Pragmatics and practicalities of emergent behaviors through proven actions
Summary
Beyond the crafting and shaping of behaviors for the actions of empowered individuals, it is the actions on the ground with proven practices pragmatically applied consistently and persistently that bring results. Leadership is also tasked with growing the skills and expertise in these on-the-ground areas as part of bringing change. This chapter outlines some of the on-the-ground expertise for adopting and adapting to change.
Key Learnings
Key learnings from this chapter include:
• Skills and expertise built for the change have ongoing business benefits alongside that of a capacity and capability for adoption and adaption. The skills and expertise come from the consistent and persistent application of proven principles that are used within business operations as part of realizing change.
• A recipe-based approach is part of the tools for realizing change.
• Turnaround skills and expertise is part of managing change. This includes the leadership to accept the need for and role of turnarounds in change.
• A process for improvement is integral to crafting and shaping the emergent behaviors for change and the emergent behaviors are required for the use of a process for improvement.
• Multiple frameworks are needed to deliver change or transformation, and not just a change management framework. The interdependencies across the frameworks need to be managed.
• It is the understanding of what is needed to have people change what and how they do things which is required within the project management of change projects. A special focus on the end-to-end across the silos of operations approach is also necessary within the management of change projects.
Introduction
An emergent behavior for bringing change comes through the actions of individuals with that emotional bond. Even with the alignment of Interests and Values or the Empowered Emotional Ownership, it is the actions on the ground that bring change. It is the scaling up of the proven practices and their consistent and persistent application to the situation as it evolves which brings the required changes. These proven practices support the components of AMEDLI (see Chapter 1 Section “AMEDLI”), and the skills and expertise built for the change have ongoing business benefits alongside that of a capacity and capability for adoption and adaption.
A selection of “on-the-ground proven practices” are presented in this chapter for assisting with the capacity and capability building of emergent behaviors. The use of “Recipes” for operational aspects and skilling is discussed together with the use of turnarounds and a process for improvement. Technology adoption, project management, the wider use of testing in change, the use of multiple frameworks in change, and some next steps are also included.
Recipes
To Get the Most
Within change, we look for the “how to.” The “how to” can be considered a series of recipes that people can follow and use which enables and empowers (i.e., helps to align interests and values). We use recipes because they help gives us security and certainty. Recipes enable us to get where we need to be faster and at lower cost. Recipes provide the help and guidance we seek. What recipes we create and how we use them is our choice.
Setting the Example
Audience–Task–Recipe: Who are we doing it for (Audience), what are we doing (Task), and how we do it (Recipe). Recipes provide what we need to do, how to do it, tools for use, tips, and other information (Figure 8.1). The recipes can be applied and customized as needed.
Across the world, millions of people make thousands of varieties of bread every day for a range of uses in a consistent way because of recipes. Recipes combine the process, the steps, what is needed, the tools, and the practices and provide context. Recipes provide us with the “how to”:
• Recipes show us what we want to achieve.
• Recipes combine the steps, with the ingredients (information needed), as well as the tools and best practice tips.
• Recipes can be customized to meet our needs.
• Recipes are easily shared.
• Recipes provide a convenient way to transfer expertise effectively and quickly.
Figure 8.1 Audience–Task–Recipe: Who is it for, what we want to do, how to do it
We use recipes because they help gives us security and certainty. Recipes enable us to get where we need to be faster and at lower cost. Recipes provide the help and guidance we seek. A recipe-based approach is part of the tools for realizing change. Through the use of recipes, we share information and assure outcomes. Recipes provide the approach for achieving the emergent behavior required. For a sports team, the purpose of preset plays and the use of drills to practice these plays is a recipe and the use of the recipe in a given situation delivers a required outcome.
Making It Real
There are several main aspects to a recipe-based approach as part of the tools for realizing change:
• Leadership—Deciding to use and support.
