Looking for a new approach to change? This is how we do it
We know that the rate of change is increasing. Updates to technology, ways of working, regulation and customer preferences are all leaping ahead across all industries. To keep up with change and mitigate ‘change fatigue’, we need to reimagine the way we think about and manage change.
Change management and development are often seen as two separate functions; similarly, project-driven change is often seen as something separate from normal day-to-day operations. But the reality is change happens every day and is just one of the many priorities any business has to action, including development and performance priorities. Whether you’re talking about change or development, it boils down to the same thing to the person at the end of it: you’re asking for them to change their behaviour.
If you leverage your leadership activities and operating rhythm effectively, you can build an agile, innovative, learning culture that will allow your organisation to thrive through any change.
After many years of designing and delivering change management strategies and seeing what works (and what doesn’t) for our clients, GRIST’s change process is the same approach we have to learning and development.
Photo by Alexas Fotos
The GRIST ONBOARD Change Cycle is designed to help change managers step through the process of understanding and packaging multiple changes into a single quarterly view for the business unit affected by them, as well as supporting the business through implementation and analysis of the change delivered. It uses the leaders in your business to implement the change strategically, and within their existing operating rhythm, by leveraging coaching, team meetings and other leadership activities to deliver change to the people who are enacting in.
The objective of the GRIST ONBOARD Change Cycle is to activate on-the-job learning and application by providing the business with:
Consistent and aligned messaging that shows how disparate changes come together to achieve common goals
Clarity around why the change is needed communicated in a way that speaks to those that ultimately have to enact the change
Clarity around the specific (observable and assessable) micro-behaviours that need to stop and start to enact the change
A way to integrate externally driven change with internally generated change required to drive day to day business performance
An execution plan for a specific time period that aligns with the business’ operating rhythm
Clearly defined milestones against which to measure progress
Tools and collateral that assists leaders to improve the quality of the conversations they have with their team
This approach repackages disparate changes into a behaviour-led narrative that can be implemented through a leader-led approach.
ONBOARD begins at the point where the organisation has product, system, risk or regulation and/or strategic changes required to be actioned by businesss unit/s and finishes with an assessment of the effectiveness of the package and the changes within. It’s an agile, iterative and repeatable process that gives structure and consistency to how change is implemented while allowing for adjustments along the way.
The GRIST ONBOARD Change Cycle showing each phase (Outline, Network, Build, Onboard, Assess, Recognise and Determine) across the stages of change implementation: pre, during and post.
Here's how the GRIST ONBOARD Change Cycle works:
OUTLINE: outline and define the change
Begin by outlining the change you want to implement. Identify what the change is, why it’s necessary, who it affects, and how success will be measured. When defining the change in behaviour, focus on the intent tied to the ‘why’ of the change. This intent statement should align with customer outcomes, value to the people involved, company objectives, and community expectations. Define the current behaviours that need to stop and the desired micro-behaviours for the future.
NETWORK: network with the business to validate your change outline
Engage with key stakeholders to validate micro-behaviours and understand business strategies, outcomes, and potential obstacles. This ensures alignment between the change and day-to-day performance priorities. Network with performance managers, leaders, coaches, and specialists to gather insights into current and upcoming performance priorities, and assess the degree of difficulty of the change required.
BUILD: build the change management intervention package
Develop interventions to embed the defined micro-behaviours. Create a comprehensive package including the outline of the change, micro-behaviours to implement, leader-aligned activities, and measurement approach. Tailor the change management package to the depth of the business unit’s change management capability.
ONBOARD: onboard the change – implement and communicate across the business
Deliver the change management package to leaders. This includes tools, resources, and activities for communicating the change and fostering development. Establish regular check-ins to gather lead indicators on micro-behaviour demonstration and intervention effectiveness.
ASSESS: assess the progress and effectiveness of the change
Regularly assess progress during the implementation phase. Look for trends, uplifts, and areas for improvement. Analyse focus, frequency, and quality of interventions. This analysis informs the Determine phase – what adjustments and improvements you need to make to your change management approach.
RECOGNISE & DETERMINE: recognise where change has occurred and determine next steps
Recognise and acknowledge changes in behaviour to motivate and maintain momentum. In the determine phase, review the previous quarter, adjust the approach as needed, and identify micro-behaviours for ongoing monitoring.
The GRIST ONBOARD Change Cycle offers a comprehensive roadmap for change managers to navigate the complexities of change implementation. By outlining, networking, building, onboarding, assessing, recognising, and determining, change managers can guide the successful integration of multiple changes within a business unit, driving alignment and competitiveness.
