Sustaining change is one of the most difficult challenges of any organisation. They must be proactive in ensuring that the initiated changes will last for as long as the organisation exists or until there is an impetus for a new kind of change. Making change stick requires an understanding of the different elements of sustainability, how to promote it, and how to address the common issues that beset change sustainability.
The Sustainability of Change
The main concern of change managers is how they can make sure that the change programme for an organisation will last for as long as it remains relevant to the organisation. There are a few things that change managers must think about.
- Cell-level Sustainability
Nicola Bateman and Arthur David proposed a simple process of assessing the sustainability of organisational improvement programmes in 2002. The authors suggested that organisations must go through 5 levels of sustainability if they want to ensure continued implementation of the change programme at the cell level.
- Factory-level Sustainability
Bateman and David also proposed the assessment of sustainability at the factory level. Organisations can examine the degree of spread of the different techniques and tools between individual cells.
- Stickability
One important characteristic of sustainability is stickability. An organisation that wants ‘stickable’ changes should start with the accurate identification of key value drivers and the creation of very precise, practical, and clear strategic objectives. This will help improve the stickability of the changes.
- Cementing the Gains
The process of change results in favourable outcomes for the company. Change managers should devise a mechanism that guarantees the ongoing nature of change. This helps cement the gains that the change programme has already achieved.
Promoting Sustainability
Promoting the sustainability of organisational change requires prompt action at different points of the change process.
- Early Action
Change managers can leverage on an organisation’s culture and the individual personal interests of the people in the organisation to promote sustainable change. They can also address the issues that can inhibit the promotion of sustainability. These issues can come in the form of locked-up resources or the absence thereof.
- Latter Phases in the Change Process
Promoting sustainability towards the latter stages of the change process can be challenging. There are many factors that can come into play that undermine the gains already achieved. Change managers should also act in a more proactive manner to address any potential issue.
Factors that Can Promote Initiative Decay
Initiative decay is the opposite of change sustainability. It describes a state whereby the organisation has abandoned its push for change and reverts to the old ways of doing things.
- Perception of Change
The way people perceive change can have an impact on sustainability. Superficial beliefs and unfounded misconceptions about the change can lead to the abandonment of the change initiative.
- Implementation of Change
The way change is implemented can also spell initiative decay. If the measures are proving too difficult for people to sustain them, then there is a chance of going back to the old ways. Too easy and the people might not take the initiatives too seriously.
- Timing, Pacing, and Sequencing of the Change Process
Change occurs over time. One cannot push an organisation to change if it is not yet ready. Doing so can put the sustainability of the change initiative into question. The different phases of the initiative should proceed in the right manner, timing, pacing, and sequencing.
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Issues Associated with Sustainability and How to Address Them
Making change stick requires the recognition of critical issues that can undermine the sustainability of the change initiative. Change managers should be ready to address these issues if they want to sustain the gains the organisation has already achieved.
- Loss of Change Initiators
It is not uncommon that the people who initiated the change may no longer be with the organisation to see the change sustained. Managers should involve as many people resources as possible in the beginning of the change process to avert this potential problem.
- Diffusion of Development Accountability
The organisation may be compelled to give additional responsibilities to change managers over time. This can lead to the diffusion of accountability for the continuing change. A specialist unit should be ready to take full control of the change process.
- Loss of Knowledge and Experience
Employee movement can also have an impact on the sustainability of the initiative. When people leave the organisation, they take with them the invaluable experience of the new system. Creating meaningful employee retention programmes can help.
- Contamination with Old, Non-productive Habits
Organisations that lose employees to turnover must look for others to fill in the posts. Unfortunately, the personal characteristics of new hires can have a negative impact on the sustainability of the initiative. Careful screening, selection, and hiring process can help in the recruitment of only the most suitable candidates for the organisation.
- Loss of Primary Impetus for Change
There will always be instances that the principal impetus for the change is no longer visible or is no longer ‘felt’. In such cases, the organisation and its people may no longer be compelled to continue with the new system. A thorough examination of the driving forces of change can help clarify if the impetus is still there or not. One must understand that performing the change interventions can lead to a reduction in the issues that prompted the formulation of such interventions in the first place.
- Managerial Self-interests
It is not unusual for newly-hired managers to push for a very different agenda that can run contrary to the basic tenets of the change initiative. The organisation’s leadership can avert this by exercising their judgment in the selection of new managers.
- Stakeholder Clout
Some powerful stakeholders can employ tactics that undermine the implementation of the change initiatives and block progress. Communication is important to help stakeholders understand the need for change and for sustaining change.
Making change stick is not as easy as initiating the change process. It involves doing more of the change initiatives for as long as the organisation exists or until such time that other more pressing concerns call for a different kind of change. Change managers are in an important position of sustaining the momentum of change. They can recognise potential issues and address these issues before they become real problems that can undermine the change initiatives.