The first tutorial (Part 1) introduced the ADKAR model and how
management activities can align to make change successful, as illustrated in Figure 1. Part 2 presented an approach for creating awareness
of the need for change. Awareness is the first step in the ADKAR model. This
tutorial, Part 3, presents methods that managers can use to build desire and motivate
employees to support a change. Desire is the second step in the ADKAR model.
Figure 1 - ADKAR Model mapped to enablers and management activities
Identifying your audiences for change
Employees divide into three groups when faced with change. The first group
is open and willing to change. The second group is uncertain and hesitant about change.
The third group will not change.
Depending on your organization and the type of change taking place, the
distribution of employees in each group will vary. For simple changes with little impact,
you may find that 90% of your employees fall into Group 1, 10% fall into Group 2 and no
employees fall into Group 3. For complex changes that have a significant impact on
individuals, then the distribution may be much different, with a small fraction falling
into Group 1 and 3, and a large fraction into Group 2. Regardless of the distribution of
employees into each group, the approach used to build desire is similar.
Group 1
For Group 1, you will be engaging their support and visible participation
to help move the change forward. Each employee in this group can become a strong and
active advocate for change, and can influence the background conversation with other
employees. This background network is a key channel to reach Group 2 employees.
Group 2
Group 2 employees require the most time and attention. These employees are
the central focus of this tutorial, and their choice to support or not support the change
will be influenced by how effectively the change is managed. Direct supervisors and
coaches will be the primary enablers. Prosci's top-10 management actions to build desire
with employees in this group are listed below.
Group 3
Group 3 employees, by definition, are not going to change nor will they
support the change within the organization. They are beginning an exit strategy that could
include moving to another group or department, moving to another company, or leaving the
workforce (e.g., retirement). Group 3 employees are potentially dangerous for the
organization up to the time a definitive decision has been made regarding their future.
Before this decision point, Group 3 employees can negatively impact the background
conversation and can be active resistors to change (in some cases sabotage the change).
Special interventions for dealing with Group 3 employees is addressed near the end of this
tutorial.
Building desire
Managers cannot dictate or control an employee's desire to change.
Employees choose. However, that does not mean that managers are powerless to achieve this result with
their employees. The enablers or elements that may create a desire to change
include:
Fear of job loss
Discontent with the current state
Imminent negative consequences
Enhanced job security
Affiliation and sense of belonging
Career advancement
Acquisition of power or position
Ownership for the future state
Incentive or compensation
Trust and respect for leadership
Hope in future state
Personal context for change
These positive and negative motivating factors are evaluated by employees
within the following personal context:
An employee's personal and family situation (health, financial position,
stability, mobility, relationships, etc.)
An employee's professional career history and plans (successes,
failures, promotions, aspirations, years left before retirement, 2nd career potential,
etc.)
The degree that this change will affect them personally (in some cases
even large changes can have only a minimal impact on some employees)
Organizational context for change
Employees also evaluate these positive and negative motivating factors
based on:
an organization's history with change (past change success or failure,
the likelihood that this change will really happen, consequences for employees that have
resisted change in the past)
an organization's values and culture (how the organization treats
employees and how employees treat one another)
Prosci's top-10 action steps for managers
Listed below are Prosci's top-10 methods for creating a desire to change.
However, the first step before using any of the methods suggested below is to ensure that
each employee is aware of the need for change as discussed in Part 2 of this ADKAR series.
This is a prerequisite before addressing an employee's desire to support and participate
in a change. Part of building awareness around the need for change is ensuring that
business leaders have created an urgency for change with employees. This is part of
sharing why the change is needed and what is the risk of not changing
(see Part 2 of this series for more
information).
The methods provided here are techniques that have been demonstrated to
work by other organizations. However, it is not a "one-size-fits-all" approach.
The combination of a specific change, a specific organization and each unique employee
will result in a course of action that is unique to each person and the situation. In
addition, some employees are motivated by positive opportunities, while others are
motivated by avoidance of negative consequences. Carefully choose the right approach for
your situation.
Method 1 - Listen and understand objections
A critical step any manager should take when creating desire to change is
to listen. The power of true listening and
empathy is often underestimated. In many cases employees simply want to be heard and to
voice their objections. Understanding these objections can often provide a clear path
toward resolution. Listening can also help managers identify misunderstandings about the
change. Rumors and background conversation often produce incorrect messages and wrong
perceptions. Only through listening can managers identify these wrong perceptions and
provide a correct and clear story about the change.
