How can you balance speed and collaboration when leading change?

Hoping you have established the purpose and aligned the leaders/broader team.... Be aware of impact your actions have on behaviour of others. That will enable you to find ways to influence and carry everyone along. You can use multiple influence strategies to get people to align. A very important learning over many change management projects over the years - be patient with outcomes and impatient with process. The above allow you to balance speed with collaboration.

Change processes are hard to lead without great (respectful, honest and fun) conversation. Leading invokes a drive to succeed. So if we're going to lead well toward a successful change goal, great conversation will lead to collaboration, and its eventual benefits. Goals demanding speed are generally led by those who haven't invested as much as you (aka lived) in the change process.

Be led by those that experience and use your service or product, and the workforce nearest to delivery. Pick some quick wins. Go where the energy is

Wer ein klares Ziel hat, wird auch in diese Richtung gemeinsam ziehen... ...wenn es ein lohnenswertes Ziel ist. ...wenn das Ziel für jeden klar und greifbar ist. ...wenn Sinn und Zweck auch klar definiert sind. Die zentrale Frage lautet meist: What´s in it for me? Dazu verwende ich gerne die Metapher einer Busreise. Die Busreise hat ein gemeinsames Ziel und verschiedene Bushaltestellen. Unsere Aufgabe ist es die Menschen dort abzuholen, wo sie stehen, also an ihrer jeweiligen Bushaltestelle. Und unsere Aufgabe ist es die Busreise so zu gestalten, dass niemand den Bus verlassen will. Nur so kann Veränderung auch gelingen.

One thing I have found very helpful once the vision has been set is to apply a 'does it make the boat go faster' logic to how we want to achieve that vision. It helps to weed out unnecessary or unimportant tasks that do not contribute to achieving the overall vision. I do this with my staff to ensure no matter what part of the business we are individually concentrating on, fundamentally we are all driving toward that single goal.

Know your purpose is knowing your existence. Be clear on WHY the change initiative is happening. More importantly, as a leader you need to communicate it clearly to larger audience for buy-in and implementation. For any change initiative, ensure that you clarify "what is it for me" question for the people who are involved and impacted by the change initiative

Clearly define the objectives and desired outcomes of the change initiative and then focus on the essential goals to maintain speed.

Yes. Keep in mind however that change relies on human beings cooperating. And that emotions are involved - remember the change curve (based on Elizabeth Kübler-Ross’ work). I am all for having a vision and at the same time, that vision might slightly change as a result of the initiative unfolding.

Communicate early and often. Share as much information as possible, as soon as possible. Use your early adopters as positive resources early on. Take the time to teach them how to be agents for change. They are your grassroots resource and can provide peer support to late adopters and resistors.

For the most impact, try and align corporate purpose with your personal purpose. Know what drives you. Know your values. How can these benefit your client? How will these help you, your team, and company deliver for the client? Aligning corporate and personal purpose will help you build buy in, commitment, and trust. Where the heart leads, the head follows.

What's at stake? It's great when we have the luxury of space-time to help the change take off, but sometimes the runway is more like a doormat 😄 If your change involves mobilising a large number of people into a specific way of working near-instantaneously (as part of a pandemic response for example!), you'll use tactics that prioritise clarity through reach, communication & aligned action-taking at an individual and collective level. On the other hand, if your change is complex & requires building commitment towards a common cause amidst ambiguous circumstances (as part of a culture change effort for example) then a movement more than a mandate will be key. The change efforts will need to start with co-creation from the get-go.

Veränderung braucht Menschen, die die Veränderung umsetzen und leben. Und dann wird meist überlegt, wie man den Menschen verändern kann. Nein, Stop! Hier sind Führungskräfte gefragt. Welche Strukturen und Rahmenbedingungen kann ich als Führungskraft schaffen, damit die Veränderung gelingt. Beispielsweise möchte ich mehr Mut in meinem Team fördern. Gut, was kann ich konkret machen, damit wir mutiger sind? Welche Rahmenbedingungen sind zu schaffen? Z.B. Vertrauen, psycholog. Sicherheit im Team Wir haben in einem Team den Freaky Friday entwickelt. An jedem Freitag wird eine kleine Aufgabe gemacht, um aus der Komfortzone rauszusteigen. Und diese Maßnahmen können wir im Team gemeinsam überlegen.

When leading change, understanding the cultural approach (especially to decision-making) is crucial. As a Swede, I have learned to invest time early to incorporate multiple perspectives and gain team buy-in. This inclusive approach helps people understand the purpose and feel involved in shaping the change. I find that this shared ownership leads to better results, especially during tough times, as it keeps the team motivated, focused, and despite changing timelines, tasks, people etc, individuals can continue to make informed decisions because they we're part of creating, and believe in, the idea. I do know that this approach frustrates some, especially in cultures that value hierarchies, so adjusting my approach to each context is key

Some areas to consider Effective Communication: Clearly communicate the reasons for change, the benefits, and the expected outcomes. This transparency builds trust and helps team members understand the urgency of the change. Maintain regular communication channels to keep everyone informed about progress, challenges, and adjustments to the change plan. Involve Key Stakeholders Early: Involve key stakeholders from the beginning of the change process. Their early involvement ensures that their perspectives are considered, and potential issues are addressed promptly. Collaborate with key influencers and opinion leaders within the organization to help drive change adoption.

