It’s been quite a journey, but finally you have arrived! You’ve completed the ambitious organizational change process that you launched a while back.
But will the benefits of the changes you’ve brought about be sustained? Will they last long enough to make all this hard work worthwhile?
To be clear, I don’t expect that any organizational change is ever final, the final act. And for a wide range of reasons, the benefits and impact of change will dissipate over time. That is normal and to be expected.
But you embarked on these changes for a reason. There were good reasons to move away from how you had been doing things. So it is worth exploring what you might do as a change leader to make it more likely that the benefits will arrive, and that they will bear fruit for the appropriate amount of time.
So you may want to ask yourself this important question: How will we sustain organizational change?
- Do we have people and teams that are ready to work and take advantage of this new environment?
- Will our workplace culture support the changes we have initiated?
- How are we flexing and responding to the emerging world of hybrid and remote work?
- Are our leaders able to adapt and innovate in response to emerging dynamics?
I’ve worked with many organizations as they have moved through organizational change. Some have been able to sustain the benefit of these changes, and others have not. From this experience, I’ve created a framework called the “Drivers of Sustained Change” as a guide to five areas which, working together, increase the likelihood that you will sustain the impacts of your organizational changes.
Effective Teams: Do teams have shared results, joint accountability, trust, and healthy ways of managing conflict?
Capable People: Do the people doing the work have the needed skills and experience, attitudes and values, and willingness and motivation?
Empowering Culture: Does the workplace culture create an equitable and inclusive environment in which people feel a sense of belonging?
Hybrid Mastery: Are leaders and staff effectively working and collaborating in a hybrid work environment?
Adaptive Leadership: Are leaders attuned to progress and trends, allowing them to adjust and evolve the work as needed?
As you discover the answers to these and similar questions, you should prioritize the things that need attention. Doing so before you begin to grow will position you for greater success, and a smoother path, in achieving your ambitious strategy.
Download a visual summary of the Drivers of Sustained Change framework.
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