We’ve all gotten those emails from Human Resources, Accounting, managers, etc., notifying us of a new process or a big change on the horizon. Immediately, we jump to: I have to do my timesheets how, now? Wait, expense reporting is moving to another system? We’re not using SharePoint anymore…where do I put my stuff? What was wrong with the old way, the good way?
This is an all-too-familiar feeling in many organizations and businesses. But when you’re a leader, it’s crucial to take steps to avoid this response. It’s easier said than done, but change doesn’t have to be painful. With lots of planning and one small key to change management, you can get everyone on the same page.
That often-overlooked key? Vision.
What Is Vision?
In short, vision is the mental image of what you’d like to achieve. Before embarking on a major organizational change, always have an idea of what you’d like the end result to look like. After all, you need to know your destination before you can plan the trip.
Meet FlipPhone, and CallQuick
Let’s put the vision into practice with two fictional organizations–FlipPhone, Inc. and CallQuick Corp.
CallQuick is booming, taking over market share from FlipPhone at a historically unprecedented rate. On the other hand, FlipPhone is losing customers to CallQuick at an average of 3% over the last three years. Within the last five years, CallQuick has rolled-out new accounting and payroll software, implemented new CRM software, and overhauled its call center process. The call center rework took two years due to the scale of the organization and was finished at the end of 2017. CallQuick set clear and precise goals for financial performance and employee happiness, backed by well-defined metrics. Their vision statement is on the walls in every office, in every training manual, and is all-around well-unified. Employees are skilled at embracing change and making new processes work.
Unlike CallQuick, FlipPhone has focused mostly on customer retention. “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” is the running joke around the workplace. Their dated accounting and payroll software lack a variety of features that modern systems have, so they are losing insight into where their money goes and missing vital patterns that might be noticed with new software. They spend relatively little from an R&D standpoint, and while they’ve tried to rework processes, very little has actually been implemented. It just seems like the changes never want to stick, people revert to the old ways of doing things, and change is neither well-communicated nor enforced. There are no employee satisfaction surveys, no clear direction, and no set vision. The company seems to be doing just enough to stay afloat.
Why Doesn’t FlipPhone’s Strategy Work?
FlipPhone and CallQuick are catering to the same demographic and offering the same services—so why are their success rates vastly different? You might answer the lack of employee focus at FlipPhone, or CallQuick’s penchant for new technology. But the core of the issue is vision. It is obvious that CallQuick knows the direction that the company wants to go, and they have a very specific intention on how to get there.
FlipPhone has been stagnant for years—they have no direction, no vision, and no real strategy for managing change. Management may want to enact change, but their approach comes off as corporate apathy. In turn, employees are so poorly motivated that change just doesn’t stick.
Get Organizational Change to Stick with netlogx
If you want to make a change stick in your organization, get people personally involved with the vision you establish. Put processes in action that show your organization’s desire for growth and change. Demonstrate that your people are integral to organizational change management. Satisfaction surveys with tangible results and actions that come from them; unified policies that deliver a consistent message; an effective, thorough, and interactive training and onboarding process—these are all things that your organization can work toward to help make those changes stick.
The key to change is the vision, and the key to vision is the people. Here at netlogx, we have a team of experts well-versed in management consulting and adapting to change. If you just can’t get change to stick at your organization, we can show you how to make it work for you. Contact us today.
