Many growing businesses still assume that every organisational shift needs to be led by an external consultant. Mark Green, founder of Change Rebellion, believes this assumption is limiting their progress. In his new comment piece, he argues that companies should be developing their own internal change capability if they want to respond quickly to challenges and avoid unnecessary cost and disruption.
It may seem odd for a change management specialist to recommend that a company develops its own in-house capabilities. Why would someone who gets paid to swoop into a business and save it from a transformational nightmare give out this kind of advice?
Yet when we think about the scale of change management going on in the world (with most businesses needing to evolve to keep pace with industry developments, new technology and the ever-changing economy), the likelihood of these experts running out of clients to work with and doing themselves out of a job altogether seems very low. Plus, there are many compelling reasons why some sort of internal capacity is needed, so the advice is not as left-field as it may first appear.
Not all change is created equal
Basic car maintenance tasks like changing a tyre are something which in theory can be done by any driver without the need to call in an expert (although research reveals apparently two thirds of people in the UK don’t know how to change a tyre, but let’s not digress into a motoring must-have lecture). Even those who are au fait with essential tasks are likely to call a mechanic if their entire engine needs replacing, rather than attempting a DIY job at the side of the road.
And the same principle applies with change management: in theory, businesses should be able to handle the routine, everyday type of change themselves. But not all evolutions are of the same magnitude, and the phrase ‘change management’ covers a huge range of scenarios – all of which vary in impact and scale. There are the less drastic changes (the tyre swaps of the CM world) like new software roll outs or a new chief exec being introduced. Then there are the ‘big boys’: the mergers and acquisitions, the implementation of a whole new management system, these are the messy convoluted jobs which need more than a ‘have a go’ attitude and a wrench or two.
When it comes to the real pivots that define a company’s journey, then clearly calling in an expert is the best thing to do. But if you’ve got zero internal capability to manage any change whatsoever, then you’re going to find yourself perhaps more closely acquainted with an external change management team than you ever anticipated. And let’s be honest, that’s going to cost a whole heap more than any internal team training ever would, and is also going to take a lot of time and effort on behalf of everyone involved (tasks like finding such a team and fully briefing them don’t happen by magic).
A far more sensible approach would be working alongside someone who’s already an expert in the field so that they can upskill your internal team. Your staff might never become true specialists in the field of change management – and they don’t necessarily need to be – but understanding the basics (like what even is change management?) is a fantastic place to start.
Which means next time there is a minor change incoming, you can simply call on your existing A-team within the business, who can do those DIY repairs and enhancements having been guided through the process previously by someone who (hopefully) has half an idea what they’re talking about. You’ve now got a shiny new tyre in place, and no one’s had to wait crying at the side of the road to be rescued.
Does that spell the end for consultants?
What this process doesn’t involve is a pledge to take on every single change project internally. When it comes to major changes – ones which fundamentally impact people’s way of working, the whole structure of the company, or even put jobs at risk – that’s the time to call on external expertise.
It might mean you’re only working with a change management company once in a blue moon – and that might be sad for you if you really like them and want to spend more time with them. But ultimately it’ll be beneficial for your bank balance (so your finance department will thank you); it’ll be beneficial for your internal people who get to learn new skills and take on new opportunities (so you’ll hopefully retain more staff and run into less resistance when it comes to future changes); and it’ll be beneficial for your business (because there are people within it who can help guide its evolution, steering it in the right direction and keeping everything on track and aligned with your overall strategy).
While you’re within your rights to have your favourite CM specialist on speed dial, a more measured approach where external support is only sought for major projects can prove more efficient and effective going forward. But only if you’ve given enough of your internal team the skills and knowledge they need in order to manage these smaller changes as you go along. Otherwise, it’ll have to be a specialist to the rescue this time and every time. Which is great for CM companies, but less great for business resilience and evolution.