The Forgotten Step in Leading Large-Scale Change: Assessing Skills and Mind-sets

The Forgotten Step in Leading Large-Scale Change: Assessing Skills and Mind-sets

In order to successfully implement large-scale change within an organization, it is crucial to not only assess the necessary skills but also the mind-set shifts required for effective execution. This understanding was recognized by Holliday and his team, who realized that skills alone were not enough to improve organizational health. The mind-set about how the organization should be run needed to change as well.

To ensure that the strategic plans aligned with the required skill-set and mind-set shifts, it is important to first set clear aspirations. However, instead of immediately jumping into action planning, it is recommended to assess the ability to fulfill those aspirations. Research has shown that change programs that assess the skills required for their performance aspirations are six times more likely to succeed.

Assessing skill-set requirements can be done through a three-step process. First, determine the skills that matter most for the performance aspirations. This can be achieved by interviewing business leaders and functional experts to understand which skills are most important to the strategy, hardest to find, and create the most value.

Next, conduct a thorough inquiry into the current state of the required skills and the external dynamics. This includes exploring the quality and quantity of existing skills within the organization, as well as the ability to attract more from outside. Additionally, it is beneficial to compare the company's employee value proposition (EVP) with that of competitors through focus groups, exit interviews, site visits, and social-media analyses.

Once the skill sets have been prioritized, there are three options for closing any gaps. The first is to build the necessary skills by reskilling and upskilling the current workforce. The second is to buy the skills by hiring new people or acquiring a company primarily for its talent. The third option is to borrow the skills by relying on contractors, partnerships, or outsourcing.

Equally important to assessing skill-set requirements is understanding the mind-set shifts needed to improve organizational health and performance. The majority of change programs that fail to deliver results can be attributed to employee resistance to change and inappropriate leadership behavior. Companies that take the time to identify these deep-seated mind-sets are four times more likely to rate their change programs as successful.

Assessing mind-sets effectively involves three steps. The first is identifying helping and hindering behaviors within the organization. The second is uncovering the underlying drivers of these mind-sets. This can be achieved through an interview technique called "laddering" that prompts individuals to understand their deepest motivations and state the values and assumptions that shape their world.

The third step is reframing the root-cause mind-sets by bringing the subconscious into consciousness in ways that expand the realm of possibility. This can be done through visual cues in focus groups and qualitative data analysis (QDA) techniques such as word clouds. The goal is to identify a short list of prioritized mind-set shifts and the related behaviors that need to change.

In conclusion, successfully leading large-scale change requires assessing both the necessary skills and mind-set shifts within an organization. By understanding the skill-set requirements and the mind-sets that hinder or help the change process, companies can increase their chances of successful execution. Three actionable advice for leaders embarking on large-scale change initiatives are:

1. Prioritize the assessment of skill-set requirements by identifying the skills that matter most for the performance aspirations and determining how to close any gaps.

2. Take the time to understand the mind-set shifts needed to improve organizational health and performance. Use techniques such as "laddering" and qualitative data analysis to uncover deep-seated mind-sets and reframe them.

3. Ensure that the strategic plans align with the required skill-set and mind-set shifts. Adjust the plans to enable the necessary shifts and pave the way for successful execution of the strategy.

By following these actionable advice, leaders can navigate the complexities of large-scale change and increase the likelihood of achieving desired results.