Welcome to a collection of insights and learnings based on the lived experiences of some of the many hospitality managers encountered at EHL. Based on practicing a set of key principles and behaviors, becoming an effective change leader is a skill that develops over time.
The need for constant change
It has become almost commonplace to state that change is everywhere around us. And yet, it is true that in complex and challenging business contexts few organizations can be successful without continuously questioning and adapting their way of doing things to the changing realities of the industry around them. As a result, successful leadership of change initiatives has become a key skill in the managerial toolbox at most levels of the corporate hierarchy. Over the years, we at EHL have had countless interactions with hospitality leaders that were involved in a great variety of change initiatives. In this short piece we summarize some of the insights that we have gleaned from conversations and interactions with them in our various programs. We have distilled six key lessons.
Understand your audience
A frequent mistake made by budding change leaders is to underestimate the need for analysis before entering the change process. This begins with a careful look at the audience you are interacting with. For any change initiative, you as a change leader want to understand how you can map members of your organization on a continuum from most positive to most negative – or most likely to support you vs. most likely to oppose what you are trying to do. At the positive end are potential change agents, individuals who embrace the change you want to implement and are willing to lend support. At the opposite end are the resistors, people who, either by virtue of their personality, their social context, their personal interests, or any combination of the above, position themselves negatively with regard to the planned change. Perhaps the largest number of organization members tend to belong to the central group of bystanders. They represent the silent majority of collaborators who are in a neutral state and who may pivot either way.
In addition to change attitudes you also want to understand influence patterns in your organization. These include more formal elements related to hierarchical power. However, they also extend to more subtle forms of influence. Influence can be exercised top-down or bottom-up. Opinion leaders, for instance, are respected individuals whose positioning towards an initiative will be noted and will influence many others. Last but not least, an understanding of the formal and informal networks in the organization can prove to be useful. Networks act as accelerators for the transmission of information and multipliers for individual attitudes towards change.
Be aware of your own credibility as a change leader
The audience of a change initiative will critically evaluate the credibility of the change leader. Implicitly or explicitly, members of organization who are affected by the change will be asking themselves “Why should we follow your lead on this topic?”. Credibility of the change agent has something to do with formal power. However, there is more to it than that. How directly your own function and background are related to the content of the change initiative and what track record you possess will make a difference. In addition, personal competence and the willingness to walk the talk will add additional layers of credibility. Last but now least, credibility can also be borrowed when others in the organization (presumably from top management ranks) lend official and visible support to the change leader.
Be focused in your interactions
The sequence in which you address the audience probably has a huge impact on the success of your change initiative. In general, our respondents agree that your primary target should be those that can be classified as “change agents”. They lend support to your initiative and help you gain momentum. In the second step, when some initial credibility has been established, the resistors should be addressed head-on. The longer they are left to transmit bad vibes, the more damage they can do. The bystanders are probably last in the list. As they do not feel strongly concerned by the initiative they are unlikely to put up a lot of resistance and will go with the flow.
Get the timing right
As in many business processes, timing is of the essence for change leadership. This was expressed by our respondents in many different ways. One key insight refers to the need to be aware of where you stand in the implementation process and which activities are most likely to succeed at each particular stage. In early stages of a change initiative it is probably useful to engage in activities that only require a limited amount of investment and commitment from members of the organization. As the change initiative moves on through its lifecycle, more complex, time-consuming and resource-intensive activities can be envisaged.
Another key learning concerns the importance of positive momentum. Early actions in the implementation of a change initiative should lead to some quick wins that raise visibility of and commitment to the initiative. With these quick wins under the belt, you as a change leader can develop momentum and increase the breadth and depth of the initiative. The important thing here is to be mindful of the fact that a virtuous cycle can quickly degenerate into a vicious cycle of less success leading to less commitment and visibility, leading to even less success etc.
Communication is key
Successful change implementation depends to a large extent on the effectiveness of the communication that goes with it. Regular communication enhances the visibility of the change initiative and can increase curiosity about and commitment to change from members of the organization. Communication is a particularly important element for the virtuous cycle of change. When quick wins are achieved, communicating about them multiplies their impact. Change leaders are above all good communicators. They need to be present on the ground and follow the motto “do good things and then talk about them”.
Prefer conviction over coercion
Every change initiative gets stuck once in a while. When this happens, there is a considerable temptation for change leaders to use hierarchical power to get it unstuck. This approach can backfire. In general terms, organization members prefer to be convinced of the benefits that a change initiative may bring, either for them personally and/or for the entire organization. An excessive focus on coercive tactics may result in resistors digging in their heels. Nudging the audience with a little bit of gentle pressure towards implementing what they basically already agree with is acceptable. However, when raw power replaces good arguments, the outcome is less certain.
Effective change leadership
Change is increasingly becoming the only constant in corporate environments and leaders at all levels need to be able to deal with it effectively. Becoming an effective change leader requires being alert to the organizational context in which change takes place, having a good sense of timing and being a convincing communicator in interactions with others. Overall, these are general qualities that good leaders should possess, but mastering all of them at a high level will make the difference between an average change leader and an outstanding one.
Written by EHL Faculty
Full Professor of Organizational Behavior at EHL Hospitality Business School
Associate Professor at EHL Hospitality Business School
