Managing Change

When managing change, there are five roles that you need to consider closely and how they interact. Do this wrong and you will fail.

Five roles

Change Advocate

The Change Advocate is the person in the organization who wants the change to happen. This person typically has a role in which organizational improvements are identified and they may be such as a Quality Manager, HR Manager or some other senior manager. Sometimes the person is lower down the organization.

Change Targets

The Change Targets are the people who must do the changing. They are typically ordinary people in the organization trying to do their jobs without too much interruption. Change for them seldom brings any real benefits and without effective handling they can easily become resistant to change.

Change Sponsor

The Change Sponsor is the senior manager who has the authority to require the targets to comply with the change and may be their immediate manager. Clearly, the Change Sponsor has to see the benefit of the change in order to support it.

Change Agent

The Change Agent is the person whose job it is to interact with the Change Targets to enable them to change as required.

External influencers

There may also be people outside the immediate sphere of change who have indirect interest in its proceedings and who may have influence with any of above four types of people.

Patterns of failure

Resistant targets

The simplest problem of failure is when targets of change do not like the change and resist its implementation, possibly in quite subtle ways, from avoidance to sabotage.

Uncommitted sponsor

A common reason targets can resist the change is because the Change Sponsor is not really bought into it. They may voice the words but they do not follow up with action.

A common pattern is where the Sponsor thinks they are immune from the change, which is to happen to other people, yet they actually are one of the people who must change the most. If they are unable to see this or back away from it, then the project may be doomed to failure.

Missing targets

When people who should be involved are not targeted then the change can also fail. A way this often happens is where the sponsor is a senior person and the immediate manager of the primary targets is not included as a key target. The sponsor also may need to change as can a much wider range of stakeholders, such as when cultural shifts are required.

Wrong sponsor

Sometimes the sponsor is the wrong person in that they do not buy into the change or do not have the authority to mandate it. This happens when the sponsor is not that senior and the targets go around him or her to a more senior person who is not really supportive. This is why sponsorship needs to be solid all the way to the top of the organization and it is the job of the sponsor you have to secure this support.

Incapable agents

Sometimes the agents of change are not able to do their jobs effectively. Sometimes it is because they do not have the skills. More frequently it is because they are not being allowed to do their jobs.

A typical scenario is where a Change Agent works for a Change Advocate who tells the Change Agent to go and implement a change with a team of Change Targets. The Change Targets of course look to their manager who should be a Change Sponsor or directed by a Sponsor. If the manager has not been involved in the decision to implement the change or they do not agree with it they may indicate that the change is not mandatory, whereupon the Change Targets can willfully ignore the Change Target.

Malicious influencers

A further problem can occur when stakeholders outside the immediate sphere of change have reason to oppose it, for example senior managers who see their power base being eroded or peer groups who fear the change will later be rolled out to them. These people can slow and block the change by methods that range from withholding resources to whispered gossip about the ineffectiveness of the change.

Patterns of success

Successful projects counter the potential of failure by a range of methods, just a few of which are described here.

Effective reporting

If the progress of change cannot be seen by the change sponsor they may not know that change is happening. More importantly, they may not know that resistance is happening. It is therefore important to ensure sufficient reporting is built into the system to give clear visibility of change all the way the organization.

Sponsor engagement

A simple thing that a Change Agent can do is to check that the Sponsor is truly engaged before they start interacting with the Change Targets. Ideally, the Sponsor is brought on board by the Change Advocate but this does not always happen and a Change Agent who is offered a project should always first check this out.

Sponsors may also be engaged by getting them involved, having them make public statements about the change and involving them in design and review. If they are reluctant do to this, then their real commitment should be suspect.

Target management

A lot can also be done with the Change Targets both to get them engaged in the change and to show them that there is no alternative and they cannot hide from the inevitable.

It is important as a Change Agent to understand the Change Targets as people, with needs, wants and fears. If you can see and address these, the change may be made much easier.

Handle stakeholders

If you can fully understand stakeholders in change then you have a better chance of avoiding unexpected arrows flying in from the wings. This often means engaging them or at least informing them of progress, whilst marshalling powerful allies to prevent the change being derailed by 'outsiders'.

Behave rationally

We all need to predict the world around us, including what other people will say and do. By definition, if others cannot predict how we will act, they will define us as irrational and hence avoid or attack us. It thus makes sense for us to at least appear rational, even if our thoughts are inconsistent.

To be rational in the eyes of others, we first need to be able to explain our own actions to ourselves. We are our own greatest judges, and only we know the truth, although having said that we do suppress negative feelings even from ourselves (although this is not an ultimately winning strategy -- the stress of suppression often comes back to bite us).

