Using "No Off Ramp" Decisions as Forcing Functions for Driving Change
Sometimes we need to have a forcing function to make change inevitable. Implement a no-off-ramp change that aligns teams and partners with the vision. This assumes you have enough clout or leverage to make that happen. Drivers can include asset sales, contract changes, and regulatory issues.
Holding the line can be challenging when people raise issues and either actively or passively resist. Make a type of change that cannot be reasonably undone, and then create gatekeepers for the new desired behavior when people are onboarded
A Mind Map
Thinking through the aspects related to making changes. See the video down below for a better explanation of the diagram than I do here in writing.
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Problem
You have a problem that can't be resolved as a normal part of the business. The Organization refuses to respond to the need. There is some current behavior that is driving up costs that you can't control through normal means. Something is completely broken, or the business has changed, pulling the earth from under the organization.
Impediments
There is a common set of impediments that appear because of human, tribal, and organizational nature. Inertia drives an organization to keep doing things at it has always done them. People only like change when it becomes their idea. People weigh the impact on their positions and debate whether the organization is serious about change. They do nothing in the form of passive rebellion. They may actively resist throwing up roadblocks. Active resistance can be easier to overcome in some situations, but it still creates drag on the changes that need to be made. People may not have the skills to take on the change. This creates fear, driving up resistance. Many organizations don't have a great history of up-skilling or cross-skilling. Previous RIFs lower trust in the organization itself. Failed and abandoned initiatives lead people to resist with the expectation that it will just go away.
Methods for Change
Behavioral
Organizations need to make people think and prioritize differently. Retraining should be an option, and in many cases can be used with some success. Organizations need to stick with training and expect a long-term commitment. Getting this wrong can lead to resistance and confusion. Those who jump into the training may not be rewarded and may even fall victim first to any vector changes in the company's direction. People know this and resist. Getting rid of the existing people and hiring new ones is a common approach for eliminating the status quo. The organization closes sites, eliminates broad swaths of positions under the guise of restructuring or cost alignment, and then hires a different group of people, possibly in new locations. This is chaos, but it eliminates much of the resistance and some training costs.
Using Forcing Functions
Reorganization is the knife that executives use to break up power structures and slice into existing priorities. Reorganizations come with risk because they break the parts of the organization that work, and they can create periods of indecision as the many details are worked out. This is probably the most common technique often used when the players change high up in an organization.
Change sometimes can appear without any tactical benefit to individual groups. So they will resist reprioritizing their current work. Organizations may have to force the groups to reprioritize. Emergencies or non-revocable decisions. Lawsuits, audit failures, contract cancellations and regulatory findings can create pressure, forcing reprioritization. Facilities closures and other "no plan B" draw top-level support that can then be used to lock in the work as a priority.
I've worked in several places where we force behavior change by leveraging technical replatforming, legal settlements, and cost or facilities migrations. Lease terminations and contract exits with penalty clauses can be well-understood reasons for change.
Using the Crucible
See the other talks on different ways organizations can apply heat to remake organizations and drive change
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