The Problem
Meaningful organisational change cannot occur without the cooperation of the affected stakeholders. As a result, creating a sense of urgency for a needed change is the first step senior leaders must take to gain the cooperation of management and employees. Creating a sense of urgency alerts the organisation that change must occur and it begins the preparation for change. It must be done well for a change effort to have a meaningful organisational impact.
The Approach
Senior leaders create a sense of urgency by both selling the value of a future state to organisational stakeholders and making the status quo a dangerous place for the stakeholders to remain. In effect, senior leaders create a compelling narrative that tells stakeholders why it is not in their best interest for the organisation to stay in its current state.
Guidance
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here are several steps senior leaders can take to create a sense of urgency and gain the commitment of managers, employees, and other stakeholders. They include:
- Showing the seriousness of senior leadership commitment to the coming change by eliminating obvious waste;
- Sharing bad news with the organisation;
- Requiring managers and employees to talk regularly to unhappy teams, colleagues, customers and other stakeholders to understand their concerns directly;
- Sharing data throughout the organisation that supports the claim that change is necessary; and
- Ensuring organisational decisions and management actions are in agreement with change communications (walk the talk).
To lead a change effort and gain the cooperation of necessary stakeholders, the first step senior leaders must take is to create a sense of urgency. It requires clear and honest communications that create a sense of urgency rather than a sense of doom.
By creating both a compelling picture of a desired future and the danger of accepting the status quo, senior leaders greatly improve their chances of gaining the commitment of organisational stakeholders for a necessary change effort.
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