• Development of recipes—Taking the Audience–Task–Recipe approach, development of role-based recipes for the aspects of the change required, for example, revised process.
• Implementation—The consistent and persistent use of recipes within training and operations.
• Customization—The pragmatic customization of recipes to meet needs and evolving circumstances or bettering the recipes as experience is achieved.
Again, it is a matter of starting and building the expertise with time and to pragmatically adapt and adopt with progressive incremental use.
Further Details
• Recipes in Skilling and Training—Recipes help in skilling and training (see Chapter 7 Section “Skills and Training”).
• Proven Practices—The use of recipes is proven across business and society and are part of the proven business principles that bring change (see Chapter 1 Section “Applying Proven Principles”).
• Video—Problem Solving Together for Our Future: Sharing Skills and Expertise—Recipes (https://youtu.be/NJzXHupiMOQ).
Turnaround
To Get the Most
Implementing change and transformation is often a series of projects or programs of work (see Chapter 6 Section “Project Management and Project Managers”) to bring the change and build the capacities and capabilities required for ongoing process improvement (see Section “Making Improvements” of this chapter). The success of Decision Making and of the change lies in the implementation and responding as circumstances change (see Chapter 5). Improving change, remediating change, and responding to revised change implementation are about the application of proven project management practices and the established turnaround principles. As with other turnarounds, leadership accepting the need for a turnaround, then making the decisions required, and then undertaking the required work is needed. This makes turnaround part of leadership and decision making and a core competency for realizing change.
Setting the Example
With turnarounds, leadership needs to recognize problems, overcome reluctancy to address, avoid resisting making decisions, and resist allowing things to drift. Turnarounds seek to constrain increased costs, slippage, and adverse outcomes. In any change, the good is seen, but mistakes also occur along with the less successful. It is the willingness of leadership to respond which is key. A reluctance to change a response, or to revise an approach, or to focus on perceptions rather than addressing issues, or to be seen to be doing something rather than resolving root cause, all impact the implementation of change. It is the leadership across all levels of a business which turns around a project in response to change in drivers (Figure 8.2).
Figure 8.2 Turnarounds—we know how, but what is the desire?
Project turnarounds require:
• Decision Making—The willingness, ability, and acceptance of the making of decisions. Decisions are needed to accept a turnaround, to implement the turnaround, to manage the turnaround, and to address the business integration and adoption. Decision making is critical alongside Adversity Management.
• Adversity Management—Acceptance and management of adversity. From adverse publicity, challenging existing decision makers, vested interests, to sustained criticism, turnarounds require the acceptance of adversity by leadership and stakeholders. Within a turnaround situation, outcomes may get worse before they get better because measures take time to work and the momentum of events in flight. Adversity management is more than expectations management and communications. Adversity management is the willingness and preparedness for sustained criticism from multiple directions.
• Impact Management—Being able to manage the impacts of the turnaround and adopting and adapting to the changing environment.
• Options Management—The management of the options. From deciding to cancel, to changing the outcomes, to revising the approach, or continuing as is, the options throughout a turnaround need to be managed.
• Contingency Management—The preparation of, use of, and adaption and adoption of contingencies. Like our response to COVID-19, in a turnaround, it is not always known as to what will work or how effective an option is. Therefore, contingencies are required.
• Governance—Revisions to leadership, governance, and how a project is managed are often integral to a turnaround. COVID-19 has shown us that governance changes, for example, National Cabinets across the tiers of government, are required. COVID-19 has reinforced the need for leadership to be the change they wish to see and to treat others as they themselves would be treated.
• Scope Management—The ongoing definition of and response to variations in scope. This includes the scope of the turnaround, variations to original scope, and the ongoing revision of outcomes as required.
• Resources—Management of the resources for the project, the additional work of the turnaround, as well as ongoing operations.
• Time—To implement a turnaround takes time. Even the decision to stop a project has impacts that take time to work through. Within turnarounds, there needs to be an acceptance of time and that things may get worse before they get better.