A defensive way of being rational is to judge the rationality of others, thus setting ourselves up as authorities and hence automatic winners. Blaming people and situations is to attribute cause, which is itself a rational action.

A common way of rationally helping others suppress negativity is in face-saving. By not criticizing them in public (or even in private), we enable them not to appear as losers. This approach, which is particularly strong in many global cultures, counter-balances the tendency to blame. Where face-saving strong, there may be special situations reserved for where honest and critical feedback may be given. In companies this typically is the annual performance appraisal process, where after months of face-saving, the criticism can come as a huge shock.

Research Ethics Ideas

The Christian should view the scientific process in a much different way than those who adhere to naturalistic philosophies. That view begins with the origin of man. Christians believe that God created the universe in a systematically ordered way with certain processes that work outside of the natural realm in a supernatural or miraculous way. God created us in His image. Therefore, He created us as rational beings. That means we can design experiments concerning the physical world and of human behavior in order to discover some of the depths of God’s creation, extend our understanding of the world around us, and maybe help ease human suffering.

The Bible teaches that human beings are created in the image of God, and He, through the work of Jesus Christ, has redeemed us. The secular view is often to exploit others for personal gain. However, the scriptural declaration of the dignity of human beings should be our guide in how we, as Christians, should frame our experimentation.

The Bible offers a complete guide to help us frame our decisions concerning psychology in general, and conducting experiments in particular. Here is a listing of passages and how they can apply to our given field.

Romans 3:23 (Amplified Bible)

²³Since all have sinned and are falling short of the honor and glory which God bestows and receives.

As human beings, we are all prone to stumble.

John 16:33 (Amplified Bible)

³³I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have [perfect] peace and confidence. In the world you have tribulation and trials and distress and frustration; but be of good cheer [take courage; be confident, certain, undaunted]! For I have overcome the world. [I have deprived it of power to harm you and have conquered it for you.]

We should never be surprised by conflict and struggles. They are the norm, and not the exception.

James 1:2-4 (Amplified Bible)

²Consider it wholly joyful, my brethren, whenever you are enveloped in or encounter trials of any sort or fall into various temptations.

³Be assured and understand that the trial and proving of your faith bring out endurance and steadfastness and patience.

⁴But let endurance and steadfastness and patience have full play and do a thorough work, so that you may be [people] perfectly and fully developed [with no defects], lacking in nothing.

Conflicts, struggles, problems, and discipline should help us to grow into the people God wants us to be.

Ephesians 4:32 (Amplified Bible)

³²And become useful and helpful and kind to one another, tenderhearted (compassionate, understanding, loving-hearted), forgiving one another [readily and freely], as God in Christ forgave you.

We are to help each other, support each other, and give confidence to each other.

Matthew 18:15-17 (Amplified Bible)

¹⁵If your brother wrongs you, go and show him his fault, between you and him privately. If he listens to you, you have won back your brother.

¹⁶But if he does not listen, take along with you one or two others, so that every word may be confirmed and upheld by the testimony of two or three witnesses.

¹⁷If he pays no attention to them [refusing to listen and obey], tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a pagan and a tax collector.

We should be willing to confront others when necessary in a constructive, and not a judgmental way. We do this while keeping in mind that we are vulnerable to the same problems.

2 Corinthians 1:3-7 (Amplified Bible)

³Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of sympathy (pity and mercy) and the God [Who is the Source] of every comfort (consolation and encouragement),

⁴Who comforts (consoles and encourages) us in every trouble (calamity and affliction), so that we may also be able to comfort (console and encourage) those who are in any kind of trouble or distress, with the comfort (consolation and encouragement) with which we ourselves are comforted (consoled and encouraged) by God.

⁵For just as Christ's [own] sufferings fall to our lot[as they overflow upon His disciples, and we share and experience them] abundantly, so through Christ comfort (consolation and encouragement) is also [shared and experienced] abundantly by us.

⁶But if we are troubled (afflicted and distressed), it is for your comfort (consolation and encouragement) and [for your] salvation; and if we are comforted (consoled and encouraged), it is for your comfort (consolation and encouragement), which works [in you] when you patiently endure the same evils (misfortunes and calamities) that we also suffer and undergo.

⁷And our hope for you [our joyful and confident expectation of good for you] is ever unwavering (assured and unshaken); for we know that just as you share and are partners in [our] sufferings and calamities, you also share and are partners in [our] comfort (consolation and encouragement).

We are to live a Christ-like life. In doing so we are to follow the Biblical example the Apostle Paul sent to the believers in Corinth. We should be willing to reach out to others with love and concern.