“It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is the most adaptable to change.” – Charles Darwin
How do you lead innovation in an environment that is resistant to change?
Unless you work in a zoo or some place where people are the minority, then you will face resistance to change because people are inherently resistant to it. Innovation leaders understand how to manage change when people want to run from it.
I’ve been successful at several companies where innovation is a necessity; and the people inside them that survive adapt to the change that naturally comes from innovation. Some of my companies have changed their business model every quarter, month and even every week, so it becomes a necessity that your team adapt to change that naturally occurs from innovation in order to survive. The need for speed in change management varies from start-ups to corporations; however, these 5 factors will ensure successful change management regardless of size:
- Endorsements – Get true sponsorship for your idea from the top to the down. If you’re serious about your idea, then don’t settle for simply getting one or two sponsors. Make sure you have sponsorship from all the people that will be required to make the idea work. Always be prepared to sell your idea by showing its immediate benefits. If you are the “top dog,” then it’s your job to make sure the people you bring on to help you buy-in to your idea.
- Honest Communication – Typically, honest communication relates to something that you could read about in the self-help aisle. As far as change management is concerned, it relates to deadlines, realistic expectations and real needs. The success of innovation will come if communication is always open and timely. Priorities are constantly shifting inside of innovation endeavors, so deadlines are in constant flux. The person that doesn’t provide a realistic deadline will commit the crime not the person that has to change it.
- Employee Investment – A simple concept…but usually the hardest for leaders to execute. Let people show-off their strengths by taking over responsibility for their parts of the project. Trust them to succeed, and they (and you) will shine.
- Change Agents – #4 won’t happen without #3 happening first. The change agents are the ones that become the internal champions for your idea. Once they buy-in, they will become the best PR ever because they have true blood invested. In essence, they should become mini-yous.
- Culture – You either have it or you don’t. And if you don’t, it will make your job harder; but it’s crucial to the long-term success of your innovations. Culture is not something that can simply be created overnight. Culture takes time to grow. Steps 1 – 4 will lay the groundwork for your culture change and at the same time providing a blue print for a successful change management strategy.
Photo: ucumari via flickr
Tags: Change Management, Innovation, Leadership