• Cost—Management of the cost for the project, the additional cost for the work of the turnaround, as well as ongoing operations.
• Communication—Effective communication across the turnaround as to what is happening, why, what needs to be done, and what is the benefit. All of the communications need to form that emotional bond.
• Sustain Operations—Business operations to be sustained alongside the project and the turnaround.
Alongside sustaining regular business operations, there is a need within operations to manage the deliverables, undertake the required skilling, manage the incremental releases from the turnaround and/or the project, as well as work through any remediations required. The turnaround of a business and the sports team under new management are examples of turnarounds that can be overlaid against the drivers, leadership, and operations.
Making It Real
Using turnarounds within change and transformation is part of the multitude approach required for achieving the required outcomes and emergent behaviors. This is also part of the use of different frameworks necessary (beside the more familiar use of ADKAR). Adopting and adapting the turnaround practices and principles into change projects is similar to that for the implementation of project management and the building of skills and expertise:
• Leadership—Deciding to use and support.
• Criteria—Agreeing criteria for what constitutes the need for a turnaround. Rather than the specific one size fits all, the criteria are flexible based on both individual and accumulative outcomes.
• Skilling—The required skilling across key People of Influence to instill the wider capacities and capabilities. This includes the Project Managers (Program Managers, Portfolio Managers) as well as the Change Managers and those leading the change.
• Implementation—The deployment of the tools and required processes.
• Behaviors—Inducing a behavior that reports when things are wrong, as well as encouraging ownership and accountability.
• Project Management and Project Managers—Project management is part of leadership and decision making in change, and project managers serve the change project (see Chapter 6 Section “Project Management and Project Managers”).
• Video—Weekly Mirror Message—Adoption and Adaption of Change (https://youtu.be/Upld4smNbQ8).
• Video—Problem Solving Together for Our Future: Sharing Skills and Expertise—Turnarounds (https://youtu.be/nb9CBCEwBNQ).
• Video—Weekly Mirror Message—Spotting the Signs for Success in Change (https://youtu.be/A31znRW7f2c).
Making Improvements
To Get the Most
Change is about getting people to do things differently and is a crafting and shaping of the emergent behaviors. While change is often done as a series of projects based on the opportunities (Figure 4.1 and Figure 6.1), it is the ongoing use of the revised practices and operations that is the success of the change. As the business environment is changing, an ongoing improvement process is required. An emergent behavior is needed to adopt and value an ongoing process for improvement, while a process for improvement is part of forming an emergent behavior.
Setting the Example
An inherent desire to better ourselves and our families and loved ones exists. We play sport and aspire to improve. We train and skill ourselves to advance. Making improvements and a process for improvement is intrinsic to our lives. An ongoing review of a response to change and the pragmatic adoption and adaption to circumstance is integral to the success of implementing change (i.e., a process for improvement). Any improvement process need not be complex, but that it must be owned and actioned at source, meeting the needs, and with shared Interests and Values (Figure 8.3).
Figure 8.3 Form emergent behavior through process for improvement and use process for improvement to form emergent behavior
Where businesses have process improvement, challenges are often seen with the process:
• Being a box ticking exercise rather than behavioral driven based on interest and values.
• Viewed as not worth it or not valued, “I will not be listened to.”
• Considered to be too hard or someone else’s responsibility, “even if I try, it will make no difference.”
An emergent behavior is needed to adopt and value ongoing process improvement, while a process for improvement is part of forming an emergent behavior. The emergent behavior requires:
• Leadership—The leaderships are the change they wish to see and treat others as they themselves would be treated. The leadership brings changes to the environment and instills behaviors. The leadership needs to experience what others do (i.e., “work at the coal face” and “talk to the source”).
• Being Valued—Where we are trusted, respected, have ownership and empowerment.
• Being Recognized—Where it meets our interest and values, we will gain from doing it, and the rewards for doing something difficult and possibly unpopular are greater than the rewards of inaction.
