Chapter 4: Make their feet itch

Make Their Feet Itch

Creating a Compelling Need for Change

Whether you’re talking about changing your oil, changing your socks or changing the way your company sells IT solutions, one of the hardest things about it is getting everyone involved to agree that the change has to happen. After all, isn’t it easier to leave the oil in your car, wear the same socks today that you wore yesterday or sell in exactly the same way you always have?

Speaking for myself, in order to overcome my own laziness, I have to firmly believe that it matters whether I change my socks or not. I have to believe that the benefits of expending all that effort to change my socks outweigh my general aversion to change.

Let’s move outside of my shoes and contemplate organizational impacts of change. Most people you know would rather not deal with change, even when they know it’s good for them. Consciously or unconsciously – and regardless of our politics, socioeconomic backgrounds or levels of education – most of us would rather maintain the status quo than adapt to something new. That’s why people don’t lose weight, don’t floss and don’t stop cracking their knuckles. We don’t necessarily always resist change actively, but we usually don’t embrace it.

An organization is nothing more than a bunch of people, so organizations are also prone to preservation of the status quo. In fact, there might be even an exponentially increased resistance to change when you put more than one person into the equation. If you’ve ever tried to lead a change effort, you know how hard it is to get others to adopt and embrace what you think is a fantastic idea.

An absolutely key ingredient to successful change is everyone involved believing that the change is necessary. The GE CAP model calls this “creating a shared need.” John Kotter calls it “creating urgency.” I call it that moment when my feet get so itchy that NOT changing my socks is no longer an option.

One of the simplest ways I know of to create a compelling need for change – the need that overcomes our preternatural to keep things just the way they are – is to brainstorm threats and opportunities.

If you’re familiar with a SWOT analysis, you’ll recognize threats and opportunities as the T and O of that acronym (strengths and weaknesses are the S and W, incidentally). If you’re not, don’t sweat it. It’s a simple concept.

Threats are the bad things that will happen to us if we don’t change. For example, if I don’t change my socks, maybe the pair I’m wearing will wear out. Maybe my significant other will leave me, repulsed by the odor. Maybe I’ll develop some horrible toenail fungus.

Those are threats.

Opportunities, on the other hand, are the good things that will happen to us if we implement the change in question. If I start changing my socks, they’ll last longer. I might discover that some socks are more comfortable than the ones I’ve been wearing. I might be able to get that pedicure I’ve always wanted.

Those are opportunities.

When you’re brainstorming threats and opportunities, pull together as many key stakeholders as you can, and remember conventional brainstorming rules and etiquette. Quantity of ideas is more important than quality. Every idea gets captured. Even the most ludicrous idea gets air time, and no energy is wasted on shooting ideas down, even when they’re really, really stupid.

Once you’ve amassed a sizable list of threats and opportunities, there will probably be no doubt in the room that the change is necessary. However, before you move forward, you’ll want to prioritize your lists. After all, you’ll be using these to spread the need for change like a virus across the organization.

To create and communicate a vision of the future state, build commitment to the change, remove obstacles and build coalitions that will get it done, you’ll want to carry your best ideas (i.e. the most compelling, most impacting and most likely to occur) forward. Those words can be woven into elevator pitches, rallying cries and inspirational anthems with three-part harmony.

In any project, extra effort invested at the beginning always pays dividends down the road. Put the work into creating a compelling imperative for change up front and you’ll find fewer hurdles, fewer resisters and fewer saboteurs of the effort down the road. Make your organization’s feet itch, and the rest will follow.

Eryc Eyl / Freelance Writer and Business Consultant