Managing Change
Lasting change comes from organizations that believe change is a journey. It requires character and discipline, and it will require heartache that must be experienced.
Why Change?
“Show me a crisis and maybe I’ll consider it”
Beware, change is a frightening thing. There will always be people trying to derail your efforts. They may even be on your staff. So do you have Agents of Change or Agents of Resistance working for you?
‘Teamwork’ and ‘buy-in’ should speed change, not slow it. At the outset of a Lean Transformation: Not everyone knows where you are going. The journey leads to a new place. Not everyone believes in the principles The ‘Agents of Resistance’ will be working overtime to derail the effort. Look for the them to be in one of three phases.
- Can it be avoided?
- Can it be delayed?
- Can it be controlled?
Changing the company culture starts with management. Employees know the difference between words and action. Change your organization by being seen at Gemba, Sr. staff needs to participate in Kaizen events. Experiencing kaizen is a breakthrough for all employees.
Managing Resistance
New behaviors and new systems do not become a ‘way of life’ until the majority of the organization has adopted them. The role of the management is:
Management attention needs to focus on supporting and rewarding the early adopters, rather than on trying to motivate the anchor draggers. Create a ‘pull’ in the organization to motivate change among peers and within the enterprise.
QUESTION: What will change?
ANSWER: Everything...
