Thursday, May 24, 2012

We are no better at getting benefit from major organizational change today than we were when the first studies in change management appeared in the early 90s. The costs of continued failures are massive. In addition to lost opportunities, wasted resources, and so forth – failure creates cynicism. That messes with motivation and productivity, and makes each successive new project harder to get up and running. Research suggests that the ability to build support for change is perhaps the most critical skill in leading change.

Rick Maurer, author of Beyond the Wall of Resistance (1996 and revised in 2010 Bard Press) said, "The sad thing is that most executives and managers know what it takes to lead change effectively. They just don't use what they know."

Since 1996, Rick Maurer has worked with thousands of executives and managers on what it takes to build support for successful changes. He found two questions that set apart those who lead change effectively from those who don't: Why do people support change? And, why do they resist change? Maurer says, "Leaders who know the answer to those questions do a much better job of anticipating and avoiding trouble. In other words, they build support for change right from the beginning."

Leaders know what to do, but they often lack the skills to turn that knowledge into action. Rick Maurer developed a simple and compelling tool called "the list." Maurer says, "People can learn how to use the list in 20 minutes. No special tools. They don't even need to buy anything. It's that simple." And he found that leaders who use the list increase their ability to build support for change.

A large telecommunications company was planning a major restructuring (business process reengineering). The planning team was worried. One member said that "Next week the bomb is going to drop." Others added that "there will be blood everywhere." Rick Maurer taught them how to use "the list" and they were able to transform a potential "blood bath meeting" into one where they actually got many key stakeholders to support them.

Rick Maurer just published a short and free e-book titled The Magic List: Secrets of Successful Organizational Change.

If members of your audience are interested in building support for changes they lead, then please take a look at the e-book. (It will take you a couple of minutes to skim it, fifteen to actually read it.) 

And Rick Maurer is available for interviews.