Caution: When engaging in this process, managers should
avoid debating or arguing with employees. The goal is to listen and understand, and
provide clarity about the change. The goal is not to persuade or convince the employee to
go along with the change. Recall in Part 2 of this series the discussion about change as a
process, not an event. Managers should allow
employees time to move through the transition, and not try to manage the change with one
meeting.
Method 2 - Focus on the "what" and let go of the
"how"
In some types of changes, it is effective for managers to let go of the "how"
and simply communicate "what"
needs to change. This process transfers ownership of the solution to employees. Managers
can share a clear vision of the end state, along with specific goals and timelines with
employees. Employees then take on the task of achieving that vision. Employee involvement
and ownership naturally builds desire to support the change, and ensures that employee
objections are addressed in their solution. This technique is especially useful in small
groups or departments in which the change falls within the scope of that group, and has
little or no impact on other groups or departments.
Caution: If any combination of the following
characteristics is present, then this process is more difficult to implement:
a change becomes significantly large such that cross-department
coordination and design is required
the total number of employees is sufficiently large that they all cannot
reasonably be involved in and take ownership of the design
the design of the future state is already pre-determined and cannot be
changed
the change is dramatic and is happening quickly
Attempts to simulate employee participation through interviews, focus
groups and other channels of collecting input from large groups of employees can backfire.
Employee input does not equal employee ownership
of the change. Input from employees is a good and necessary process, but will not
necessarily create a desire to change when direct involvement and ownership are absent.
Method 3 - Remove barriers
Desire to change can be inhibited by obstacles or barriers. These barriers
may relate to family, personal issues, physical limitations or money. The first step when
using this method is to have followed Method 1 so that you fully understand the individual
situation with this employee. What may appear to be resistance or objections to the change
may be disguised barriers that the employee cannot see past. Identify the barriers
clearly. Determine ways that the business may be able to address these barriers.
For example, if a change involves assigning a manager to a new location
that requires commuting 2-hours each way, then a physical barrier for this manager may be
a son or daughter who does not want to leave their current school (nor does the parent
wish to miss the activities of their child). By allowing this manager to arrange a home
office for two or three days each week, then the barrier to change related to family
impact may be removed.
Method 4 - Provide simple, clear choices and consequences
Building desire is ultimately about choice.
Managers can facilitate this process by being clear about the choices employees have
during change. In many cases, the actual change may be out of the control of front-line
supervisors and managers. In these cases, it is very important that managers communicate
in simple and clear terms what the choices and consequences are for each employee.
The City of Denver, Colorado, recently began one of the largest road
construction projects in the state to widen the primary interstate highway that runs
through the city. This project is called T-Rex. The design and building process were
carefully planned many years before construction actually began. The construction crews on
this project did not have control over the final design nor the construction sequence.
Commuters certainly did not have control. However, this project was a role model for
managing complex change. In this case the citizens of Denver and the surrounding areas
were those impacted by the change. The project team created an ongoing communication
campaign involving TV, radio and other media to:
Let people know what would happen and when.
Provide alternate routes and choices for commuting into Denver.
Share the consequences of taking certain routes at certain times,
including providing ongoing information about the expected delays along each route.
Providing simple and clear choices, along with the consequences of those
choices, puts the ownership and control back into the hands of employees.
Method 5 - Create hope
Many people will respond to the opportunity for better things in the
future. They want to have hope. Managers can
create desire to change by sharing their passion for change, creating excitement and
enthusiasm, and creating hope in a better future for employees and for the organization.
People will follow a leader that can create hope and whom they respect and trust. This
method is the most effective when executive leadership,
through visible and active participation with employees, creates hope and energy around
the future state.
Caution: Creating hope takes a special kind of person. We
have all known individuals in our lives and throughout history who have the traits of
leadership that cause people to hope and to follow. They create a vision and build promise
for a better future. Public figures include John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King, and
Gandhi. Leaders with these qualities are rare but not absent in both government and in
business today. If your organization has this type of leadership, then building desire to
change becomes much easier.
Method 6 - Show the benefits in a real and tangible way
For some employees seeing is believing. Demonstrating the benefits of change in a real and tangible way can create
desire with employees. Examples could include:
Sharing case studies of other companies who have successfully completed
a similar change (and the results they achieved).
Inviting guests to provide personal testimonials of how a similar type
of change resulted in success for their organization.
Visibly demonstrating the success of pilot programs or trials within
your own organization (share small wins and celebrate success publicly).
