By Paul R. Plotczyk

Why do some changes initiatives result in powerful organizational transformation while other change efforts are on life support weeks after being conceived? How do you launch and manage successful organizational change?

Our research and experience has shown that there are four keys to successful change management: Leadership, Asking the Right Questions, Focusing on Critical Success Factors, Becoming the Great Communicator.

1. Leadership

The number one key to successful change management is LEADERSHIP! Nothing happens without it. Successful large-scale change initiatives must touch all aspects of the organization and be driven top-down by the senior team.

We look to leaders to help us “manage meaning” within an enterprise. Organizational members turn to leaders to get guidance on how to interpret situations, how to behave toward one another as well as customers, and to verify the values that will guide their work. More than anyone else, leaders create the conditions that directly determine people's ability to achieve superior

performance.

Also, contrary to popular belief, there is no such thing as a white knight. That is, the “right” Chief Executive will not solve all the problems of an organization.

In reality, the leadership requirements of winning organizations that stand the test of time go well beyond the Chief Executive. They extend to the leadership team, as well as to the systems, structures and procedures they put in place.

It is this broad leadership and organizational systems of an enterprise that are important over time, especially during periods of high stress and expectations.

2. Ask the Right Questions

Companies need to be very clear about what they do, how they do it, and who they do it for. Senior Leadership's primary responsibility is to constantly scan the macro environment, analyze trends and patterns in the marketplace and have the confidence to effectively answer the following questions:

• What is our strategic vision and who are our customers?
• If our organization were fully aligned to its vision and customers,
• How would it be structured?
• What processes would it have?
• What people would it have and how would they work?
• What tools and competencies would these people need to do their work?
• Where are the gaps between the ideal organization and the organization we have today?
• How do we prioritize the areas that need to be changed?
• How do we create and sustain those changes?
• How do we structure ourselves to maximize profitability?
• How do we develop the leadership we need to succeed long-term?

3. Focus on the Critical Success Factors

Once the need for change has been established, leaders are responsible for managing the success of personal and organizational change. Successful change hinges on the following Critical Success Factors that leaders must recognize and manage:

1. Creating a sense of urgency
2. Aligning the change initiative with the business strategy
3. Identifying passionate champions for change on the Senior Team
4. Gaining endorsement of a focused vision
5. Developing a variety of visible, broad-based actions designed to impact the business and employees
6. Ensuring continuous communication to all stakeholders
7. Emphasizing personal and organizational adaptability
8. Establishing clear measures/metrics tied to business performance.

4. Become the Great Communicator

Of all the roles leadership plays in managing change, none is more important than the role of communicator. Organizational communication is not just a means of imparting information but also a strategic tool that leaders use to create alignment for their strategic vision and gain support for the change initiative.

What is the value of organizational communication in creating alignment or gaining support for a strategy or vision?

For one thing, if people at all levels of an organization understand and support the strategic vision, they will be able to assess the wisdom and desirability of specific decisions, actions, and outcomes simply by asking one question; “How does this (decision, action, outcome ) reflect and promote our strategic vision?”

For another, if everyone understands and supports the vision, they are more likely to feel a part of the organization and therefore perform to their maximum capacity. Truly successful organizations enjoy the full, enthusiastic participation of every individual.

Effective communication is a way to engage every employee. And the responsibility for generating and delivering a successful communications strategy falls squarely on the shoulders of the leadership team.