Leading Change by Design

Insight
How can we help people buy into change?  

 

This is one of the most common questions we hear from leaders and team members who are trying to help people move in a new direction.  Leading change is rarely easy, but we can improve our chances by designing change in ways that support adoption by key stakeholders.

 

One helpful strategy for designing change is to think of change as innovation.  In essence, when we are asking people to change the way they do things, we are asking them to adopt innovation. We know from extensive research by  Everett M. Rogers and others that people are more likely to adopt innovation (or change) when certain positive factors are present. These factors include:
  1. Credibility. The innovation is endorsed by a credible person, group, or institution.
  2. Clarity. The innovation is clearly understood by the potential adopters.
  3. Advantage. The innovation is perceived to have a relative advantage over the existing or alternative options.
  4. Compatibility. The innovation is perceived as being consistent with the existing values, past experiences, and needs of potential adopters.
  5. Feasibility. The innovation is perceived as being feasible to implement.
  6. Testability. The innovation can be tried on a limited basis prior to full-scale adoption.
  7. Adaptability.  The innovation can be adapted for the local setting based on insights from adopters.

 

If we are able to design change in ways that address most or all of these seven factors, we have a better chance of helping people embrace change – or diagnosing why they might resist it.

 

So the next time you are making a pitch for change, ask yourself these questions:  Is it credible? Is it clear?  Does it have a relative advantage?  Is it compatible with the audience’s values, experiences, and needs?  Is it feasible to implement? Can people try it before they fully adopt it?  Can people adapt it for the local setting?  Few changes meet all of these criteria at once.  But to the extent you can optimize the design to address these questions, you will have a better chance of success.

How to Demonstrate the Value of Your Organization

Insight

The secret to sustainability is to demonstrate value to key stakeholders. 

In today’s funding environment it is essential to demonstrate value. At Community Health Solutions we help organizations define and demonstrate value by applying a five-step process as outlined below. The result is a ‘strategic value model’ that can be tailored to define and demonstrate value to diverse audiences. This strategic value model can become the foundation for sustaining and growing your organization in a challenging funding environment.

1. Identify Your Audiences

The first step in creating your strategic value model is to identify the audiences that need to know the value delivered by your organization. This may include your service populations, service partners, payers, funders, public officials, and the community at large.

2. Define Your Value Objectives

The second step is to define the value objectives for each of your key audiences. What do you want them to know about the value of your organization, and why? The answers to these questions are critically important for designing your value messages.

3. Design Your Value Messages

Think of your value messages as authentic statements about the value of your organization that should move your key stakeholders to take the actions you want them to take. The ideal is to define a set of three to seven messages that can be combined in different ways to engage specific audiences. A good way to start is to say, “We deliver value by….” and then brainstorm the answers with your team. If possible, test your list of value messages with a few key audience members.

4. Develop Your Value Indicators

Think of your value indicators as evidence that your organization delivers on its value messages. Value indicators can be quantitative, such as the number of people served, cost per person served, or the economic impact of your organization in the local community. Value indicators can also be qualitative, such as client testimonials, descriptions of key innovations, and special recognitions received. Whatever form it may take, each value indicator should support one or more value messages.

5. Demonstrate Your Value

The fifth step in defining your strategic value model is to actually demonstrate your value to key stakeholders. Demonstrating value begins with excellence in execution of your work with clients and partners. This work can be captured and communicated in value reports to payers, funders, public officials, and the community at large. As you engage in this type of reporting, ask for feedback on whether the value messages you are delivering are meaningful to your key stakeholders. Use this feedback to refine your strategic value model over time.

An Example

The Virginia Community Healthcare Association has recently worked with its members to define a value model for Virginia community health centers (CHCs). Click here to learn more about this example.

Learn More

If you would like to learn more about developing a strategic value model for your organization, contact Community Health Solutions for a free, no-obligation consult to discuss the possibilities.

Learning to Be Great

Insight

“If the rate of change on the outside exceeds the rate of change on the inside, the end is near.” — Jack Welch

With this insight, Jack Welch defines an important strategic challenge for every organization operating today.  The pace of change is fast and accelerating. If we do not enable our people to keep pace with change through rapid learning, we will inevitably lose opportunities and fall behind.  Here are five ways to help your organization learn to be great.

 

1. Make Organizational Learning a Core Function
 
Think of organizational learning as the process of creating, retaining, and transferring knowledge within your organization. Then think about the changes that are occurring in your customer base, operating environment, and core operating functions.  Can your organization survive and thrive with people who are not engaged in continuous learning?  The answer for most organizations is a resounding ‘no.’  This is why organizational learing has to be a core function in 2018 and beyond.

 

2. Link Organizational Learning to Strategy
 
We know from research and experience that effective strategy requires focused and continuous learning.  Strategy design requires learning to assure that the organization is positioned to succeed in a changing environment. Strategy execution requires learning to assure that everyone is equipped with the knowledge and skills necessary to optimize execution at their particular level.  So it makes sense to link your organizational learning objectives to your strategic objectives at every level of the organization.

 

3. Create a Culture of Organizational Learning

 

While some people are naturally inclined to learn and share knowledge in the workplace, others are not. It is the job of leadership to create a culture where people are rewarded for contributing to organizational learning.  A first step is for all leaders and managers to model the way for learning and sharing.  A second step is to informally (but consistently) recognize team members who create and share knowledge.  A third step is to formally incorporate learning and sharing into job descriptions, personnel evaluations, and decisions about compensation and promotion.
4. Create Efficient Pathways for Organizational Learning
In addition to a supportive culture, people need learning pathways that are relevant to their work and efficient with their time.  One pathway could be peer-to-peer learning through team huddles, emails, chats, calls, and shared knowledge bases.  A second pathway could be online access to external resources such as articles, podcasts, webinars, and e-courses.  A third pathway could be traditional trainings, conferences, or courses.  The key is to leverage all of these pathways into a flexible and focused learning program that helps people learn and share knowledge in efficient ways.

 

5. Assure Value in Organizational Learning

 

Organizational learning is an investment that should return value to the participants and the enterprise.  To assure this value, clearly define your audiences and learning objectives.  Then design your learning pathways to optimize access, impact, flexibility, and efficiency.  Also engage your leadership team in creating a culture that supports proactive learning and sharing of knowledge.  As you roll out the program, periodically check in with participants to see how they are engaging and turning learning into action. Be flexible and ready to make adjustments for assuring focus and optimizing value.

 

Learn More

 

At Community Health Solutions we help people create organizational learning programs that deliver real strategic value. If you would like to explore ways to apply organizational learning in your setting, contact us for a free, no-obligation consult to discuss the possibilities.