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July 2003
Building a Compliance Mindset
into Change Planning
Implementation of Big Change is tough … and
calls for a solid investment of time and energy in upfront
implementation planning. Such planning is best done with the aid
of a solid, proven methodology (no need to re-invent the wheel
here … we know how to do change management). Beyond a
methodology, however, comes a mindset that will enable the
method to be used effectively.
Designing or setting the direction for
organizational change is frequently seen as a highly innovative
process. Companies frequently engage their “best and the
brightest” to think through the business situation and to set
the best course for the future. We have even seen “innovation
courses” taught to the direction team to get them in the right
mindset. All well and good? Yep…until you get to implementation
planning, that is.
During the deliberation on the direction of
organizational, there are, as the math majors would say, many
degrees of freedom. That is, there are likely several directions
or designs that could work well for the company. But once a
direction is chosen, degrees of freedom shrink quickly.
While the innovation mindset (and skill
set) is very useful during design / decision, the mindset needs
to change during planning for implementation … to one we call
“derivation and compliance.” Big words designed to say that once
the direction is determined, implementation planning must be
done with a mindset that says, “Given the desired direction of
the change and the body of knowledge about Change Management,
the needed implementation steps are …”
In other words, once the design /
direction of the change is chosen, each step in implementation
planning has fewer degrees of freedom. “OK, if that is the
desired direction of change, there are only a handful of
processes that will get you the desired result. And once you
have chosen core processes, there are a limited number of
technology tools that will be able to help you get there. Once
process and technology tools are decided, there are very few if
any options about the kind of behavior that will be needed from
workers to make the processes/tools work. And once the needed
behaviors are identified, the metrics and goals to build into
the employee performance management system are quite few.
So what’s the problem? The problem is not
with the use of innovation as the mindset during design and
selection of desired direction. The problem comes when
management takes the attitude that “we will innovate our way
through the implementation on a day-to-day basis.” This notion
frequently:
- Undercuts any upfront implementation
planning … and
- Misses the point that implementation
steps must be derived from the chosen direction and then
complied with.
- Keeps a “free-wheeling, brainstorming,
anything goes” attitude in place during a time when an
engineering, detailed, disciplined approach is required.
Consciously shifting the mind set from
innovation to derivation and compliance is clearly a best
practice for implementation planning. Count on the shift to
improve your organization’s chances of success during change.
By: Dutch Holland
 Dutch Holland,
CEO of HDI, has worked as a management consultant for 30 years,
helping organizations and leaders manage and implement change
successfully. And if you enjoyed this short article, you'll
love his book, Red Zone Management: Changing the Rules
for Pivotal Times (Dearborn Trade, Chicago, Fall 2001).
Check your local bookstores or read a review at amazon.com
or barnesandnoble.com!
Contact Dutch at dholland@hdinc.com.
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