Leading change – one step at a time

Many people think that change is about big bang revolutions in the work place.  A lots of planned change can be seen this way – getting a reorganisation through, getting a new project launched or changing the business model entirely. However much of what we ask people to do is about incremental change, ratcheting up performance and getting more from the same resources.  Do the same tactics and principles apply here as in big bang? I think they do, but it requires more skill from the leader to get the same momentum. A series of small incremental changes, well executed can provide as much increase in performance as a big bang initiative.

So what are the skills required to get momentum in these less dramatic change processes? You would not be surprised to hear then that they are still about the 3e’s Envision, create a view of what cumulatively the change will bring about and how this is a good thing, Engage – what do you want people to do and why them, and Execute – the plan that you share about how it works in practice and how they contribute day by day by day.  If anything the need to really understand the individual is greater here as there is less dramatic challenge.

Leading change will not always be a bet the company issue but it will never be an issue where you can take contribution from people for granted.  Leadership is defined by follower and getting people interested and commited to slow burn change is a real skill and worth the effort.