Change Management

Having chosen the problem and made sure that everyone has a bird’s eye view of the 90-day journey, it is necessary to pay attention to the process of change management.

No one likes change. It is uncomfortable, like the pain of unbroken new shoes. If you are serious about the initiative, involve the top management to mentor, to troubleshoot, to remove obstacles. Involve them in planning the initiative. Ensure that they are part of the monthly rewards event. Their presence in monthly meetings either in person or on video will ensure greater engagement and involvement from the team.

‘Town Hall’ is Naina Lal Kidwai’s (CEO, HSBC India) face to face event with each of her major branches. It creates a personal connection which is difficult to duplicate. They are reminiscent of Sam Walton’s Saturday telecast meetings in all his stores. In Jamshedpur at Tata Steel, workers get a chance to explain their innovations to Ratan Tata on Innovation Day.

Preliminary Steps to Ensure a Successful Innovation Initiative.

• All problem owners make a final presentation of the problem statements and outcomes expected.
• Encourage suggestions and debate.
• Have clear systems for measurement of results and feedback
• Discuss the possible obstacles in the path of radical change.
• Involve top management in the presentation.
• Provide open channels of communication: a website, a hotline, a magazine (could be an e-magazine) and face-to-face meetings with top management.

Finalize the Problem Statement

It is critical to ensure that the problem statement is:

• Core to the business goals of the organization.
• Clearly defined and is truly the problem and not just a symptom
• Approved by top management in its final state.

When many commando teams are planning to pursue a single problem, the leaders have to support, nurture, mentor and reward. Without this clarify and wholehearted support, the initiative will falter.

It sometimes happens that junior commando teams choose the problem statement and arrive at solutions. When this is presented to the top management, they receive feedback that the management considers this a problem not worth solving. All the effort is wasted and people dismiss the process as ‘something that does not work in our old-fashioned organization’.

Think outside the box, Eliminate the box. Eliminate non-value adding activities.