Change Management Principles

Keep These 10 Change Management Principles Top Of Mind

Which principles of change management have really proven successful? Any time you lead a change in a company, you need to have an idea of how you’re going to do it and how you’re going to see it through.

That’s why in this article we present 10 essential principles that can help you develop conversations, strategies and action plans aimed at making change sustainable in your company. We hope they will inspire you!

Why is change management so important?

Change management is important because change is both an art and a science in any organization. Supporting employees through change is a complex, delicate and involved process, and it is important because it can have a real impact on the functioning of your company.

That’s why the principles you follow, why you do it, what people know about it, and why they should care about it have a significant impact on the outcome.

Basically, change management is important because without it, companies are doomed – especially in today’s world when change is occurring at an ever-increasing pace.

The 10 core principles of change management that we discuss below are a synthesis of various expert perspectives on managing change in organizations, but they have one thing in common: successful change management only occurs when hearts, minds and actions are aligned.

Theme	Principle
Section 1: Prepare	Create a compelling vision for change (and a sense of urgency)
	Have a plan, but adapt it
	Get approval from above
Section 2: Exchange	Communicate openly, often and at the right time
	Work with the culture, not against it (and be prepared for resistance)
	Argue for change both rationally and emotionally
	Use both formal and informal methods of engagement
Section 3: Engage	Act as if change matters – from the top down
	Harness the power of internal influencers and cheerleaders
	Engage your employees (celebrate small successes early, but don’t celebrate the end until it’s really over)

The 10 most important principles of change management

1.Create a compelling vision for change (and a sense of urgency)

If everyone involved – from senior management to first-level employees – understands why the change is happening, what happens if the change is not successful, and why it is important to them personally, then the change is more likely to happen .

More importantly, stakeholders spend less time and energy fighting the change and more time promoting it.

However, this vision must be driven by business imperatives: why change if it’s not important? It must also be embedded in a context that those involved can understand. This statement may seem obvious at first glance – of course, people need to understand the reason for the change and their role in it.

The difference is: The change must be designed in such a way that everyone involved can understand it.

How much information should be provided? It depends.

A broader, overarching strategy that includes financial data is critical for executive approval. However, as change extends across the entire organization, stakeholders will have different perceptions, requiring different levels and types of information to overcome resistance.

2.Have a plan, but adapt it

Before creating a great change management plan, its architects have examined as much data and analyzed as many systems and behaviors as possible so that they can redesign systems and processes if necessary.

In many ways, that’s the easy part. However, when other people are involved, even the most perfect plan can go awry.

PwC and Strategy& recommend that “a formal approach to managing change – starting with the leadership team and then engaging key stakeholders and executives – should be developed early and adjusted frequently as the organization changes.”

Even the most carefully prepared plan must be adjusted as circumstances change. While it is important to create thorough plans early on, a more flexible change management methodology allows for greater flexibility and ultimately greater project success.

Another way to put it is: develop early, adapt often.

3.Get approval from above

A successful change management principle should underlie a concrete initiative. Quite simply: it all starts with top management getting involved. When senior leadership (ideally including the CEO) is aligned and committed, change is much more likely to move forward.

The leadership team provides strength and direction by articulating its vision. However, there is a difference between theoretically supporting a program from senior leadership and actually changing their behavior in a way that makes their support visible.

As Aguirre & Alpern point out, “managers must visibly model these new behaviors from the start, because employees will only believe real change is happening if they see it happening at the top of the company.”

When all members of the leadership team lead by example instead of just talking about it, it shows everyone below them that this initiative is viable. Leaders who change first demonstrate that change is possible, which in turn motivates employees to do the same.

4.Communicate openly, frequently and at the right times

It may feel like overkill, but communicating with employees in all possible ways – from email to conversations with managers, from using the intranet to notices on bathroom stall doors – is actually crucial.

If an employee has heard so much about the change initiatives that they are bored with it, this is a sign of successful change management communication because it means that “the new way of doing things” is already “the way how we do things here”.

But beware! You can also communicate too early or pass on information that is not relevant to employees.