• Facilitation—The skilling (ability to do), the training (how to do), with the required tools so that we can help ourselves to improve.
A process for improvement is part of the review and development of a sports team. A process for improvement (Figure 8.4) is required across change projects (programs or portfolios) as well as within areas of business operations. It is through the emergent behavior that both opportunistic and incremental changes (Figure 4.1 and Figure 6.1) are achieved.
Figure 8.4 Process for improvement. From Sherringham, K., and B. Unhelkar. 2020. Crafting and Shaping Knowledge Worker Services in the Information Economy. Palgrave Macmillan Singapore 570pp
Making It Real
While having a process for improvement is a common business practice, a process for improvement that is consistently and persistently used to achieve actual outcomes is often harder to implement and to sustain. Experience shows that “quick wins” are achieved with the focus then being lost, and/or the pragmatic operational demands override. Leveraging a process for improvement as part of change and then using it as part of the ongoing change is a way to help with the adoption and adaption and for business improvement.
An improvement process (Figure 8.5) starts with those in routine operations deciding they want to do this, allocating the time, and being prepared to accept that issues will be identified that may make others feel uncomfortable. Together, issues are identified, and priorities worked through with management. The priorities are implemented with Skilling and Training for adoption and those involved are rewarded. This approach needs to be cascaded through operations. Support and mentoring are part of the implementation.
Figure 8.5 Implementing process for improvement. From Sherringham, K., and B. Unhelkar. 2020. Crafting and Shaping Knowledge Worker Services in the Information Economy. Palgrave Macmillan Singapore 570pp
• Emergent Behavior—A process for improvement helps build the emergent behaviors (see Chapter 4 Section “Having Empowered Emotional Ownership”).
• Confidence and Engagement—Using the process for improvement as a way to form the emotional bond and create confidence and engagement (see Chapter 7 Section Relate to Me”).
• Video—Process for Improvement (https://youtu.be/w7oTnVXOeW0).
• Video—Problem Solving Together for Our Future: Sharing Skills and Expertise—Making Improvements (https://youtu.be/9NZZGC9wtVM).
Frameworks
To Get the Most
Multiple frameworks are needed to deliver change or transformation, and not just a change management framework. Leadership of change and transformation manages the multiple frameworks required, brings the adoption and adaption of the frameworks to meet the business need and manages the interdependencies across the frameworks. A business has many moving parts that interact with each other and with external parties. Businesses of all types and sizes use proven business practices and principles across their operations, with many using standard frameworks to help with the management. Product Management is an example of one area of business where multiple frameworks are used including those for research, review, analysis, development, testing, pricing, and marketing, vendor management, and customer management. The frameworks rely on each other with interdependencies to be managed, just like the business operations. Bringing change or transformation impacts multiple areas of operations with impacts to be managed. Change requires the use of multiple frameworks with impacts beyond the immediate areas.
Managing change for an area of business may require project management to plan and coordinate. The change makes use of shared services like financial management or ICT Operations and Services which need to be provisioned to support the change. Vendors may be required for the change or the change impacts vendors. People changes may also be needed. Areas of business like process changes may be required or services and products revised (Figure 8.6).
Specifically, multiple frameworks are needed to deliver change or transformation, and not just a change management framework (e.g., ADKAR). The interdependencies across the frameworks need to be managed. When the emergent behaviors for realizing and sustaining change are considered alongside the operational needs, then the use of multiple frameworks is further seen. Leadership of change and transformation manages the multiple frameworks required, whilst adopting and adapting the frameworks to meet the business need.
Figure 8.6 Sample frameworks across an organization. Modified from Sherringham, K., and B. Unhelkar. 2020. Crafting and Shaping Knowledge Worker Services in the Information Economy. Palgrave Macmillan Singapore 570pp
Making It Real
Making use of multiple frameworks for achieving change with adoption and adaption is a leadership function. The process starts with recognizing that bringing change is not just the matter of a change management framework and using that framework. Specifically, leadership needs to:
• Manage the use of frameworks.
