The adaptability principle - how to leverage it to drive change
A couple of weeks back, we started talking about why it's time to define and hire those new AI job roles that are starting to emerge. We've also talked about the need to rethink business processes rather than simply bolt AI onto a specific step (and cause downstream congestion etc). These emerging imperatives are putting organizations in some very awkward positions: figuring out where these jobs should reside and how the org structure needs to change.
As AI becomes a more pervasive enabler for enterprise capabilities. Change leaders are under tremendous pressure to figure out:
- what new kind of organizational structures they should have going forward:
- how teams should be arranged,
- how should roles and responsibilities be allocated
Increasingly common leadership dilemma: deciding how/when to communicate about upcoming changes
When facing reorgs, mergers or other organizational changes that impact people, leaders have always wrestled with the dilemmas of deciding when to share, what to share, how to share about oncoming change.
To make matters more challenging, today's kinds of changes and pace of change - especially in regulated or critical business operations - literally can't be responsibly planned without engaging the people who will be impacted by those changes.
Should leaders share information early, knowing that details may be incomplete or questions will follow, or should they wait until everything is finalized?
Whether it's reorganizations, mergers, new partnerships and ventures, new product launches, or even strategic pivots within an organization, this same dilemma shows up over and over again: How long should you keep things under wraps?
So this week we want to learn some of the evolving principles and research that should guide our decisions on how to engage, communicate when we are leading change.
Very timely, as today's organizations struggle to find the structures that will allow them to match the demands of the new operating environment.
Welcome to the new abnormal
This is probably going to continue for the next several years. Rapid/continuous organizational changes, reorgs, new kinds of partnerships, new ways of working, and new ways of incorporating technology. Organizations are and will be in a constant state of flux.
So how to manage this new pace of change? And especially the timing of what you reveal and how much do you reveal?
I want to take a few minutes here in our newsletter and podcast this week to jump start your thinking and learning on this critical new take on change leadership. A few key points.
People are very adaptable, more than we give them credit for
Think about this objectively, you start to realize we should probably share things earlier so that people have the most time to adapt to them.
One caveat: You can't always share everything. In some situations, there can be legal reasons or other reasons why you might not be able to share something.
But all things being equal, if you share earlier, people have more time to adapt.
And people can't adapt to something that they haven't been exposed to.
A smaller group can't outwit a larger group
This is another highlight from the learning segment.
I've seen this play out over and over again in organizational change scenarios: A smaller group of people, usually the management team or select team that's responsible for planning out a future phase, desperately trying to keep everything under wraps.
Meanwhile, you have this much larger group of employees who know something's up. They are rapidly connecting the dots, getting little pieces of information here and there, noticing little things that are different, comparing notes with other individuals who are also picking up on things. They're going out for beers and talking after work etc.
It becomes this huge intelligence network. Someone hears something offhand from a customer or vendor (these groups are not usually aware of, or motivated to be conscientious about lines of confidentiality).
I think that's just a general, almost immutable principle - a smaller group of people will never be able to keep a larger group of people totally in the dark about anything. A smaller group of processors can't stay ahead of a larger group of processors.
There comes a point at where further attempts to keep things hidden are just credibility busters
And we'll share some case studies in the premium content where you'll be able to see this both from negative and positive examples. Sometimes revealing the truth too late creates a lot more harm than if you had revealed it earlier.
When you're thinking about the timing of "when do we share this?" especially with impacted employees or partners, I think there is a personal reflection that becomes really important:
- Am I deferring this or attempting to delay communication just because I'm squeamish about the confrontation or the reaction that will happen? Or am I trying to keep this under wraps because I'm fearful that somehow the plan will be jeopardized once it is fully known?
OR
- Am I really thinking about this in terms of how do I share in the optimal timing when I'm legally allowed or allowed per the terms of maybe a partnership that's pending etc?
And, am I sharing in the optimal timing so that there will be the right level of trust, the right kind of preparation for a well executed change, and the time needed for the team to adapt and get themselves ready for the next chapter?
Trust is a very, very important element of this.
And a critical predictor of successful change, a large body of change management research consistently finds that employee trust in leadership is one of the strongest predictors of positive reactions to change and follow through.
That leadership credibility and trust is a really strong influence on whether employees support and follow through or whether they resist organizational transformations.
3 Phases of Collective Understanding - how to use this to your advantage
Now, part two of the 2 part learning segment goes into the three phases of collective understanding. So...what is collective understanding:
So people tend to have their own personal view of things.
But then they also tend to be heavily influenced by what we could call the collective understanding or the way the group is thinking about any event or situation that's playing out. This gets into interesting territory:
- the options that the group believes are the options (which is usually different from the actual entire set of possible options),
- which options are preferred by some sub-groups - different subgroups will prefer different options
- why different parts of the group have different preferences and dreads
- how this starts to resolve.
It's actually some fascinating stuff. And in times of change, this collective understanding goes through 3 phases. If you understand these 3 phases, it will help you navigate how and when to communicate, and how to drive alignment on a viable path forward.
New day, new game
Like it or not, we're all now in a new chapter, a sea change, and we have to adapt. We're all learning the new rules, and the new techniques that work, and which ones don't.
So that's why this two-part section on adaptability and change is such a timely set of valuable resources. I hope you will go and take advantage of them!
That's going to do it for this week.
Thank you again for reading and listening to S3T, and investing time in your own change leadership skills.
I hope you have a great weekend and a great week ahead!
Ralph
Opinions expressed are those of the individuals and do not reflect the official positions of companies or organizations those individuals may be affiliated with. Not financial, investment or legal advice, and no offers for securities or investment opportunities are intended. Mentions should not be construed as endorsements. Authors or guests may hold assets discussed or may have interests in companies mentioned.
Member discussion