CHANGE MANAGEMENT
The skills of sustaining change
Research suggests there are key factors to achieving lasting change – Bob Lillis and Steve Macaulay reveal more
D
espite their importance, understanding the skills needed to sustain a change programme once the implementation phase is over is still poorly recognised
and applied. Indeed, some commentators believe each and every change situation is so unique that no generalisations are possible. Our research provides some clear pointers towards a better understanding of what is needed to achieve lasting change. Here we report on the most essential skills that managers must emphasise at different stages of a change programme for it to be successful in the long term.
The study asked senior managers with responsibility for change programmes in 13 manufacturing organisations what skills they felt were most important and crucially, when. The data generated gives valuable information to all change leaders. The findings have implications for L&D and HR professionals who are likely to be tasked with or held accountable for supporting and
At the start of any change initiative leaders must set out a vision which is both inspiring and makes sense to people; a vision that people feel motivated to follow
52 September 2015
www.trainingjournal.com
developing those charged with sustaining a lasting change initiative.
Base framework: 11 change factors
We used a base framework of a comprehensive study into how to sustain an organisation’s change initiative. This was devised by Cranfield’s Professor David Buchanan and colleagues1 who undertook a thorough review of what is known and has been written about sustaining organisational change. They identified 11 common success factors with definitions which are set out below:
Leadership Individual Managerial Financial Substantial
Setting the vision, goals and leading the change
Employees' individual commitment
Managerial style, approach and behaviours
Balance of costs and benefits
Perceived centrality, scale, fit with organisation
Organisational Policies, procedures, system and structures
Cultural Political
Processual Contextual Temporal
Shared belief, norms and values
Stakeholder and coalition power and influence
Implementation methods used External conditions and threats
Timing and pace of change activities
We sought to use this list as a base and distinguish between factors that may have the most influence on successfully sustaining change. For instance, do some factors have more impact than others on
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