“Open your arms to change, but don’t let go of your values.” Those words, attributed to the Dalai Lama, speak not only to the importance of change, but the need to maintain a focus on one’s mission when going through the process. It’s a bit of a balancing act, truth be known. In fact, some would say that how well an organization manages the change it creates is as important as the change itself.
Embracing change
The concept of change management has always been around but, according to consultant Michelle Chambers of Chambers & Associates, today’s nonprofit landscape has made it an increasingly essential skill. Whether it’s a heightened need for accountability and transparency, limited funding opportunities, greater collaborative efforts among organizations or growing waitlists for services, change is constant – and here to stay. “It is, thus, becoming increasingly important to be able to manage change more effectively, minimizing any negative impact and capitalizing on the new opportunities that change can bring to an organization,” explains Chambers.
The United Way of Ajax-Pickering-Uxbridge in Ontario knows the importance of change management well. About four years ago, the organization embarked on a number of new initiatives and hired Chambers to help guide them through the convoluted process. With the formidable reputation of the United Way, the first question, of course, becomes: why? Why mess with a good thing? Why change?
CEO Edna Klazek recalls that when she first arrived at the organization approximately ten years ago, the United Way was effectively fulfilling its key role of basic fundraising and fund distribution. But, after some analysis, this business savvy leader and her network recognized that the nonprofit needed to stretch itself further. “We realized that the challenges in the sector went beyond just funding and we started to look at how we can help it strengthen and grow,” she says. So, the organization decided to reach beyond fundraising to provide support in a variety of other ways.
A little change goes a long way
Out of that decision came a number of initiatives to help empower the nonprofit community in the region, such as, increasing capacity at the governance level and providing opportunities for professional development at affordable rates. “We are now able to offer the nonprofit community a high-quality professional development training program at a very low cost with highly skilled trainers you would normally have to pay a lot of money for,” Klazek offers. The program – offering courses in media training, social marketing and other key topics – was just one of many changes implemented at the United Way. They also moved into greater partnership roles with organizations like the Trillium Foundation and the business community, establishing a Day of Caring to connect volunteers from the business community with nonprofit organizations in the region.
More recently, the board at United Way has undertaken a two-year strategic planning process, with the intent of ensuring funding is strategic not tactical. “It will help us build an agenda for the community, one that will allow us to ask: what are the key issues and priorities in the community and are our priorities in line with them?” says Klazek. If not, they will be realigned. If they are, the question then becomes: is United Way funding the right priorities and investing dollars where they will have the greatest impact? “This is a big transformational change,” Klazek concludes.
Casualties of change
Of course, managing that change was not always easy for the United Way. Finding a consultant that suited their needs was a boon, as was their strong board leadership and a national umbrella that supported them fully. But challenges remained. “Consider carefully your resource requirements,” cautions Klazek as she reflects on her experience. “Change really puts a lot of pressure on people and different people are motivated differently,” she adds. “Make sure you really understand organizational politics, people skills and motivational triggers.” Some staff decided to leave and move in other directions when change began, she recollects.
Indeed, change is not always welcome, echoes Ron Robinson, president of ABARIS Consulting. “When you are trying to make a change in an organization of significant magnitude, there is always a portion of that organization that will never change, no matter what.” In fact, he estimates, approximately 10% of employees refuse to change, preferring to hold onto the status quo and the comforts of staying put. Meanwhile, 20% of people, he continues, are willing to take any steps toward change, happy to go along for the transformational ride. “But when you’re talking about change management,” he explains further, “you’re effectively talking about 70% of the group who are saying, ‘you prove to me that this makes sense and if you do, I’ll go along with you,’” In essence, you have the potential, with a good change management program, to bring the majority of people on board. But, as in battle, one needs to recognize there will be casualties. Organizations need to be ready for those possibilities, Robinson says. “If you’re not prepared for casualties, don’t try it.”
Isobel Mackenzie is familiar with those consequences. As CEO of Beacon Community Services in Victoria, she oversaw some significant changes at her organization when it recently expanded its home support program. The organization was asked to take over the services of two agencies in response to an RFP process from the health authority. Though the change was not planned, the organization saw its staff grow from 500 to close to 1,100 in that one period. With such extreme staff expansion and a significant program takeover, bitterness among staff was not wholly unexpected. “One of our greatest challenges had to do with the rumour mongering among staff who were transferring,” explains Mackenzie. But having the right attitude makes a huge difference in the long run, she says. “It’s important to understand and accept that a certain level of resistance will exist rather than trying to get everyone on board.”
Resist the resistance
While resistance to change is expected, it can often be mitigated by following a few steps. Keeping the lines of communication open is one. “The best change programs regularly reinforce core messages through regular, timely advice that is both inspirational and practicable,” claims Chambers. “Communication should provide employees with the right information at the right time and solicit their input and feedback.” Additionally, people need to be engaged and need to feel the process is beneficial says Robinson. “Unless you have clearly articulated what the outcome of the change will be, why it’s important, how they will benefit in the long run, you’re going to get resistance to why people should actually make the move.” The same theory holds true when it comes to an organization’s external relationships. “You really need to keep community involved and engaged,” advises Klazek. “You don’t want to alienate anyone who has supported you in the past; engage them every step of the way.”
Casualties can also be limited depending on when change is pursued. According to Robinson, his phone rings with a request to help manage change at any one of three scenarios. One is anticipatory. Here the organization has acknowledged they need to make some changes in order to help get them where they want to go. The second is reactionary, in response to some external or internal event. And the third, is what Robinson refers to as the “all hell has broken loose” call. The organization has found itself in crisis mode and is desperate for help.
Not surprisingly, Robinson claims that most change is crisis-driven. “But it’s also the easiest to do because crisis increases people’s receptivity to change,” he says. To explain, he asks rhetorically: if someone asked you to run out of your house with no clothes on, wouldn’t you be more open to the idea if a raging fire was taking over your home than if it weren’t? That said, being proactive is the smartest approach, financially and otherwise, because it allows an organization to effect transformation slowly, allowing the process to sink in so it appears less frightening, thereby gaining people’s acceptance. As Robinson says, “slow and incremental change can get you pretty much anywhere you want to go.”
Five tips to help you manage change within your organization
- Before implementing a major change, carefully consider your resource requirements.
- Make sure you really understand the organizational politics, people skills, and motivational triggers you will face.
- Keep the lines of communication open and solicit input and feedback from staff and key stakeholders in the community. Don’t alienate people.
- Be proactive about change whenever possible, and effect transformation slowly.
- Understand and accept that a certain level of resistance will exist, and recognize there will be casualties.
Elisa Birnbaum is a freelance journalist, producer and communications consultant living in Toronto. She is also president of ellecommunications.ca and can be reached at: info@ellecommunications.ca.
