Managing Change in an Agile World...the 3 C's

Recently I was asked how to manage change in a fast paced, agile environment. Most companies I have worked with describe themselves as fast paced--change is constant. For numerous reasons, many struggle with how to manage through change.

Several years ago I facilitated a group of leaders through change acceleration process training, where leaders presented their current challenges and worked through developing what I called their "change game plan". They learned and practiced successful change management with a 5 step approach: create a shared need, shape a vision, mobilize commitment, making change last, and monitoring progress. Each of these contains several useful tools and templates to help a leader navigate through the preparations, communications, and execution of change. One such formula is QxA=E... the quality of the change (it's technical / functional aspects) times the people's acceptance (the buy-in and support) equals the effectiveness of change. Without strong acceptance, the overall effectiveness will be low.

In a software development environment, change is rapid...deployments and upgrades at least weekly, and oftentimes, daily upgrades for your app of choice. We are living in a "drive through window world" of software apps today. This requires a very simple view of managing change... called the 3 Cs.

First, employees must Comprehend the change ... much effort must go into the clarity and communication of change for both the individual and the organization.

Second, employees must Commit to the change ... in the hearts and minds of associates, the buy-in for the successful change should be accepted and followed.

Third, employees must Calibrate the change ... frequent follow-up on the change effort to understand the impact on customers, individuals and others in the organization. Course corrections will always be needed and leaders will need to have courage to adjust.

Managing change is a core competency for every leader, but also is becoming a core skill requirement for today's millennial employee to achieve personal growth and satisfaction. Follow the 3 C's!