just make a plan of tasks and tactics, leaders should go through the Discovery phase whether I’m there or not.
When it comes to change management (or any strategic work), I often talk about a change’s true purpose. Every shift from a status quo has a true purpose. Sometimes the true purpose is exactly the same as the stated reason for the change or shift (the stated reason is exactly what it sounds like: the reason for the change or shift that the leader actually states). But the vast majority of the time, the true purpose and the stated reason are not the same.
I am not saying that leaders are liars or that they are intentionally trying to hide the true purpose. Or that the true purpose is something nefarious!
(It can be, of course. This is exactly why I work with values-aligned organizations and leaders who truly care about their people. If the true purpose is rooted in exploitation or something unsavory that they’re hiding from employees or something misaligned with their organization’s values, I can’t put my effort and energy into ensuring the work’s success.)
I'm also not saying that the true purpose needs to be shared with every single stakeholder (but that work comes later). For now, it must simply be discovered or acknowledged (along with its supporting details). Then the process can move into Define.
Because when the strategy isn’t built from the true purpose, it knocks everything that comes after off balance, and it’s one of the top reasons change is such an uphill battle.
Do leaders really need to Discover, even at their own organizations? Should they just be able to make a decision?
The Association of Change Management Professionals defines change management as “the application of knowledge, skills, abilities, methodologies, processes, tools, and techniques to transition an individual or group from a current state to a future state to achieve expected benefits and organizational objectives.”
ACMP’s Standard for Change Management says that “Change management processes, when properly applied, ensure that individuals within an organization efficiently and effectively transition through change so that the organization's goals are realized. Change management is an integral part of the overall change process and ideally begins at the onset of a change effort. ACMP's definition assumes that the organization has agreed upon the need for change and has identified the nature of the change.”
But while most leaders I speak to may have identified that something needs to change, more often than not, they haven’t:
Defined what is actually going on, what problem they’re trying to solve, what the change should actually consist of, and whether the change they’re envisioning is actually the right solution for the problem they’re trying to solve or the outcome they’re trying to achieve.
Agreed upon the need for change, the nature of the change, or anything else, really! And they haven’t figured out who needs to agree; who should be in the room and when they should be there, who needs to align on a way forward or weigh in on the change decisions.
The information needed for those two steps comes up in Discovery. Change management cannot begin without discovery, and the overall change effort shouldn’t either.
Define
When we have history, context, and purpose, we can move onto what are essentially the mission, vision, values, behaviors, and philosophies of the change itself: the who, what, when, where, why, and how we would like to see.
We have to define the change, the stakeholders, what we actually want stakeholders to do and do differently, what the future state and success should look like, who will lead and make decisions and execute, what barriers to success are or could be, where the effort fits into the bigger picture of the organization, and what nitty gritty elements are needed to actually do the work.
“Okay!” people say, “So now we can do the change, right?”
Wrong.
Align
Do not skip this phase.
Even if it feels like everyone in the room is saying the same thing in the Define phase, they are probably not.
I sometimes refer to this is the “oh, wait” phase. Like, “Oh wait, Janelle is actually going to be on vacation for half of August” or “Oh wait, we have that huge launch coming up in Q3” or “Oh wait, if we want to involve our front-line workers in this, how are they going to access information and training and communication when they don’t have computers and aren’t supposed to be on their phones in the field?” or “Oh wait, I thought we were saying the same thing when we decided to merge these two teams, but I didn’t realize that you wanted them all to report to Lisa when I thought Lisa and Tony were going to kind of co-lead the group.”
You get the idea.
Is the change you have envisioned actually aligned and even possible in the reality in which you’re operating? Can it happen on the ground in the way it has been articulated in the board room? Are decision makers aligned with one another on what you’re actually saying and what you plan to do? Are the right decision makers in the room? Do you all agree to move forward?
This is like when you’re on a plane and the flight attendant needs eye contact and a verbal confirmation from each person in the exit row that they’re willing and able to perform the duties she just described.
If you're not aligned, we're not taking off.
The more care and attention you devote to the early phases of change, the more adaptable, creative, and spontaneous you can be later on
A framework for discovery, defining, and aligning is what makes those phases catalyzing rather than paralyzing, and devoting time and energy to them will launch you into the next phase: Decide.
Wait a minute; after all that work, we’re only just “deciding” on a change!?
Nope. When you Decide, you’re deciding on strategy. And because of the first three phases, every decision you make will be informed, intentional, and will bring you one step closer to change success.