• Instill the use of frameworks across operations while enabling their adoption and adaption.
• Have change managers and those leading change understand the use of multiple frameworks rather than just the change management framework approach.
• Foster and develop the emergent behaviors to use the various frameworks.
Further Details
• Emergent Behavior—Frameworks play a role in crafting and shaping emergent behaviors (see Chapter 6 Section “Crafting and Shaping the Emergent Behavior”).
• Project Management—The delivery of projects requires multiple frameworks pragmatically applied (see Section “Project Management” of this chapter).
• Video—Weekly Mirror Message—More Than Awareness, Desire, Knowledge, Ability, Reinforcement (https://youtu.be/keT5e6Lytmk).
• Video—Multiple Frameworks to Deliver Outcomes (https://youtu.be/4ueGWtpS0wM).
Technology Adoption
To Get the Most
Technology is often a key part of change and transformation. From the use of technology to help with the change (e.g., data analytics for identifying training) or changes to operations around technology (e.g., automation of promotional messages based on customer preferences), technology is often manifested through the drivers for change (see Figure 6.1). This manifestation of technology in the drivers for change, in the need to address the ICT Service and Operations as well as the business integration (Figure 5.5), makes technology adoption a critical part of change management. Being able to adopt and adapt the technology is a leadership function within change management.
Setting the Example
Technology can be quickly integrated into business operations and services. Examples include working from home and the use of conferencing, to home-based education, to applications that track locations of people to help with workforce management. Some lessons for digital transformation, as well as general change and transformation, to consider include:
• The Ease of Change—Having people work from home using conferencing is a comparatively easy change because:
Technology is often already deployed to businesses.
Users are familiar with it.
Requires small process changes.
Limited ICT Operations and Services changes are necessary.
• The Support for Change—Having education conducted from home could be supported because:
Older students have the skills and expertise to educate online.
Younger children were supported by their parents.
Education institutions often had the technology and were supported to make the required changes.
Limited ICT Operations and Services changes were required.
• The Process Could Change—Knowledge worker services can be readily relocated. Contrast this with those in manufacturing or processing plants, working in shops, delivering goods, or frontline services where the process is much harder to change.
Business pragmatics impact the adoption of technology and continue to apply (Figure 8.7). When a response to Opportunities is made, the pragmatics come to bear on the adoption and adaption of technology together with the transformers:
Figure 8.7 Practical pragmatic adoption and adaption
The opportunities are the incremental change, the opportunistic change, and the catastrophic event-driven change which impact the business pragmatics. The Transformers to change of the environment, instilling the behaviors, and explaining the outcomes are impacted by the pragmatics of business. The pragmatics of sustaining business while adopting and adapting the technology include:
• Cost—The cost of making the change and supporting.
• Time—Time away from business operations to implement and support. Also, the time it takes to implement.
• Resources—Availability of resources for the implementation, especially business resources.
• Expertise—Having the right expertise and having it available.
• Service Management—Changes to service management to support the technology, both business service management and ICT Operations and Services.
• Operational Changes—Making the required operational changes around technology with the processes, policies, procedures, and governance.
• Sustain Business—To sustain the business through transformation including cash flow, service management, risk management, and other operational aspects.
• Business Integration—Taking the time to change operations and services to integrate into the business.
• Incumbency—Incumbent technology is established and known, even the problems. Replacing technology is a risk management exercise with the technology at least being the same as the existing, and preferably better. This risk-based approach as well as making the change while sustaining business often favors incumbency.
• Vested Interest—The diverse needs and drivers to be managed. For some, keeping the status quo is preferred.
• Leadership—The required leadership to bring results, make the changes, and integrate technology into the business and ICT Operations and Services.
Technology adoption and adaption is about managing these complexities and nuances.
