Successful change in a digital environment.
Successful change, whether large or small, begins with good leadership. In my view, “successful change” is based on the acceptance of the change by the company, group, and individual. My colleagues both corporate and academic interviewed all proposed that leadership in its many forms, influence peoples decisions and have greater effects on accomplishing change. One of the important conversation being told was that hiring or placing the right person for the job in a leadership role and champion the project was paramount in producing a successful outcome. The consensus was that leadership and leadership style, the type of leadership, and how it is introduced has a greater effect on the outcome of change than the method of change facilitation employed. This is not to say that change theories and models are not necessary. Indeed, they provide valuable clues and guidelines regarding the appropriate leadership style to implement and when to enact different elements of that leadership. However, I feel that successful change is supported by flexible, change-promoting leadership. Al-Haddad and Kotnour (2015) present their model of successful change against known models of systematic or managerial change methods. Their findings uncovered that less than 30% of the initiatives end in success, stressing the need to plan and adjust and select the methods that are likely to produce the desired outcome. Wenek (2005) describes a viewpoint from the military leadership doctrine that instills the required leadership skills at all levels of the organization. Providing leadership training to guide, monitor and adjust on the fly, with proven results in adapting to changing situations faster, and willingly. A leadership style that promotes delegation of authority helps to train subordinates to the next level while building confidence, motivation, and buy-in. It also helps increase tolerance for change in employees and leaders, since change becomes part of the organizational ethos through built-in expectations. At the same time, these leadership skills offer some risk and leaders need to be able to accept this and focus on the benefits, such as building increased trust and improved communication. Thus, leadership is, in my opinion, the underlying foundation of the change process.
While leadership drives the project, “resources required” moves it forward. Resources and technical equipment must be provided to the project as the need arises in order to facilitate smooth transitions. Interviewing colleagues highlighted that improperly designed interfaces, programs, or learning material and resources will derail any project. This and my own experience in finding the resources needed to move a project forward, helped me to see the importance of resources as a contributing factor in successful change management. Resource definitions are varied and could be specific or vague, but all the participants interviewed indicated that successful change required resources at the right time. For example, one colleague talked about employees that were asked to use their own computers/devices to complete the course. Without establishing a minimum requirement for computers and programs needed, caused a huge delay and issues in technical problems ranging from which browser worked and what programs open the learning material. Navigation through interfaces in the programs utilized or organizational structure of the material can either frustrate the participant or build buy-in. The act of providing the additional training, allowing for feedback and acknowledgments of suggestions are all leadership skills that need to be applied while designing learning material.
In addition to leadership and resources, work groups are needed to assemble to complete further tasks within project scope, full time and temporary leadership positions can be assigned and nurtured to further give a value to tasks assigned. Recognition of milestones, accomplishments, and feedback is of utmost importance at this stage, helps build trust and commitment, turning the employee into a participant. Weiner. (2009) Readiness for change theory breaks down organizational change and implementation theories have been looked at both together and separately, to guide one or determine the best way to implement change. I believe it can be monitored in this group and as the attitude and buy-in build, so will the readiness for change.
Leadership is demonstrated both in the individuals and groups, It is, however, the individual with the ability to use reason to overcome perceived fears and facilitate change. Build on knowledge, milestones, personal goals, with rewards (certification and acknowledgment) filling the needs of adult learning, giving purpose and direction to the mission and acknowledgment, involvement and feedback to the employee. The individual leader is the one variable that holds the power in the successful change in a digital environment and can be the driving force or champion behind it. The Individual or team can also be the catalyst for failure.
References
Al-Haddad, S., Kotnour, T. (2015) ‘Integrating the organizational change literature: a model for successful change’, Journal of Organizational Change Management, 28(2), pp. 234–262. doi: 10.1108/JOCM-11-2013-0215.
Weiner, B. (2009) ‘A theory of organizational readiness for change.’, Implementation science IS, 4(1), p. 67. doi: 10.1186/1748-5908-4-67.
Wenek, K. (2005) ‘Leadership in the Canadian Forces: Doctrine, http://www.cda-acd.forces.gc.ca.