The value of intangibles in change management

October 7, 2014

Lean change management and its tools are powerful in empowering teams and reaching organisations’ objectives in a structured and pragmatic way. It makes it therefore fit for any type of organisation, business, and project or for any problem that needs to be solved. However, the difference between a successful implementation and a sustainable transformation lies within the organisation’s willingness and ability, on all levels, to embrace the new, adapt the old and experience both the added value in terms of business results and personal efficacy in one’s job.

Besides paying attention to bottom line results, managing the intangibles will actually ensure sustainability. This means investing in leadership development, workplace collaboration and culture, stakeholder management and role modeling. Change is foremost, to name of few, a matter of perception, motivation (readiness to change), vision and leadership. Empowering leaders and managers to effectively take up their role as change agent is a critical success factor for impactful sustainable change.

Below are some hints in how to address some of the intangibles in lean transformation / change management.

Team level: What is in it for the individual co-worker

Coaching of pragmatic problem solving techniques on tangible issues and projects in order to achieve short, medium and long-term impact while effectively engaging the whole team in this best practice.
Mission and vision statement development as the cornerstone for a relevant and effective performance management structure and for the emergence of unique and strong team identity and team collaboration.
Facilitating Cultural workshops to reinforce team culture, and managerial and co-worker engagement.
Workshop facilitation for identifying and prioritising team, managerial and co-worker issues that (potentially) undermine engagement, collaboration and professional wellbeing (work satisfaction, stress, customer service and other relevant workplace issues).
Introducing a client-centered feedback culture as the driving force behind co-worker solidarity and motivation.

Managerial Level: How to be a change agent

Installing effective managerial role modeling in terms of instigating change through executive and managerial coaching. This is critical in ensuring a sustainable transformation.
Developing more effective people management strategies and co-worker engagement on the basis of situational leadership and team autonomy analysis and one-to-one managerial coaching sessions.
Fostering a performance driven culture based on trust and personal development as a result of coach the coach (manager/executive) sessions to facilitate more efficiently and effectively co-worker sit-ins, performance reviews and co-worker coaching