Change Community of Practice Webinar: 'Engagement - Not just communication: Middle Management'

Community of Practice Webinar
27 March 2018
Engagement – not just communication: Building Engagement with Managers
Presented by: Vicky Emery, General Manager

© Prosci. All Rights Reserved. 2
Agenda
• Why are Managers so important?
• Best Practices findings – what do we know about the ‘Manager’ group?
• What are the main reasons Managers resist change?
• What’s in it for Managers to engage with the change?
• What’s in it for the organisation to engage Managers early and well?
• Top 5 Tips to building engagement with Managers
• Wrap

How do we define ‘manager’?
Let’s start with defining what we mean by ‘manager’ in this webinar.
• Someone who leads people
• They are our focus, especially if they and their team/s have to adopt
the change or can influence it’s outcome
• Your organisation may have many titles and layers that fall into this
category

Why are Managers so important?
• Closest to the ‘front line’ – employees, customers, community
• Critically influential
• They know the business, products and services, brand promise
• They know the history
• They potentially know the answers
• They know the culture

Why are Managers so important?
• They are a preferred sender
Copyright © 2018 Prosci Inc. Best Practices in Change Management – 2018 Edition

What do we know about this group - Best Practice
Findings (2018)
• They are the most resistant group

Findings (2018)
• We don’t adequately prepare them for the change, let alone their
role in leading their people to adopt and sustain the change

Findings (2018)
• 49% of respondents said that over half the resistance from
Managers was avoidable

What are the main reasons Managers resist
change?
• Organisational culture
• Lack of awareness and knowledge about the change
• Lack of buy-in
• Misalignment of project goals and personal incentives
• Lack of confidence in their own ability to manage the people side of
change

What is in it for the Manager to engage with the
change?
• Faster adoption by their team which means
• Less resistance and a potentially smoother implementation which means
less coaching
• Building change muscle – personally and for their team
• Achieve purpose/outcomes to higher degree
• Skills that are transferable
• Time back to spend on other issues
• Increased control of timelines, training, SMEs and resourcing
• Access to information to help make decisions – personally and for their
team
• Channel to table their concerns, alternative implementation paths, head-
off any issues
• Finally ‘get it done’
• Increased confidence

What is in it for the organisation to engage
Managers early and well?
• Faster adoption by team which means less rework
• Less resistance and a potentially smoother implementation which means
space for BAU and other initiatives
• Building change muscle – across a vital channel
• Achieve purpose/outcomes to higher degree
• Skills ‘baked in’ to the organisation and which increase resilience and
flexibility
• Access to information to help make decisions – project teams, Sponsors,
vendors, customers, teams
• Channel to hear and understand concerns, alternative implementation
paths, any issues to make informed decisions
• Finally ‘get it done’
• Increased confidence in the organisation’s ability to change and sustain it

Top 5 Tips for Building Engaged Managers

Tip 1
It is worth every cent and every minute to get the Managers across
the change as an individual, first.
• Start early, even if you don’t have the full story – they get that
• The aim is to include them and keep them up to date with progress
and the changes that will impact themselves, first so they can make
some decisions
• Don’t short-track it – it may take time to listen first!
• This is critical work for the Primary Sponsor – coalition building
• Tap into the Manager’s/Managers’ drivers – how does this change
help or hinder those drivers?

Tip 2
Be clear on the role they need to play in the change and what they
will have to help them do it
• No surprises
• Establish clear communication channels and tools and use them
regularly – make it easy
• Even if it is a tough change be crystal clear on the steps,
conversations, choices and decisions they need to make and what
they will need from their team
• Provide a map of the tools, supporting documents, resources they
will have, who will it come from, how can they access it (scripts,
conversation guides, team meeting outlines, scenarios)
• Keep the commitments and maintain channels
• Sponsor holds them accountable and visa versa

Tip 3
This is Change Gym for Managers – help build muscle
• Provide training for Managers to help build their confidence and
personal toolkit
• Use the Manager Competency Assessment (eToolkit) as part of
individual development plans
• Provide coaching JUST for them from a safe person (external?
Internal? Their own skilled leader?)
• Start Coaching Circles – self-managed to share skills and knowledge
• Provide tools and resources Managers can easily access and apply
• ADKAR is an excellent and adaptable core model
• Add it to KPIs, Competency Maps, development conversations,
performance conversations
• This is evidence of a commitment to change-fitness by the
organisation

Tip 4
Make sure Managers know what they can and can’t offer their team
• They know their team and their potential reactions to the change
• Be clear on the boundaries
• What is acceptable and what is not? What promises can they make
and what can they not?
• Keep them safe

Tip 5
Get them some back-up! Change Champions can help
• Critically important that managers and change champions have role clarity
and want to work as a team for the team!
• Three benefits for Managers working together with Change Champions
– Better coverage to provide specific support to team members based on their
needs (am I more comfortable talking to my manager or to the change
champion about my concerns?)
– A = support each other with different communications approaches to build
awareness within the team
– D = support / complement each other to communicate WIIFM messages for
the team
– K and A = provide different approaches to on-the-job support during the
knowledge and ability phase
– R = support each other to ensure people are able to work in the new way (but
reward and recognition is the role of the manager)

Change Community of Practice Webinar: 'Engagement - Not just communication: Middle Management'

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