Transition Leadership: Managing Change In Your Organization

The Roles of Transition Leaders
In addition to these characteristics, transition leaders must play a number of roles in order for organizational changes to be successful. Since transition leaders are responsible for directly influencing the outcome of IT and process change implementations, successful change requires that transition leaders assume different roles. In general, transition leaders have four primary roles: catalyst, system and process helper, solution giver/gatherer, and resource linker.

The first and arguably the most difficult role that a transition leader faces is that of Catalyst. While many organizations are content with the status quo, it is the transition leader’s responsibility to create and communicate the need for change within the business. This involves instilling a sense of urgency and purpose for the change and overcoming organizational inertia. In addition, this role entails acknowledging areas of resistance and addressing them appropriately. Change will not happen successfully if key stakeholders do not realize and understand the need for change, and it is the responsibility of transition leaders to make this need evident.

The second role of a transition leader is that of a System and Process Helper. Once the need for change has been recognized by the organization and change initiatives are created, it is the transition leader’s responsibility to ensure that the organization is assimilated into the process and IT changes that ensue. This involves understanding the process and IT changes, the impact these changes have on jobs and policies, and effectively communicating these changes to the individuals impacted. The tasks performed by the System and Process Helper helps permeate the required change throughout the organization.

The third role that a transition leader plays is that of Solution Giver and Gatherer. This role is needed to identify and resolve issues that may hinder the success of the implemented change. In particular, the Solution Giver and Gatherer will promote the use of an issues resolution mechanism, provide solutions that benefit the entire organization, and assist in the development and implementation of solutions. In addition, an important element is the need for leaders to listen to suggestions and provide feedback and recognition when appropriate. As discussed above, effective transition leaders communicate, provide feedback, and celebrate small wins, which is important to inspiring and motivating project teams.

The final role of a successful transition leader is that of Resource Linker. This role involves the more traditional management like delegating tasks, and most experienced managers are capable in this arena. In short, the Resource Linker brings people and resources together, recognizes resource constraints, leverages skills and resources across site locations, and acts as a communications link between resources. This role is important, but it is the three roles described above that most managers overlook when implementing change initiatives.

How To Manage People Through Change
When incorporating change in an organization, it is useful for transition leaders to understand how change impacts people and how to minimize the negative reactions to change. All successful change initiatives follow a similar pattern or sequence. The first step consists of “unfreezing” the current way of doing things. This is the phase in the project where the burning platform for change is realized and the vision for a new way of operating is created. The second phase of change begins when it is time to begin energizing the workforce by involving more and more people in the change process so as to begin building ownership over the final outcome. This is also the point where it is critical to identify and secure early project wins. Ensuring that the right resources are provided for achieving early milestones will ensure that the project is perceived as a success.

The third phase of the change process consists of building the infrastructure (i.e., job and organization designs) required to make the change successful. For example, if the technology changes are intended to automate processes that were previously done manually, changes to job designs will be required. The final phase consists of a series of activities aimed at measuring results and identifying lingering gaps and issues that need to be addressed in order to achieve the project’s intended benefits.

While the above phases outline the sequence that change initiatives normally follow, there are three corresponding phases that describe the psychological experiences that people have when affected by change. These come from William Bridges’ book Managing Transitions (1991). The first phase is called “Letting Go.” This is the time when employees will begin to understand that things are changing, and that in the near future they will be challenged with letting go of the old way of doing things. This may include letting go of old ways of working, relationships, feelings of competence, etc. The second psychological phase, the “Neutral Zone” is the difficult period when the work is done to implement change and the transition from the old way to the new way begins. Trying to handle implementation and balance the transitions may make this period the most difficult period of change to manage. The last psychological phase is what Bridges refers to as the “New Beginning.” This occurs when changes have been fully implemented and expectations for people to change the way they work are realized.

Each of the phases described above consist of many people-related challenges, and there are many specific strategies for helping to manage people through these phases. Some of the important critical success factors for managing change are the following:

Identify potential barriers or risk factors that will inhibit success, and create action plans to address them appropriately.
Use written and face-to-face communication to help people understand the what, why, and how of change.
Identify opportunities to involve large numbers of employees in the change process; research shows that there is a correlation between involvement and commitment.
Seek to understand and manage individual and team level resistance.
Listen to your employees, acknowledge their losses, show empathy, strive to reduce their stress levels.
Recognize and reward behaviors that support achievement of intended goals.
Systematically analyze the impacts change will have on corporate policies, individual jobs, and organizational structure.
Ensure that employees receive sufficient training and the other on-the-job resources necessary to raise people’s level of confidence.

By addressing and incorporating these success factors into their management toolkits, effective transition leaders greatly increase the likelihood that their change initiatives will be successful.

Conclusion
Transition leadership, while often viewed as a “soft” or “touchy feely” issue not appropriate to geospatial managers, is clearly a relevant and critical issue to managing the changes that are inherent in organizations today. Even the most robust GIS package with the highest benefits potential is meaningless if employees and key stakeholders do not effectively accept and adapt the changes to their everyday lives. By embracing the understanding of the impact that change has on employees, the role of transition leaders, and how to manage employees through change, managers will ensure that the changes stick and the anticipated benefits are realized.