Understand that employees need to know how the change will affect them, how they will need to adapt, and why it is important. At the beginning of a change process, the information should therefore be more detailed and convincing. They need communication that helps them participate.

5.Work with the culture, not against it (and be prepared for resistance)

How can leaders collaborate with company culture while ensuring they are sending the right messages and telling the right story about the need for change?

This change management principle begins with aligning the change with what it really means to your company and how it aligns with your company values.

Cultural values are what your company stands for above all else.

When change occurs, it is invaluable to identify the core perceptions, values, beliefs and behaviors that need to be addressed. They are the basis for successful change. When change management programs are developed based on values, the infrastructure and programs required for change can run smoothly and evolve.

6.Make both rational and emotional arguments for change

When leading a change initiative, it’s easy to assume that everyone affected by the change understands the problems, sees the need for change, and has the new vision as clearly as you do.

Unfortunately, this is rarely the case. Those involved in change projects often make the mistake of assumption, which results in them providing disjointed, incomplete or unconvincing information.

Employees generally want to know why they need to change. They look for both rational and emotional reasons before deciding to change. It is crucial that a balance is struck between these two elements (logic and motivation) in communication.

It is also important to explain the formal reasons for a change as comprehensively as possible. Of course, certain employees must or may know more than others, but be careful: employees are not stupid. If you don’t provide a good case for why change is necessary, the rumor mill can start and undermine change projects before they even begin.

It is also important that the messages are tailored to the different target groups. For example, the finance team may have different expectations or questions than the marketing team. Make sure your messaging addresses the issues of all groups in a way that allows them to understand and participate in the change.

7.Use both formal and informal methods of engagement

One way to prepare for adaptation is to ensure that people know how to adapt their behavior. Using both formal and informal methods of engagement helps.

What are formal and informal methods of engagement?

These are the levers that those responsible for change can pull to enable successful change.

Formal elements include organizational structures, the way employees are rewarded, the way they engage (e.g. meetings, appraisals, etc.), training and development. Informal solutions include the emotional drivers that motivate (or demotivate) people to act or maintain behavior.

8.Act as if change matters – from the top down

As we explained above, leaders must make the changes themselves.

However, while change initiatives run from the top down, the real change occurs in the middle and bottom of the typical corporate hierarchy. This means that change plans must help model behavior at all levels.

It can be helpful for employees to know how their actions need to change. For example, you need to start prioritizing consideration over efficiency.

Maybe the critical change requires them to use a different system or document their work in a different way. Maybe they need to respond to customers differently.

In some cases, it can be helpful to role-play how behaviors should change. In highly regulated environments, it can be helpful to establish a formal list of do’s and don’ts.

Regardless of what is being changed, it is important to remember that employees need to know why they are making the change, what it means for them, how they need to change their behavior, and how it will help the company. Change initiatives are most successful when employees not only understand the need for change, but also actively support it.

9.Harness the power of internal influencers and cheerleaders

Who is leading the change? Senior management plays a crucial role, as do the change process leaders, project managers and human resources. The employees certainly contribute to the change.

But what really creates momentum for change? The conviction of people who are committed to change and want to help shape it.

Sometimes these people are called cheerleaders. You may also know them as influencers. Or they are simply important power holders who can bring about change or, conversely, prevent change.

Depending on the power and influence dynamics in the organization, it is advisable to appropriately use both formal and informal power holders at different points in the change process.

10.Engage employees (celebrate small successes early, but don’t celebrate the end until it’s really over)

Is the change working? Be honest. Aguirre and Alpern warn that sometimes leaders are so eager to claim victory that they don’t take the time to figure out what works and what doesn’t before declaring a project’s success.

Change fatigue is real. No matter how well change management is implemented, employees will eventually tire of change. This can impact employee engagement and productivity and have a negative impact on their well-being.

To overcome this lethargy, change management should ideally occur sequentially (rather than simultaneously). It is also helpful to support employees along this journey – for example, through training and development, good communication and other coping mechanisms as appropriate.

It sometimes makes sense to offer an external employee assistance program to help employees cope with particularly stressful times of change.