A review of published change management models and LWOC research into successful v. unsuccessful change initiatives revealed a shocking gap in measurement. The gap revealed may, however, not be the one you’d expect. It had nothing to do with metrics, dashboards, scorecards, or better measures of ROI. The key finding for most initiatives (and all failed or failing initiatives) was a reliance on “activity” measures (progress as activity frequency or completion) or “lag” measures (critical and business outcomes, for sure, but far out against the horizon—providing no benefit for course correction or learning through the duration of a long, complex change initiative).
The research revealed that as change models and tools become more and more complex, organizations tend to take models and tools intended to help manage a dynamic process and apply them in a linear, rather mechanical manner. Though the authors and consultants who promote OCM models and tools do not intend them to be applied in such a static way, change leaders are human and become quickly overwhelmed…and start telling themselves to just keep punch-out out items on the list and push their way through the change hoping the elaborate (expensive) OCM process they are following will minimize resistance they encounter and guarantee success.
In 2007, The Transformation WORKS! Index (TWXi)© received U.S. Copyright as a research-based set of Leading Indicators of Change Management Success®. This index is a simple tool for capturing objective stakeholder perceptions about the leading indicators of change success (intended changes in roles, goals, and measures). Used to “gate” progress of the initiative through each stage of the change process, this stakeholder input is the one way that assures a Change Leader that she/he is having the intended impact (affecting the things that drive adoption of new practice and mindsets—which enable the shift from old to new process delivery—which delivers desired outcomes).
When results are unfavorable, the TWXi© provides specific feedback on WHERE greater effort is needed and WHY adoption is not occurring. Simple…practical…timely!
By contrast, in the failed changes studied, the consistent response by consultants to challenges about why change failed was that “they” (the ubiquitous term in consulting circles for “the unsophisticated client”) failed to apply the method properly. It’s THIS guidance that results in repeated cycles of frustration with change.
How do you KNOW you are having the impact necessary in any given phase of your change initiative that will enable you to achieve desired results in the next phase…or, ultimately, upon project completion?
If your answer to this question is that you’re on track because you’ve done everything prescribed by your chosen change model (check-list style) and polls or surveys of team members or select stakeholders “didn’t raise any red flags,” your project is in jeopardy. To a person, leaders of failed initiatives could not identify why their efforts did not produce effective results—only point fingers.
