Transformation initiatives overhaul how a business operates. Success hinges on whether leaders are able to shift mindsets and inspire employees to adopt the change. Recent surveys completed by McKinsey and Bain & Company consistently reported that less than 30% of these initiatives achieved the intended objectives.
What stalls transformation is not the strategy but the ability to get employees embrace transformation. Leaders need to look beyond tactical implementation of the plan. They need to put more emphasis on human dynamics that affect long-term performance.
There are three areas to consider.
- Leadership perception on alignment
Transformation initiatives generally start as a corporate project. Senior leaders share a message about the need. A cross-functional team is then formed, bringing in subject matter experts as required.
As the project progresses, leaders who misread silence as buy-in or dismiss concerns as complaints tend to overlook disengagement. Without checking in on the real sentiments, the gap between perception and reality drifts employees toward misalignment.
In order to minimize this gap, leaders need to proactively reach out to employees and check whether there is a clear understanding of the rationale for change. They need to encourage honest feedback and address concerns quickly. It is crucial that those who will be living the change are onboard.
- Change saturation and overload
To keep up with the dynamic business environment, it is common to see multiple change programs happening at the same time. The ambitious plans lead to transformation fatigue.
When a handful of senior managers are bombarded with simultaneous transformation projects, they are challenged to juggle their time and be able to do a good job. Burnout results. Some might quit.
Apart from taking a realistic look at all the transformation initiatives and weigh their returns on investment, capacity planning is also critical. Sit down with the senior managers and have an objective conversation regarding resource needs for each project, practical timelines, and available manpower. When there are too many initiatives and employees are overloaded, there is diminishing return on each additional initiative.
- Momentum sustainment
Transformation is not over after rollout. Indeed, the critical phase is sustainment when the anticipated benefits are realized.
The lack of sustainment effort post-implementation stalls success. The worst scenario is a shift of focus to another initiative. Without designated resources to oversee and refine adoption, employees would revert to old ways of operation.
Instead of relying on the handful of leaders to sustain momentum, embed influencers at the working level to facilitate continuous change adoption. These influencers are familiar with the day-to-day work. They can detect problems and address them immediately. They are well equipped to nudge change and lighten the workload for the senior managers.
To facilitate long-term transformation success, it is helpful to have a people-oriented plan. As employees who live the change ought to embrace the transformation, it is essential to get their commitment so they hold themselves accountable to sustain success.
For more insights on transformation, you might like How to Prepare Your Workforce for Digital Transformation.
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