Healthy Change Processes

The Nature of Change Processes

During my graduate studies at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), I got to be a part of an exciting project titled Healthy Change Processes at the Department of Psychology. I was involved with the project in the initial data collection phase and data collection at a later stage as well.

As addressed in an earlier post, the actual percentage of successful change is incredibly small. One study related to organizational fusions found that as much as 75-83% failed to reach their goals related to organizational change. Take into account the amount of money that is spent on change initiatives, and we’re looking at a large bill.

Over ambitious goals and a lack of clarity and communication may be part of the reason for why such a small number of change projects succeed, along with the resistance to change from employees who fear for their jobs and are insecure about the future.

The Healthy Change Processes Project

Based on the numbers mentioned above, and similar findings, the Healthy Change Processes Project, a collaboration between NTNU, SINTEF, The Norwegian Labor Inspection Authority (NLI) and led by professor Per Øystein Saksvik, took the following aims:

• Identify factors leading to successful organizational change
• Create and provide guidelines for implementing change processes
• Understand what characterizes successful change

Collection of data for the project was done on several occasions as the project evolved, and was based around interviews with leaders and employees in public and private sector businesses.

Important Factors for Successful Change

The findings suggests that in order to increase the possibility of successful and healthy change there should be a focus on:

• Awareness of local norms
• Awareness of diversity
• Manager availability
• Constructive conflicts
• Role clarification

Some immediate problems can be taken care of at the start of change processes by understanding local norms (specific sides to the organizational culture). When aware of these, both managers and consultants will have the advantage of presenting ideas that don’t collide head on with the inner workings of a business. It can be first step to avoid resistance to change from most (and hopefully all) of the people involved.

Understanding diversity is important because the official version what the organization looks like and the reactions that have come forth in regards to the change projects aren’t necessarily the actual state of things. Differences of opinion can, like local norms, be a highly influencing factor on the change process to come.

Though it’s no newsflash, having available leaders and managers help facilitate the change process. Available leaders and managers are visible during the change process. They facilitate the process by using existing knowledge and competence in the employees, and provide a point of stability in a situation that is often experienced as unstable. Having access to a person of influence that understands the change process provides security. This especially important for middle managers to be aware of, as research show that they tend to “hide” during processes like this.

By allowing conflicts to appear, they can become constructive rather than destructive. Resistance to change is almost guaranteed during organizational change. By anticipating resistance and welcoming it, leaders and managers also have a better chance at understanding the various concerns employees have. Rather than blocking them out of the change process, they get to participate and get a sense of ownership to the end result.

Making sure everyone who’s involved in the change process have a clear picture of what their roles will be helps lower job stress in times of change, and can potentially lower the instance of conflicts during the process.

A Quick Summary

The short version of the findings from the Healthy Change Processes project is that we need an even stronger emphasis on communication. All five areas that were identified as specifically important involve communication and understanding between management and employees. This is important during in-house change project, and possibly even more so when outside consultants are brought onboard (which is common). Outside perspectives are often necessary to help organizations think outside the box, and armed with the a) knowledge of local norms, b) an understanding of the diversity of the organization, c) leaders and managers that do not shy away from tough situations, d) but face difficult questions and situations as well has help e) provide clear roles, change initiatives should have a better chance for success.

Feel free to add your own experiences from change processes, and how the above have influenced (or not influenced) the process.

If you have questions regarding the project, you can contact professor Per Øystein Saksvik at NTNU for more information.

More info
P. Ø. Saksvik and colleagues: Developing Criteria for Healthy Organizational Change
P. Ø. Saksvik and colleagues: Sunn Endring i Organisasjoner (in Norwegian, but has good references for further reading)
P. Ø. Saksvik: Prerequisites for Organizational Change
From the NLI: Kartlegging av omstillingsprosesser (in Norwegian)