Change leader tools for systems change – 5 tips for success

Usually, you have no general control over the cycle, speed or impact of change, but changes in technological systems are something you can influence. System change does not happen by itself, it requires a decision. It starts with practical steps taken by a change leader and their team, supported by senior management.

Involving employees in the change process

System change is about technology, but it also has a significant impact on people. Therefore, system change requires change leadership and should not be left to the data team and system managers alone. All employees need to be involved in the change from the beginning.

System change affects people’s processes and day-to-day activities. For some, change is an opportunity for career progression or more meaningful work. For others, change is a necessity, forcing individuals to give up familiar routines or systems they have enjoyed. As a result, system change often causes uncertainty and a wide range of emotions among employees.

Change leaders should be aware of the well-known change curves (see e.g. Fisher, J. 2012), which describe people's natural reactions to change. These include anxiety, happiness, fear, threat, guilt, depression, hostility, acceptance and forward movement. By being aware of these natural reactions, the change manager can better understand how employees are responding and support them through the different stages of change. Understanding the impact of change also protects the change manager from becoming exhausted in the face of resistance to change.

Tools for the change leader

The most important thing is for the change leader to connect with people by explaining how the change will affect them. Communicating, motivating, sharing information and giving time to learn new things are the basics that every change leader should be aware of. They can even be written down as tasks in a calendar, to make sure they remember to act on the principles they have identified as good practice.

So why, especially in systemic change, do change leaders tend to forget to clarify the vision, fail to remove obstacles or even declare victory before it is even achieved? Because change is hard and failure is easy. Systems change often involves a lot of learning. The change leader is often immersed in the details and disconnected from the day-to-day lives of people outside the system team.

System change also requires the courage to stick to modest goals and not reach for the moon. Overly optimistic thinking often leads to a failure to recognise moderate short-term gains. Overly visionary thinking is poison in systemic change and should be saved for the after-work.

The change leader needs to set clear, concrete milestones and venture out of the data team's workspace to meet with others. The change leader should spend most of their time with people who are not involved in day-to-day activities such as definition work. Their time should be spent talking, listening and setting the direction for change. Otherwise, system change will create more resistance to change and make it more difficult to implement in all respects.

Five tips for success as a system change leader

(Adapted from Fisher, J. 2012. and based on practical observations)

• Set concrete and meaningful short-term goals and work towards them
• Build a change leadership team with a diverse set of skills (not just data skills, but also HR skills)
• Communicate and engage employees
• Be persistent, emphasise continuity, demand reporting
• Build a safe, change-resistant culture

From time to time, organisations are faced with situations where the current system no longer meets the day-to-day requirements. At Greenstep we support our clients in a variety of system change projects, providing both high quality, customised systems and experienced project managers. We also offer project support coaching for change managers and front-line staff.