Managing Change in Organizations

For tourism organizations, change can be externally or internally drive, external factors such as the price of fuel, a previous stormy season or, as in a recent example, fear of air travel. Internally change could be in the way gratuities are managed or staff re-structuring to improve service efficiency.

Regardless of the reason for doing it, facilitating change in organizations can be a difficult process. Here are some guidelines based on the work of an expert, John Kotter author of “Leading Change”.

Guidelines for Managing Change

Establish a Sense of Urgency

”In an organization with 100 employees at least two dozen must go far beyond the call of duty to produce a significant change.” Kotter would advise that most organizations face a pervasive sense of complacency brought on by:

The absence of a major crisis
Low performance standards
Structures that prevents people from seeing the big picture
Measuring the wrong thing
Lack of external feedback
Kill-the-messenger mentality
Too much happy talk from the top
Too many visible signs of success

This can be the case even in the face of impending doom. You must replace complacency with a sense of urgency and even crisis! You have to make a strong and compelling case for becoming an "Employer of Choice". Here are some ways to create urgency:

Manufacture a crisis from the next failure
Eliminate obvious examples of excess
Set ‘impossible’ targets that cannot be reached without re-thinking everything
Use broad performance goals
Let everyone in on the hard numbers regarding financial performance and customer satisfaction
Use outsiders
Visit more successful businesses
Paint a new picture
Check out the competition and publish the results
Measure employee satisfaction and publish the results
Measure employee turnover and publish the results

Create the Guiding Coalition

Kotter would advise… that you can’t do it alone. Build a team of credible, supporters. Build in diversity. Include some frontline, informal leaders. Make sure you have enough expertise. Include anyone with enough power to sabotage if they feel left out. Once the team is built, take them away somewhere to get the process started and to do some team building.

Develop a Vision and Strategy

Kotter would advise… get your strong leaders to build the broad vision of what it will be like when we become an employer of choice and a strategy to get to the vision. Get your strong managers to work out the action plan, timetable and budgets.

An effective vision is:
Easily Imaginable
Desirable for all stakeholders
Feasible, realistic and attainable with effort
Focused enough to guide decision making
Flexible enough to accommodate a variety of strategies
Easily communicable within 5 minutes

Communicate the Change Vision

Kotter would advise… that you ensure that every employee gets to know the vision and the strategic priorities that are designed to make it happen. The key to effective communication of the vision are...

Simplicity
Use examples, and even analogies and metaphors if necessary
Use multiple media, meetings, memos, posters, etc.
Repetition
Lead by example
Explain any inconsistencies
Listen too

Empower Employees for Broad-Based Action

Kotter would advise… that once you are sure employees understand and accept the vision that you remove all barriers to action, provide the training they need, and ensure that frontline supervisors support all efforts aimed consistent with the vision even when not perfect. Confront those supervisors who undercut the needed change.

Generate some Short Term Wins

Kotter would advise… that you find something you can do quickly that is consistent with the vision and that you know will work and then do it! It will help others see that you mean business, it will build momentum, undermine the naysayers, and provide you with feedback on the value of your efforts.

Consolidate Gains and Produce More Change

Kotter would advise…Once you have a few short term wins under your belt, go for the gusto! Make some bigger changes, get more help if needed, get some frontline people involved in some projects, and celebrate every major victory along the way.

Anchor the New Approach in the Culture

Kotter would advise… Once you have become an “Employer of Choice”, the temptation is to relax. Old cultures are hard to eradicate. Now you have to make the new culture stick. If results are positive and measurable, let everyone know. Results matter! Talk about it; maybe people haven’t yet recognized that the change is permanent. Sometimes a few people who just don’t get it have to be encouraged to leave. If you are going to promote anyone, make sure it is someone who has embraced the new culture.

Monitor and Follow-Up

How are we doing so far? And what do we have to do next?
What seems to be working well? How can you build on that success?
What is not working so well? What might you do about it?

If you haven’t already done so, complete page 4 of the Implementation Planning Worksheet to examine how much progress you have made on your action plan.

Once you have examined how you are doing overall, return to the EOC Assessment Tools to take another snap shot of your organization.

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