In Implement, you are supporting people to deliver the change. This stage is where the change starts to happen and people will begin to work in the new way. As people see the change happening around them, they generally start to feel motivated again, because they can see that some progress is taking place. As a high level of learning takes place during this stage, some people can be nervous about being exposed or about their ability pick up the new way of doing things. You will also find some individuals who are keen for things to fail.

The change support could be quite intensive during this phase and the tools focus on ensuring that people have the required knowledge and skills to make the change. There are also a lot of techniques here to reinforce and apply learning, such as floor walking and visual management. You need to foster a positive and pragmatic attitude, encouraging people to manage their expectations of themselves and others. Ensure that people have plenty of opportunity to provide feedback on the change and are clear about where to go for support. It is also important to protect people from the change.

Without appropriate change support at this stage, people will often revert to their old way of doing things when they come across a problem. In the early stages, it is often faster to do things the way you know rather than the new way, because you need to think more about that new way until it has become a new habit.