Stack The Deck For Breakthrough Change Success Using This Powerful Lens

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Change program not going as planned?  Look, it’s probably because of the amount of  friction in the change journey.

It’s a funny word, I know, and talking about this always makes me think of that Finn  Brothers song from the 80s ‘Fraction too much friction’ ha!...  BUT this concept is a game changer.  It’s just as relevant whether you’re a seasoned change leader or a newbie change manager.

You see, anytime we’re designing, sponsoring or delivering change management strategies and plans we are either removing friction, or we’re (often unknowingly) adding a metric ton of it to the change journey.

That’s why, on today’s episode of The New Way podcast, I’m sharing the lens I use to help me stack the deck for change success: Friction.

I cover:

  • How this concept helped Apple deliver epic category-level change (and how it can help you deliver change success too!)

  • The 4 different types of friction that, left unchecked, are the reason why most change initiatives -  maybe even yours! - aren’t going as hoped; and

  • My biggest tips to help you identify and remove friction from your change program

The best change leaders and managers identify and anticipate friction points, and then take action to reduce or eliminate them completely - and after taking a listen to this week’s ep you will too!

TOPICS DISCUSSED AND WHERE TO FIND THEM:

[03.05]: Today we’re talking about how to stack the deck for breakthrough change adoption success using the idea of friction as a lens. Friction is anything that is a barrier to change adoption. 

[06.00]: If the success of your change program relies on individuals adjusting their behaviour, which involves taking time to learn new skills, you’ll face even more friction in the process. 

[08.05]: It takes far less friction than most people expect for people to shut down and completely disengage from your change program. Friction is everywhere. We all experience friction daily, and most of the time don’t even realise. If you keep your eyes out for it, you’ll be able to identify the four different types of friction. 

[09.05]: Product/System Friction - this is when the new system you are rolling out doesn’t anticipate how employees will actually use it. 

[09.45]: User Driven Friction - this is when folks impacted by the change created roadblocks and challenges to change adoption, often because they don’t trust the leadership or IT team. 

[10.30]: Implementation Friction - this is when the way the change is rolled out makes it difficult, or confusing, or boring, for impacted staff to get on board with the new way of doing things. 

[11.45]: Finally you can have Intentional Friction - this is when friction is baked into the new way of doing things on purpose. This is sometimes necessary but requires you to be very careful when designing your change strategy. 

[13.00]: In contrast to friction, you can apply fuel to your company, which are factors that increase motivation and momentum. 

[14.45]: There is no point arguing whether a tactic is a real friction point or just a perceived one. If any part of the change journey requires a lot of physical or psychological effort, it’s the same outcome for your change program. 

[15.15]: You need to focus on motivation, the fuel for your change initiative. Dont assume that the impacted staff, who need to buy into the change for it to be a success, have enough motivation to follow through right now.

LINKS

Website: https://www.everchange.com.au/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drkatebyrne/

Kate Byrne