We’ve all been in this situation. Our company holds a meeting to announce a change: a new software, a new structure, a new process. The leaders communicate very well why we need to do things differently and what the impact on the company will be if we don’t. They appoint executive sponsors to drive the initiative and allocate the necessary resources. They follow all the steps of the traditional change model, creating a sense of urgency and empowering employees. We all leave the meeting thinking: this is the way forward if we want to stay ahead of the competition. Let’s roll up our sleeves and do it!
Solving the Great Mystery
In the weeks that follow, the company continues to communicate the necessity of change and remains consistent in its message. Yet, a few months into the transformation, the initiative loses momentum. Even the most high-performing employees seem reluctant to change their way of working. Instead of adopting the new software, processes, or behaviors, they double down on what they have always done. Why is this? Why would someone persist in their old methods if the need for change and the vision of the future have been well communicated and understood? Don’t people get it?
“You must unlearn what you have learned.” – Master Yoda
To solve this mystery, let me ask you this question: if I told you that your performance would be mediocre for the next few months, how would you feel? If I told you that you need to stop doing what you excel at and instead do something at which you might fail? That you will struggle and be ineffective in your role for a while? If you’re competitive like me, chances are you’d try to avoid this situation at all costs. You’d take every detour possible to continue excelling. You guessed it: smart people refuse to change because they understand and anticipate what will happen. They see that they will have to start over from the bottom of the learning curve, and that prospect doesn’t excite them.
Did We Really Provide the Right Resources?
You might argue that you’ve provided all the necessary resources to help people acquire the new skills they need. While this may be true, it’s helpful to dig a little deeper. Quite often, the resources needed to support employees are not identified by the employees themselves, but rather by the change leaders. Perhaps they think they’ve provided what was required, but have they validated this directly with the people impacted by the change? In the end, it’s not what the leaders think that’s relevant, but what the employees believe. If they are confident in their ability to succeed and have a clear path to regain high performance, they might trust the process. Otherwise, they will revert to their old ways of working.
Are you experiencing a similar situation in your organization?
Are We Celebrating the Right Thing?
Another question worth asking is: how do we choose to celebrate? While employees are at the bottom of their learning curve, their first attempts to adopt new behaviors might not be successful. It is all the more important to reward individual efforts rather than focusing on the company’s success.
Let’s take an example. As a manager in an aerospace company, I had to go through the implementation of the Workday HR software. Knowing how overwhelmed our human resources department was with administrative tasks, I saw the need for change and strongly believed it was a good initiative. I saw how it could free up time for my HR partner to help me with more complex issues. So, I gave it my all and started using the software for an employee transfer… and as expected, I failed miserably. What used to be a simple form had now become a multi-dropdown menu that made no sense to me. Needless to say, I initially tried everything I could to circumvent the system. Fortunately, I had a very supportive HR representative who recognized my early attempts. She encouraged me to keep trying, gave me tips along the way, and was empathetic to my struggles.
From “What’s In It For Me” to “Who’s With Me on This Journey”
What ultimately led me to change my behavior was the sense of safety I had to fail and learn until I got better. My HR partner was a close change agent, able to notice and celebrate my efforts, even when they didn’t result in successes. My work environment was also positive, allowing me to share my struggles with others safely and trust that this dip in my learning curve would not impact my career.
It’s Not as Simple as 1, 2, 3
There are no easy 3, 5, or 8-step methods to induce change. Changing organizations requires changing people, and that is difficult. But we can all increase our chances of success by being curious and asking questions: Do our employees understand the need for change? Do they have all the resources they need? Do they believe in their ability to change? Are they afraid to fail? Do they think that failure could harm their career or reputation? Have we created a safe space for them to learn? Are change champions close enough to celebrate daily efforts? Because identifying what’s in it for me didn’t motivate me to change as much as knowing who was with me on this journey.