Making It Real
Technology adoption is nuanced, requiring leadership, risk management, and operational change whilst sustaining operations. Alongside the technology are the business integration and the ICT Operations and Services. The adoption and adaption of technology occurs at all levels with the required Skilling and Training. It is a leadership decision around investments and use. The speed with which the take-up can occur with the investments returned impact upon the decisions around technology. Again, leadership is the change they wish to see treat others as they themselves would be treated.
Further Details
• Reference—Sherringham, K., and Unhelkar, B. (2016a) “Service Management in Big Data”, Proceedings of the System Design and Process Science (SDPS2016) conference, 4-6 Dec, 2016, Orlando, FL, USA.
• Reference—Sherringham, K., and Unhelkar, B. (2016b) “Human Capital Capacity and Capability for Big Data”, Proceedings of the System Design and Process Science (SDPS2016) conference, 4-6 Dec, 2016, Orlando, FL, USA.
• Video—Problem Solving Together for Our Future: Sharing Skills and Expertise—Technology Adoption (https://youtu.be/qh7LLgwDVxw).
Project Management
To Get the Most
Bringing change, even within ongoing operations, is a series of projects (programs or portfolios) of work. The initial change is often managed as a defined piece of work, and then the outcomes from improvements (see Section “Making Improvements” of this chapter) are implemented as projects whilst operations continue. This makes project management expertise a core competency across the business (Figure 2.9) and part of the frameworks used for delivering change (see Section “Frameworks” of this chapter).
Setting the Example
Whether it is the project management of construction, management of social programs, or business change, the regular project (program and portfolio) practices apply. With the right people, the projects are delivered. Provide the right processes and information, then projects tend to run smoother. Include the right governance; and the elements for a successful project are provided (Figure 8.8).
Although people are important in all projects, people are of extra importance in change projects, because the purpose of the project is to change what people and how they do it. The main people issues relate to providing the leadership and making decisions (part of AMEDLI—see Chapter 1 “AMEDLI”). Managing expectations of stakeholders is required for managing people within projects. The understanding of what is required, why it is required, when it is needed, who is providing, and how it is to be provided is also necessary. Within change projects, the understanding of ambiguity, working with nuance, and managing gray (see Chapter 2) that goes with people is required. The understanding of what brings change and the emergent behaviors required for change is necessary.
Figure 8.8 Project management in change management
The processes for project management are known and need to exist across the stakeholders. Where change projects differ is in the nature of the processes as they are focused on the emergent behaviors of people. The processes need to be outcome based; the process is an end to a means and not an end in its own right. The processes should instill the behaviors required. The processes need to help with the management of the interdependencies within the project and the area being transformed.
Information access is part of project management, but within change projects, there are additional considerations. Knowing where to get information and from whom is often difficult in working across the silos (areas of a business) that is characteristic of change projects. Being able to see the impacts end-to-end across operations is required to manage the impacts for which information is needed across the silos. The endto-end approach also provides context for the information that is needed for decision making. The end-to-end approach also addresses the flow of information within the project and for the stakeholders.
The last part of change projects is the governance (the management of the project). Governance is important to all projects, but for change projects, the governance especially needs to work end-to-end across the silos (areas of a business). The governance has the regular functions and responsibilities and projects, but also needs to align to strategy, because it is the strategy that is the basis for the change. By focusing end-to-end, governance can also address the external influences on the change project to manage the interdependencies. Governance also uses the end-toend approach for managing Project Risk (see Chapter 2 Section “Project Risk”) of Impact Risk, Outcome Risk, Delivery Risk, and External Risk (Figure 2.10) impacting a change project.
Making It Real
Making project (program or portfolio) management real within change and transformation can be pragmatic and tactical with a staged approach. Beyond the building of project management expertise within areas of operations, the use of multiple frameworks alongside the project management (see Section “Frameworks” of this chapter) is required. Special focus on the end-to-end across the silos of operations approach is also necessary. The emergent behaviors are an area of effort, but it is the leadership which is the must-have. The leadership needs to be the change they wish to see and treat others as they themselves would be treated because of the people aspects. It is the understanding of what is needed to have people change what and how they do things which is required within the leadership and makes change project management different from other projects.
