Disrupted? Here’s a 50,000-foot view of what that looks like.
There are three fields of influence you need to consider for engaging disrupted organizations:
• The way things were
• Where you are today (in-between what used to work and what is still forming)
• What evolves from new possibilities
Simple? Not really when you are on the ground reacting to constant changes. Each territory has unique influences. Many change management strategies fail by not recognizing that there are distinct cultural behaviors and fears triggered by being in between. You can’t move directly into the future seamlessly. When an organization is disrupted change is imposed from outside influence. That urgency doesn’t ease the challenges leaders face in navigating in between what used to be and a still uncertain future.
The struggle comes from trying to navigate each field as though they are the same.
What change management tactics can you use to engage people if your organization is disrupted?
Change Management Strategy: 7 Tactical Steps for Disrupted Organizations
- Share the 50,000-foot view above so people recognize where they are. Share it again and again to orient your priority perspectives.
- Elevate mastery of soft skills. Your biggest challenges aren’t just knowledge issues. They’re due to the dynamics of uncertainty. Soft skills can mitigate that impact.
- Train managers in strengths based leadership and give them tools to recognize soft as well as hard skills for situational flexibility.
- Leaders and managers must connect individuals to additional relevant ways of using their strengths.
- Use an unexpected mix of people in teams focused on the NOW situations you are facing. Create teams with specific solutions or learning in mind. Disband them when they’ve achieved that short term objective. Remix, and remix again. Great opportunities for cross training and new learning.
- Give teams a way to capture their observations. Maybe an internal wiki?
- Let them do their magic. Leaders stop directing and start facilitating.