How Has Change Been Successful Here?

At the beginning of a major change initiative, ask client stakeholders this deceptively simple question, “How has change been successfully implemented here?”  You will find the range of responses that you get quite astounding.  Below are a few of the most common:

• Awkward Silence – This question often brings up uncomfortable memories of how unsuccessful previous changes have been for the organization and many stakeholders would rather be silent.
• Leader Only – A variation of the “Awkward Silence” response, in which a leader cites a change that was based on the loosest definition of “successful” in order to save face for the company or him/herself.
• In a Galaxy Far, Far Away – Stakeholders cite a change that was successful, however, it took place many, many years ago.  Details on why the change was successful are few and far between because many of the stakeholders may not have been part of the change and only heard about its success.
• Smallish Success – Stakeholders are able to cite a successful change; the scale of which is many degrees smaller than the change that they would like to make.
• Bits and Pieces – Multiple stakeholders are able to cite different factors for why they think different strategic initiatives were successful.  This given you a patchwork of factors that can create successful change.  There is rarely strong consensus among the stakeholders on which factors where most important.
• Continuous Improvement –  This is the rarest response.  The stakeholders are all able to cite recent, large-scale, strategic initiatives that were quantitatively successful.  The stakeholders usually have come to some kind of internal consensus on why the changes worked so well.
• “That’s Why We Hired You” – This is the most defensive of the possible responses.  The stakeholders have tried to turn the tables and put you (the consultant) in the “hot seat” instead.

Regardless of the expertise and change management methodology that you bring to the strategic initiative as a consultant, a change that feels “organic” to a client (i.e., part of their culture/way of doing business) is going to be more successful, even if the strategic initiative is to change that culture.  The reason to ask this question is that it tells you a great deal about what the client stakeholders know about creating successful change in their own organization.  Client stakeholders who respond with “Awkward Silence,” “Leader Only,” and “In a Galaxy Far, Far Away” know very little about what makes change successful in their organization.  They will want to rely more heavily on you as a change management professional to “make it all right.”  As a consultant, don’t be tempted to take on all this responsibility for success.  Instead, begin to set the expectation that part of the change initiative must include finding out what makes change successful in this organization.  The client stakeholders, with your assistance, will collect data on what is and is not working in order to make a series of mid-course corrections.  The project will take longer but the stakeholders will learn what makes change successful in their organization.  The stakeholders are at the “crawl” stage of knowing how to make change successful.

Client stakeholders who respond with “Smallish Success” and “Bits and Pieces” are usually aware that they need to know more about what makes change successful in their organization.  They are frequently the most open to learning.  Thank the client stakeholders for sharing this information with you and visibly build the handful of best practices they cite into the change management methodology that you use.  Encourage the stakeholders to be continuously be on the “look out” for what is working during the change initiative.  The stakeholders are at the “walk” stage of knowing how to make change successful.

Client stakeholders who respond with a track record of “Continuous Improvement” are rare.  When you are working with a group who can cite significant, measurable results from prior strategic initiatives and WHY this worked, it is a goldmine.  Incorporate their best practices into the change methodology in visible ways.  This will help to build their personal sense of ownership for the strategic initiative.  Often, this is a competitive advantage that will enable the initiative to accelerate or go more smoothly.  As a consultant, the value you can bring to this group is twofold:  (1) help them to identify the patterns behind why a certain constellation of factors makes change successful in their organization and (2) build their personal capacity to use these patterns across the organization on all sorts of strategic initiatives.  The client stakeholders are at the “run” stage of knowing what makes change successful.

The “That’s Why We Hired You” response is probably the most tricky for a change management professional.  Effectively the stakeholders are trying to make you solely responsible for creating success in their organization.  Even if you are an internal consultant this is a heavy burden to take on and totally unrealistic.  Change happens when a critical mass of people determine that they cannot do things the same way that they usually do and get the results they need.  No one person, and certainly not a consultant, can make change successful in an organization that has experienced little or no success with strategic initiatives in the past.  When the client stakeholders respond in this mode, it is an important “teachable moment.”  Use it as an opportunity to clarify the role you play as a consultant and the division of responsibilities between you and the stakeholders.  You want to move the needle so that the stakeholders leave that dialogue knowing they are responsible for finding out what make changes successful in their organization but that you can help them discover this important information.

Bottom Line:  Asking, “How has change been successful here?” helps you to gauge whether your client stakeholders are ready to crawl, walk, run, or need help just recognizing their own responsibility for making the change happen.  This is essential data.