it is innovation and change management projects have been completed at lightning speed due to the onset of the epidemic and its related consequences. What used to take months to decide are getting implemented in a matter of days during this crisis period.
The main difference was the customer who demanded the change whatever be the cost. If not the business would lose their customer and the executives worked on the projects day and night to get it completed in no time.
During normal days this pressure is weaker as the customer is not demanding immediate results, the project manager doesn't drive the project daily, the project competes with other priorities, time frames are long.
How do leaders create this sense of urgency on projects that are critical to the organisation and equally urgent even though it is not so explicitly stated. . How do you improve the ability to improve our ability to innovate all the time?
Engage in small experiments
Think about change as a series of small experiments to probe, learn what works and what doesn't. These experiments can be conducted in days/ weeks to understand what customers want and will pay. Companies can build on this type of experiments in any environment.
These small experiments create a sense of urgency than a long drawn out project. This interests the employees involved and puts them emotionally active to ensure how the change can happen instead of making a plan as ho it may work. These small experiments also give quick results that give a real view instead of a theoretical one.
Set engaging goals
During a crisis, the goals are short, high priority and a sense of must do. These keep the employees engaged. Build these factors into experiments/ short projects. get employees excited, challenge them and give them the freedom to involve whoever is required to complete the project. Don't make it another project on top of others, but something exciting, crucial for the company.
The drive should be to get people to treat it as a priority, make time and get into the project. It also creates peer pressure with others who want to work and a unique sense of fun with an opportunity to make a difference.
Get personally involved
In change efforts, senior management should be part of the process and create the urgency, stay involved and join to celebrate the success and share their disappointments, help them pivot and solve problems. They may require changing the priority so that some experiments get the priority.
The constant involvement of senior managers sends a signal to the members of the team that their effort is critical to the companies success. It increases the pressure to succeed by knowing that senior managers are counting on you to deliver.
These steps may seem simple but it is not easy especially if one is used to methodical, well-controlled change control programs. They may be perceived to be crazy and very demanding. one has to be passionate to inspire and ignite the employees. One needs to be comfortable with not knowing where the experiments will lead, what it will entail and how it will unfold but have full faith in the team to deliver. If one is to succeed to open up the company this is what will be required to generate the urgency for successful change.
Innovate with Urgency — Even When There’s No Crisis
by Ron Ashkenas HBR 2020/09
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