It is best to prepare for changes before they happen. It happens before it strikes, and during periods of relative calm. You can end up being constantly on the defensive when you react to changes in the moment. This can lead to serious consequences. Because your attention is focused on avoiding the next curveball, you are unable to see the future. This can lead to your company taking unnecessary risks and ignoring new opportunities. This can lead to frustration and even a complete collapse of your organization. Although it can be hard to know when the right time is to plan for change, there are many ways to start. This author outlines four steps that leaders can take to ensure their organization thrives in constant change.
Looking back, 2020 and most of 2021 were a wakeup call about how fast and how many changes can be made. They were also a wake-up call for the future, not necessarily another pandemic of multiple forms, but fluxes of every kind.
The future is not more certain or stable than it was today. No matter what time it is, the future of this decade, next week, next quarter or next year will be more uncertain, unpredictable and unpredictable than that of today. Individually, we worry (and often wonder) about our futures, our jobs, and the well-being of our children. We are facing challenges in the workplace, such as disruptions to business models, digital transformation, or the Great Resignation. Societally we are facing unprecedented changes in our climate, economies and demographics. These changes and their impacts will continue to multiply and intersect.
I am a futurist and spend a lot of time helping executives and companies understand the forces shaping the future. It is not my goal to predict the future, which is futile, but to be prepared for all possible outcomes. Over 25 years of working in this capacity and travelling to over 100 countries, I've witnessed the different ways that every organization faces change. There is hope for organizations who plan to stay ahead of the curve in order to manage change.
It is best to prepare for changes before they happen. It happens before it strikes, and during periods of relative calm. You can end up being constantly on the defensive when you react to changes in the moment. This can lead to serious consequences. Because your attention is focused on avoiding the next curveball, you are unable to see the future. This can lead to your company taking unnecessary risks and ignoring new opportunities. This is a recipe to frustration and, at best, for failure.
Although it can be hard to find the right time to prepare to change, there are many ways to start. These are the four steps leaders can follow to help their organizations thrive in constant change.
Conduct a change audit
A holistic assessment of your organization's readiness to adapt to a changing world provides the foundation for a future that is constantly shifting. However, few leaders are able to do this consistently. An audit of change can provide clarity at multiple levels.
What areas are most affected by change in your company, industry, team, or customers' lives? Although it is easy to isolate changes to specific functions or departments, this can miss key dynamics and interdependencies that can help make change more manageable. Find out which functions or departments are more adaptable than others. Who have you seen excel in the last 18 months?
The second is what kind of changes are the most difficult? People love the changes they make (a new job, relationship or haircut), but fear or resist changes that are beyond their control (layoffs or a breakup or changes in health). These dynamic often translate into workplaces with huge implications.
What are the organizational impediments to successfully navigating change? These are some common candidates:
Anxiety and team burnout: It is harder to gauge uncertainty when you are exhausted. If you are tired, it is more common to feel anxious and have tunnel vision.
When you are tired, it is harder to gauge uncertainty. If you are tired, it is easier to feel anxious and have tunnel vision. Trust is the most important resource when you face change. Think about this: Who are you able to turn to if you don't know what to do? To those you trust. Do you have trust in your employees to act in the best interest of the organization and uphold its values in work and personal life?
Trust is the best resource to help you navigate change. Think about this: Who are you able to turn to when you don't know what to do? To those you trust. Do you have trust in your employees to uphold the company's values and act in the organization's best interest? A culture of just dealing with it: Does everyone at the organization, from leadership to all levels, feel free and encouraged to be fully present even when they are vulnerable? Is it considered a loss or a learning opportunity when things don't go according to plan?
All levels of the organization, including leadership, are encouraged and allowed to be fully present. Is it considered a loss or a learning opportunity when things don't go according to plan? Insufficient metrics: It is more than dollars and cents to be able to successfully navigate change. How important are exhaustion and trustworthiness? These metrics don't appear in any budget line, but they are invaluable. How do you account? Metrics must be more than quarterly returns and productivity benchmarks in an ever-changing world.
