"Organisational alignment of the employees, its processes and systems, directed by the leadership are critical for change adoption"
Employee change adoption is fundamental to successful organisational change. It is about facilitating and enabling the smooth transition of the organisation and employees from the current state ‘a’ to the future improved state ‘B’. Without full employee adoption of the new technology or new way of working, the organisation is unlikely to improve operating performance, achieve the targeted benefits or return on investment (ROI). The organisation’s investment will be lost, as will customers who expect continually improving products and services.
Organisational alignment is critical and can be defined as the extent to which employees, processes and systems are coordinated and focused on a common vision. The leadership team and every employee can then effectively pursue the organisation’s strategic objectives. Alignment is the key to any successful organisation during normal day-to-day operations. It is also extremely important when implementing change, especially when there is a focus on either employee change adoption or behaviour change.
Organisational change alignment starts with a compelling change vision that inspires employees and gives them purpose. It is supported by the organisation’s strategy, values and beliefs. The development of this vision relies on effective and proactive change leadership and as the change vision is articulated by the leaders, then organisational change implementation can commence. Successful change requires the alignment of employees, processes and systems, directed by the leadership (EPSL) and supported by the change team. The key elements that need to be aligned are:
Employees: Individuals hired by an employer to perform a specific role that adds value to the organisation.
Processes: A system of activities by which a business creates a specific result for its customers. These are the foundation of how the organisation operates.
Systems: A set of interconnected devices that provide outputs. They execute and control the internal processes and procedures that deliver the organisation’s products or services.
Leadership: Individuals leading the organisation who are collectively responsible for strategy execution and its inherent change programmes.
These four elements will be needed to transition the organisation from the current ‘a’ state at the start of the change through to the future ‘B’ state. Change implementation will be successful when the employees adopt the change and when the organisation can sustain and close the change programme. Some of the practical benefits of achieving organisation change alignment are:
Increased speed of change implementation.
Improved employee engagement and higher adoption rates.
More effective use of organisational resources.
Increased leadership credibility and respect.
Increased customer satisfaction through higher quality products and services.
"An organisation is built on the three pillars of employees, processes and systems. Change adoption requires leadership focus on all three"
This blog is based on: Change Management Adoption – Leadership of Change® Volume 5
Peter consults, speaks, and writes on the Leadership of Change®.
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Peter F Gallagher is a Change Management Global Thought Leader, Guru, Expert, International Speaker, Author and Leadership Alignment Coach.
Listed #1 by leadersHum Top 40 Change Management Gurus You Should Follow in 2022 (Mar 2022).
Ranked #1 Change Management Global Thought Leader: Top 50 Global Thought Leaders and Influencers on Change Management (2023-2022-2021-2020) by Thinkers360.
Ranked #1 Business Strategy Global Thought Leader: Top 50 Global Thought Leaders and Influencers on Business Strategy (2022) by Thinkers360.
Ranked #2 Leadership Global Thought Leader: Top 50 Global Thought Leaders and Influencers on Leadership (Aug 2020) by Thinkers360.
Business Book Ranking
Change Management Behaviour - Leadership of Change® Volume 6, listed among the 50 Books from Thinkers360 Thought Leaders to read in 2022.
Change Management Adoption - Leadership of Change® Volume 5, listed among year-to-date’s (Jul 2021) most popular books on business and technology from Thinkers360 member thought leaders.
Change Management Handbook - Leadership of Change® Volume 3, listed among the 50 Business and Technology Books from Thinkers360 Thought Leaders to read in 2021.
Change Management Pocket Guide - Leadership of Change® Volume 2, ranked within the top 50 Business and Technology Books (Jan 2020) from Thinkers360 Thought Leaders.