In change, people are always the decisive factor

The workplace is changing rapidly. We work in a hybrid manner and in diverse teams, breaking free from routine jobs in fixed structures. Agility is a must in recruitments, and consultants for change management are in high demand. But what does change management actually involve, and how do you successfully approach a transition? Change management trainer Erik Steketee provides guidance.

As an expert in change management, you focus on people rather than the technical side. Can you explain why?

People are always the decisive factor for success. Take, for example, digitalization. Automating and computerizing processes are just a part of it. Ultimately, you change the role of employees and expect different behavior from them after the implementation of digital processes. If they can't or won't work with it, you're nowhere. That's why today you often see Microsoft business partners facilitating the adoption of new software and hardware in companies, and consultancy firms offering adoption consultants.

Only if people shift along with changes, the intended business objectives are achieved. We train companies to work on this.

What does your approach, the Prosci method, entail?

We train people internally to become proficient in change management. We provide research and tools and teach the executive committee how to be 'sponsors of change.' We do this with USG, their team, their consultants, and clients.

Prosci is a three-phase plan. First, you must prepare, conduct assessments, and create a change plan. This gives you a concrete picture of what you want to achieve with the change and how you define success. This is often not done correctly. For example, 'digitizing a process' is not a goal; what do you want to achieve with it as a company?

Step two: who is most affected by the change project? These are the people who need the most support. They must be aware of the what, how, and why of the process so that they understand it and are motivated to cooperate. You must also activate the sponsors: leaders who communicate clearly why the change is beneficial and desired.

As a third step, the change is institutionalized; then the transition is a fact.

Is readiness for change a skill that everyone can learn? Or do some people miss the boat?

It is for everyone. People who think, for example, that older generations have a harder time with it should look at how many elderly people use an iPhone today to order their walker online. Or how many young people resist seeing the composition of their fixed, cozy start-up team change.

The reasons for resistance are individual. What you like, I might not. What you quickly understand, I might not. And maybe I find something useful but prefer not to do it myself because I want to maintain my own way of working. The key is that people need enough information and support. You have to have individual conversations, provide information and motivation, and ask what you can do to get that person on board with your story.

What are the biggest obstacles to that?

Change is underestimated; often, people improvise, and that leads not to success but frustration. A good step-by-step plan works better. Change management is a field, not something you quickly add.

If you want to introduce a new way of working in your organization, your employees must understand what it is about, what the added value is, and what you expect from them exactly. You must have a meaningful answer to their questions: why are we doing this? Why now? And why for my department? Do I receive training, how do I approach that? What does it gain me to invest time in it?

A transition is a full-fledged, structured project; each phase is tackled in small steps. Prepare people, inform them, make everything understandable, and then support your team and give them time to explore. The sooner, the more, and the better you involve your team, the greater your chance of success.

We use the ADKAR model for that. First, there needs to be an understanding of what the company is doing and what transition is coming (Awareness). Then the desire and decision to participate in it grow (Desire). After that, you can sharpen your knowledge and competencies about it (Knowledge). With Ability, you can then work well with it. And finally, we institutionalize the change (Reinforcement).

How do you ensure that a new mindset sticks?

We know from research that active and visible sponsorship is decisive. This means that executive committees keep actively repeating why a change is necessary and useful, so it remains widely supported. And, of course, they also follow and manage the new processes or use systems themselves.

In a successful transition, as many people as possible participate, and they must, because at the end of the day, as a company, you want higher revenue together. That only works if everyone is on board with the story, and we can continue to collaborate pleasantly after the transition.