Further Details
• Turnarounds—Part of managing change is being able to do turnarounds (see Section “Turnaround” of this chapter).
• Leadership—Leadership of change requires project management skills across the change (see Chapter 6 Section “Project Management and Project Managers”).
• Video—Weekly Mirror Message—People in Project Management of Change Management (https://youtu.be/c0D8YMk3bJE).
To Get the Most
From the coach of the sports team that tests out new plays with the team in a training session or the testing of a player in a different position to the market testing of films prior to launch, testing is used across business. A range of testing types exist (Figure 8.9) that can be used in different ways according to business needs and circumstances. Testing can be used within a wider role in change management as part of the crafting and shaping of emergent behaviors.
Figure 8.9 Example testing framework. From Sherringham, K., and B. Unhelkar. 2020. Crafting and Shaping Knowledge Worker Services in the Information Economy. Palgrave Macmillan Singapore 570pp
Setting the Example
Within change management, testing can play a wider role (Figure 8.10). Testing can be used in:
• Requirements—Shape the requirements through testing for iterative and staged releases as well as offering maturity. Testing can be done multiple times as well as incremental and with staged releases. It is often easier to deconstruct than to construct.
Figure 8.10 Testing within change management
• Processes—Assist in the development of processes (policies, procedures, standards) as well as the end-to-end flow. Testing shows how things work and with the experience gained through testing, the processes can be defined by those needing to use them.
• Operations—Influence the development and ongoing management of operations. By testing from an operational perspective and by testing operations with an end-to-end flow, better operations can be established.
• Skilling and Training—Form the basis for skilling and training. Testing enables the identification of the characteristics needed to work with the solution and the ability to provide the support.
• Stakeholder Management—The testing is used within the management of stakeholders to explain what is happening, the impacts, and what is being done to help them.
• Behaviors—Use of testing to identify individual and group behaviors required. Testing creates confidence in the solution as well as in the ability to operate and manage.
• Risk Management—Testing is part of managing risk in that it can be used to mitigate risks, set expectations, and identify other risks.
Testing within change includes the use of testing strategies to determine the testing to be done which can then be used within overall change management.
Making It Real
Those leading a change or the People of Influence within a change can make small revisions to existing practices to accommodate the use of testing. Small incremental use of testing in different business circumstances is the pragmatic application of testing. The major challenge to the use of testing within change management is the prioritization of testing within operations. In the adoption of technology, testing is often given a lower priority than the time for development. Even when requirements are valued and time allocated to requirements, it is often the testing that defines the requirements.
Making use of testing within change is an emergent behavior that can be done incrementally and tactically, but it is a leadership decision to use the testing approach within change management.
Further Details
• Video—Weekly Mirror Message—Testing within Change Management (https://youtu.be/QurpSctSEFs).
• Video—Changing Role of Testing within Automated Knowledge Worker Services (https://youtu.be/58r1HKKNOx0).
• Video—Testing of Automation for Knowledge Worker Services (https://youtu.be/hT_9tdKTBB8).
To Get the Most
Business change comes through the emergent behavior of individuals having empowered emotional ownership. Within a business change, common requirements are seen (Figure 8.11), and to turnaround a change (see Section “Turnaround” of this chapter) often requires:
• Leadership—The leadership is the change they wish to see and treat others as they themselves would be treated.
• Messaging—The leadership needs to be communicating what they are seeking to achieve, why, how it relates to people, to get people to talk about it; then people will include it within their roles.
• Interests and Values—Business change needs leadership to ensure understanding in roles and responsibilities. With all people seeing it as part of their role, to having help and support, it is the integration into roles that matters. This comes from the alignment of interests and values, which is about behaviors and requires leadership.
