The Leadership of Change® defines three typical organisational change implementation approaches; (1) leadership, sponsorship, and implementation, (2) employee adoption, (3) employee support. They are all important, but some impact change implementation success more than others. Change professionals tend to have a single preference on where they focus and operate. Each approach has advantages and disadvantages for the change team.
(a) Approach 1 - Leadership, Sponsorship, and Implementation: This is about getting an effective and proactive sponsor, aligning the leadership team and ensuring they know their key change leadership responsibilities. I have yet to encounter a successful change implementation without an effective and proactive sponsor, backed by an aligned leadership team with change leadership skills and knowledge. They are supported by a change management framework to implement the change programme and achieve benefits realisation and that return on investment (ROI).
Advantages: Leaders control the organisation’s resources and agenda time.
Disadvantages: Narcissists, indifferent delegators or silo-focused leaders can be difficult to work with.
(b) Approach 2 - Employee Adoption: Achieving employee change adoption in a major organisational change or transformation is usually one of the main business objectives for the organisation and its leadership team. Maximising employee adoption and making it sustainable should ensure the targeted ROI, full benefits realisation and result in a higher performing organisation. Employees should be supported through the change adoption process, being provided with Awareness, Understanding, Involvement, Learning, and Motivation (AUILM®).
Advantages: Employees are fully supported and engaged through the change transition process.
Disadvantages: Unless the leaders are directly involved in the adoption process, the change team will compete against normal day-to-day operations for critical resources.
(c) Approach 3 - Employee Support: We now live in the “Age of the Employee” and employees want collaboration, to feel included, valued, and engaged. This means organisations and their leaders will have to have a strategy and service offerings that ensure the wellbeing of their employees. This becomes more important during organisational change and transformation, especially with mindfulness, burnout, inclusion, etc.
Advantages: It enhances the employee change transition experience and makes employees feel good.
Disadvantages: Unless these activities are directly linked and supported by leaders, these efforts may only have temporary benefits.
"An organisation and its leaders cannot delegate change to a different and isolated internal change team or even experienced external consultants, expecting change implementation to supersede current normal day-to-day operations to become the new way of working"
This blog is based on my book: Change Management Leadership - Leadership of Change Volume 4
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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.
Listed #15 in the “Top 30” for Global Gurus Leadership (2024) by Global Gurus.
Ranked #1 Business Strategy Global Thought Leader: Top 50 Global Thought Leaders and Influencers on Business Strategy (2022) by Thinkers360.
Ranked #6 Leadership Global Thought Leader: Top 50 Global Thought Leaders and Influencers on Leadership (April 2024) 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.