Making the change real and demonstrating that success is possible can
remove doubts and fears that some employees feel about change.
Method 7 - Make a personal appeal
When a manager has a close working relationship with an employee, using a
personal appeal to support the change can create desire within an employee. A personal
appeal works best with honest, open relationships
where there is a high degree of trust and respect. A personal appeal may sound like:
"I believe in this change."
"It is important to me."
"I want your support."
"If you go with me on this, I will make sure this works out."
In a personal appeal, there is both an emotional component and an "I'm
counting on you" component. The emotional component is part of each persons
desire to support the people they are close to and whom they trust. The "I'm
counting on you" component has built in a sense that the employee will be taken
care of in the future, regardless of how things turn out with the change. Both of these
elements can build desire to support change.
Method 8 - Convert the strongest dissenters
Within every organization there exist outspoken opinion leaders. When one
or more of these strong and vocal employees are against change, they can negatively
influence many other employees within the organization. By targeting these strongest
dissenters, managers can use special tactics and interventions to convert these employees
to support the change. By doing so, the strongest dissenters
can become your strongest advocates. They are often equally vocal in their
support as they were in their resistance.
By focusing your energy on a few strong resistors rather than on large
groups of employees, two objectives are achieved for building desire to change. First, you
regain some control over the powerful background conversation that takes place around the
coffee pot and during breaks between employees. Second, you gain sponsors of change that
are already influential with their peers. If you are not successful in converting these
strongest dissenters, then Method 9 may be a viable option.
Method 9 - Create a sacrifice
Often termed the "sacrificial lamb,"
removing a key manager that is demonstrating resistance to change sends a powerful signal
to the organization as a whole. The message is:
They are serious about this change.
Resistance will not be tolerated.
The consequences for not moving ahead with the organization are real and
severe.
This method for creating desire to change is best used with a "Group
3" employee as discussed earlier. Often times these employees would be leaving the
organization soon anyway. It is not necessary for this to be a negative experience for the
manager that is leaving. Termination packages, early retirement offerings or a number of
other programs can make this process good for the manager leaving, and at the same time
send the right message to the organization.
Does this always need to be perceived by other employees as a harsh course
of action? A recent case study shows how this method was used in a way that was not
hurtful to the organization or the person leaving. A senior level manager at a financial
services firm was outspoken and critical of changes planned in both processes and systems.
The resistance continued long enough that many employees came to the conclusion that this
change would not happen after all. They had learned from past experience that if this key
manager was opposed to the change, then it did not happen. The resistance was so plain
that even an external consultant commented on the risk. Since the culture and values in
this organization were very family-oriented (we take care of one another), imagine the
surprise when the CEO announced that this resistant manager would be leaving the
organization. What was notable in this case, however, was how the termination was
presented in public. The manager was being given a celebration send-off and early
retirement plan for his long-standing contribution to the company. The separation was
positive for the manager, and, in his own way, the CEO sent a message to the organization.
That message was that we can manage change and continue to live our values.
Caution: Organizations should not look for a sacrificial
lamb as a standard practice. This tool should be used after other options have failed and
the change is at risk. When fear is created in an organization, this fear can play out in
both negative and positive ways. Once a decision like this has been made, the organization
needs to carefully manage the fallout from this approach.
Method 10 - Use money or power
When mid-level or senior managers are resistant to change, yet are
critical to the success of the change and the organization, two incentives may be required
to secure their support. These incentives would be used when all other methods for
building desire have failed.
Increase their compensation or create a bonus program such that they are
directly rewarded for the successful completion of the change.
Offer a promotion to a position they desire.
In short, bargain. When a manager is necessary to ensure a smooth
transition, and assuming that other barriers, obstacles or objections have been removed,
then at some point you have to decide what you are willing to give up in order to gain
their support. What is their contribution worth to the business, and how can the business negotiate for this endorsement and support. This
negotiation should be specific on the actions and behaviors that are expected to support
the change.
An example of the need for this negotiation is with mergers and
acquisitions. In these types of changes, key managers are necessary for successful
transition. However, some of these key managers may have opposed the buy-out or merger.
These special circumstances require different methods for keeping these critical managers
on-board. Money and position are two tools that may create a desire to support the change
in these circumstances.
Summary
Building desire to change is the second step in managing change.
Successfully using multiple methods for building desire and understanding that desire is
rooted in an individual choice are key ingredients for success with this step.
***
© 2004 Prosci. All Rights Reserved.
The power of knowledge - Part 4
Developing ability to change - Part 5
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