A change audit should include input from everyone in the organization, from senior executives to new recruits. This not only reflects an inclusive culture but also demonstrates that everyone has their own wisdom and perspective in regards to change.
Strategie is more about mindset than anything else
Leaders assume that change is manageable and can be controlled. This is a common misconception. This narrative is fed by a multitude of change management books. Change management is not enough in today's changing world. Leaders need to change their mindset.
It is both an art and a science to navigate change well. You need the right strategy and the right mindset to navigate change. If you are rooted in change and comfortable with it, you will see any change, no matter how big or small as an opportunity for growth or improvement.
These dynamics are often reversed by many leaders. Mindset is the driving force behind strategy and not vice versa. Human relationships that are open to change and positive thinking can also be developed. This is what I refer to as a "flux mindset". Leaders and employees should be able to open this mindset and encourage people to embrace change. The effects of a flux mindset can be seen in many areas, including how we talk about change and how strategies, policies and talent priorities are established. Leaders are key in ensuring that this mindset is valued.
Clarify who is responsible for the organization's change readiness.
Some organizations have created the position of chief change officer in recent years. Most cases are in the context digital transformation. A chief change officer oversees a company's transition to digital services and business operations. A range of CXOs can be expected to make changes to their portfolios or domains at the same time. Chief executives, CEOs and COOs are all part of the change officer category. However, it may not be easy to find a common definition between them. Worst, some companies simply appoint chief change officers as a marketing stunt.
In a world of constant change, like the one we will be living in the future, the chief change officer's role takes on a new meaning and urgency. It is no longer limited to one function, department or project.
It may be time for an organization-wide chief change navigator. This person will work cross-functionally to help the company prepare for a future filled with change. Both the roles and their mandates are based on principles of change. They are meant to evolve over time. These are the required characteristics:
Not isolated: The chief change navigator is a link between organizational culture and the connective tissue that binds all of the changes that affect an organization. It is responsible for guiding, advising, and supporting these functions.
The chief change navigator is a link between organizational culture and serves as the connective tissue between all of the changes that affect an organization. It is responsible for advising and guiding these functions and is nested between C-suite, HR and chief culture officer. Clear but fluid responsibilities: The chief transformation navigator is similar to an in-house futurist, whose job is to prepare the company for a largely unknown future. This includes any factors that could cause the company to explode, surprise, overwhelm or even die, but which are not directly related to day-to-day operations. This role includes leading a scenario-mapping exercise that increases organizational readiness for a range possible futures, and creating an in-house community with these abilities.
The chief change navigator acts in a similar way to an inside futurist, whose job is to prepare the company for a vastly unknown future. This includes any factors that could cause the company to explode, shock, overwhelm, or even die, but are not directly related to day-to-day operations. This role includes leading a scenario-mapping exercise that increases organizational readiness for a variety of futures and creates an in-house community with these abilities. Relentlessly talent-centric, future-focused: The chief change navigator assists all employees in developing their flux mindsets and improving their relationships with change.
Incorporate fluxiness in organizational culture
To truly thrive in constant change, you must place change at the heart of your work. This requires a change in your mindset, expectations, and assumptions. Instead of feeling anxious or stressed out when change comes, you can be ready for it. Instead of trying to control everything, you can see clearly what is important.
Leaders will have many options to improve their approach to change as uncertainty becomes the norm. A good place to start is updating organizational mission statements and cultural value in order to reflect a world that is constantly changing. However, to integrate flux into an organizational culture, it is important that the actions, norms and practices are rooted over time.
Recognize employees' creativity and ability to find new solutions. Instead of trying to rebound from setbacks, reward them for it. Management and mindset are equally important. Employees who are able to trust uncertainty and help others find key insights should be given more responsibility. Employees will be able to ask the right questions when faced with change.
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There are new opportunities, and a greater urgency to navigate change well. Leaders and businesses must radically change their approach to uncertainty to maintain a positive outlook and be productive. We are looking towards a future where there is more change. It's time to shift your mindset and increase your organization's ability to adapt to constant change.
