Keith Ferrazzi author of the book Never Eat Alone and his team compared the method of change management and addiction treatment (3). AA uses a 12-step program and have a superior track record. In his article, Keith made an analogy between AA method and change management method. Here are my experiences in relation to analogy the article.
1- Nothing happens without readiness to change.
As discussed previously in model 2, people will not change if they are not ready. We can’t force people to change. We can only help them want to change.
People are ready to change when they hit crisis or rock bottom. Sometimes an admission of vulnerability is a sign of readiness. I was once engaged for a job because the organisation wanted to break their current practises.
So, be on a look out for readiness. When people come to you for help, it is a sign that they are ready to make new connections (and ready to change). Use model 1 to guide people through this stage.
2- It’s important to replace old habits with new ones.
In AA meetings, coffee is served instead of alcohol. In change management, the goal is to replace negative habits with positive ones.
In one project, we replaced an exit with another. Previously, ingredients and wastes were entering the manufacturing area using the same door, The issue was cross contamination and congestion. To solve this, we created an additional door for wastes. By doing so we have replaced one exit for the wastes with another. The outcome was better flow, prevent contamination and improved safety.
3- Peer support and pressure drive change.
AA methods gather people with similar problems together. As in model 2, find your supporters and grow your supporters. Keep your supporters close and meet often.
Change management tends to drop off the radar after the initial push. It is important to keep meeting and keep challenging each other.
4- Sponsorship deepens commitment and sparks results.
AA pairs experienced members with new comers for one-on-one support. In change management, this refers to peer coaching or mentorship.
In the early years when I started to implement lean, I have a colleague who was more experienced than me. We met frequently and challenged each other’s ideas. There were good ideas from each one of us and mostly we found admiration and respect between us. He helped me to see lean as a solution and not a set of tools. This means always start your lean journey with a problem already at hand. Do not start with a tool (such as 5S) and then hunt for the problem.
5- Community without hierarchy is a catalyst for change.
AA is famous for self directed groups. It is not too different in change management. One of my largest lean achievement was a direct result of a self directed group. As the head of a department, I have moved my QC team to the warehouse and redesigned the layout to facilitate a testing program. At the early implementation stage, we did not get the results as expected. After a few months, when the QC-Warehouse team began to understand the concept, they worked together and found a way that worked. There was over 100% improvement. The important thing was, there was no leader in the group. They just came together and worked it out themselves.
6- You are the company you keep.
AA discourages members from associating with their old drinking buddies. In change management aspect, it would be to place a skeptic among believers of change. However there are usually more skeptic than believers at the start of the change journey.
One way is to grow your group of supporters. In my earlier example (point 9 of model 2) where after 4 years I have increased the believers to 50% it started with my own department and my direct reports. With results coming in over time, we gained more and more supporters. We keep each other accountable via Gemba walks (point 8 of model 2). We displayed results to remind ourselves and others of our successes and that gave usconfidence to try new things.
7- Continuous introspection is key.
In AA, members examine their own past behaviour and start trying to change. I would compare this as regular review. Once you put a change in place, find a way to monitor it. However be careful in using metrics. It can be counterproductive. I found it beneficial to use existing metrics and analyse them to show the results instead of creating new ones.
8 – It pays to acknowledge small wins.
AA doesn’t ask members never to drink again but not to drink that day. According to Kotter (3), corporate transformation fall short because managers failed to “systematically plan for short term wins”. The key word is “systematically plan”. This means some form of consistency in pushing the change initiatives. Keep looking for small changes. Make sure there are regular reporting on small wins.
Small wins create new connections in people’s brain and that is what we are looking for.
9- The goal is progress, not perfection.
Ninety percent of recovering alcoholics relapse at some point. Perhaps this number is also true with change initiatives. This is what we expected because for people to accept change it requires new connection in the brain. Creating new connection is not impossible but it takes time and persistence.
The most effective way to create new connection is by focusing on short term and consistent learning. “Based on his work with plasticity, Edward Taub has discovered ….. training should be done in increments; and work should be concentrated into a short time, a training technique Taub calls “massed practice,” which he has found far more effective than long-term but less frequent training. (1).”
This research on brain plasticity affirms the point the goal is progress and not perfection.
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Summary
We have covered 3 change models. They are different in many ways however the core message is to change the mindset by creating new connections. A successful change program is likely to be a combination of all these 3 models.
The success rate really depends on the change agent in picking the right model and use it skilfully.
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References
(1) The Brain That Changes Itself by Norman Doidge, MD; pp 156; Penguin Books.
(2) Quiet Leadership by David Rock; Harpers Collins.
(3) Managing Change, one day at a Time by Kieth Ferrazzi; Harvard Business Review, August 2014.
Three successful change models (Part 1) – Rewire the brain
Three successful change models (Part 2) – Methods from reality TV