Figure 8.11 Closing the gaps in bringing business change
• Skilling and Training—Business change sees the leadership ensuring the skilling (the ability to do) and the training (the how to do). This is more than e-learning modules. It requires things like team-led scenario sessions and hands-on repeat as well as small incremental training.
• Process Improvement—Business change has leaders who see the importance of having processes operate end-to-end as the customer interacts and make the changes. This includes a cycle for process improvement.
• Information—Leadership addresses the quality of data and information used, provided, and managed through the processes, because it is needed for achieving business change.
• ICT Operations and Services—Systems are integrated end-toend, across the silos to supply the flow of information needed.
Each of these (Figure 8.11) can be used within a wider role in change management as part of the crafting and shaping of emergent behaviors.
Setting the Example
Closing the gaps in change (Figure 8.11) is often achieved through the required behaviors. To integrate systems, resolve data quality, and improve processes, changes in behaviors are often required, for example, better leadership. To bring change, emergent behaviors are required. Emergent behaviors are an outcome of the change. Therefore, setting the example requires addressing behaviors (Figure 8.12):
• Leadership—The leadership is the change they wish to see and treat others as they themselves would be treated. Leadership needs to be messaging the change and be talking about the change to have people talking about the change so that they will adopt and adapt the change. The leadership needs to be communicating what they are seeking to achieve, why, how it relates to people, to get people to talk about it, then people will include it within their roles.
Figure 8.12 Better returns through emergent behaviors
• Role Awareness—Providing help and support is part of the role awareness to make the change real. Having awareness across the business with inclusion within new roles, role changes, and product and service changes is required. Those in client facing roles, supporting client facing, projects, as well as in back office roles all need awareness. The change needs to be integrated into roles with reinforcement and support.
• Skilling and Training—Skilling (the ability to do) and training (the how to do) are required. This includes core awareness, repeat sessions, small modules of short duration on specific areas repeated, and scenario sessions within teams tailored to business needs completed on a regular basis. When changing roles, on boarding, or moving between areas of a business, training is required. The skilling is linked to the training and career development.
• Messaging—The benefits of the change need to be sold and understood. This is tied to the role, to give benefits to the role.
From this combined series of actions, the emergent behaviors can be crafted and shaped.
Closing the gap in change, working on turnarounds, or realizing a return from other activities requires work on emergent behaviors. In addition, better returns are often seen from emergent behaviors. Making the returns from emergent behaviors real starts with leadership and makes use of other aspects of AMEDLI covering:
• Leadership—Deciding to change behaviors, prioritize behaviors, and be the behaviors.
• Messaging—Leadership communicating the change and selling the benefits, including embedding in the roles.
• Interests and Values—Alignment through skilling and training, tied to career development, with a range of reinforcement mechanisms including core awareness, repeats, scenario sessions, and short specialized awareness sessions.
• Empowered Emotional Ownership—Through role empowerment supported by skilling and training as well as the messaging.
A series of measures, in an overall integrated approach, are required.
Further Details
• Video—Weekly Mirror Message—Gaps in the Management of Business Change (https://youtu.be/-rl-2-rysYY).
• Video—Weekly Mirror Message—Returns from Emergent Behaviours in Realising Change (https://youtu.be/QZtEXWbzJW4).
• Video—Weekly Mirror Message—Adoption and Adaption of Change (https://youtu.be/Upld4smNbQ8).
Next Steps
The on-the-ground practices for change are proven business activities that are used within a different context across the stakeholders at different levels in varying ways within change and transformation. Part of their use is the skilling and embedding for ongoing adaption and adoption, while other parts are leadership related. Key to the use is the “people of influence” who value the activities and are the mentors and motivators on the ground who use because of the benefits to them. It is the responsibility of leadership to implement and use the different activities. Incremental use and wider deployment as needs drive and as experience can be transferred is a proven approach. Provision with change projects and programs for the approaches is also advantageous.