No. A top-down approach hardly ever works. Why? Because employees at all levels need time to process and internalize the transformation. Implementing any change without getting employees on board isn’t smart thinking. It’s not effective and it will lead to additional costs. For example, resistance can create costs. So can having to run more workshops at the project’s end because information was not fully absorbed.

adapting leadership styles based on the nature and urgency of change is crucial. Here are key considerations: Directive Leadership (Critical and Time-Sensitive): In critical and time-sensitive situations, a directive approach is effective. Collaborative Leadership (Complex and Uncertain): In situations where change is complex and uncertain, a collaborative and adaptive leadership style is valuable. Adaptive Leadership (Combining Styles): Effective leaders often combine styles and adapt based on the evolving situation. This flexibility allows for a dynamic response to the changing nature and requirements of the change initiative.

No estoy de acuerdo 100% de acuerdo. El cambio es una cuestión de todos y las resistencias van a ser algo natural porque forma parte del ser humano luego no puedes contar con que todos se sumen al barco sino los "early-adopters", los que tienen una menos aversión al riesgo. No obstante, hay que partir de un cambio que no es impuesto, que es colaborativo, que es co-creado de lo contrario las resistencias serán mayores. Si queremos contar con equipos de alto-rendimiento, auto-organizados donde puedan ser autónomos para tomar decisiones cada acción nuestra será ejemplo de esa cultura que queremos impulsar. Luego en el cambio, estás mostrando el tipo de líder que quieres ser y el tipo de liderazgo que necesitas para la Compañía.

Le changement peut être également urgent et complexe. C'est surtout la mobilisation et l'adhésion des équipes qui va définir le type de leadership directif. L'esprit collaboratif viendra naturellement en fonction de l'appétence et les capacités au changement des différents éléments, le rôle du leader est d'être agile et de savoir saisir ces opportunités et de gérer son équipe au quotidien en fonction des problématiques.

Réévaluer la situation pour vérifier l'adéquation des actions avec les objectifs, vérifier que l'équipe dispose de moyens/outils efficaces et de la motivation pour poursuivre les actions, ajuster les actions en temps et en moyens si nécessaires, adapter la communication en fonction des impératifs temporels : si urgence, préparer en amont les phrases-clés qui peuvent être comprises rapidement

Je komplexer und unsicherer die Veränderung ist, desto wichtiger ist die Beteiligung der Menschen. Veränderung gelingt nur durch Beteiligung und nicht durch Verordnung von "oben". Dazu braucht es: - Eine klare Vision, einen Zweck, ein Ziel - Ein klares Warum - Einen ersten verständlichen und greifbaren Schritt - Regelmäßiges Feedback und kontinuierliche Reflexion - Schritt für Schritt Vorgehensweise - Feiern von Erfolgen und Lernerfahrungen - Eine Kultur des Ausprobierens Nur wenn diese Punkte in einem Team ermöglicht werden, kann die Veränderung auch gelingen.

In my experience this is probably the most important element of change management, if you can't get your team to buy into what you are trying to achieve, you have little help of doing so with the wider organisation. This is often most challenging when you are coming into a new role or business, and you have little personal equity with team members. When you have to sell your vision to people who potentially don't know you well, it's key that you invest the time to communicate, to listen and where possible show flexibility by incorporating goods ideas from team members. When people feel they have had input into the change, they are far more likely to support it.

Team engagement is not only vital, but its also a requirement of "making things happen". In my experience the best way to engage your team is to ensure that they are at the heart of the decision making process.

Balancing speed and collaboration in leading change has been a delicate dance. The key lies in deeply engaging the team. This engagement involves them early in the change process, not just as implementers but as contributors to ideas and strategies. It's about creating a sense of shared purpose, where their input is valued and their voices heard. While this collaborative approach may slow things down, it builds a stronger foundation for change with a committed and aligned team. This collective buy-in often accelerates the later stages of implementation. By investing time in engagement upfront, I've found that we can move more swiftly and cohesively as a unit, making the overall process more efficient and effective.

Participation and engagement of all team members is required to achieve accomplishment of the objective. Purpose is to be clearly communicated to and by forming small teams and assigned specific task to each team with timelines. Motivation ,appreciation and regular monitoring required followed by celebration for any achievement.

Prenez part au changement cela démontre votre confiance dans les choix et décisions prises et met en avant votre exemplarité auprès de vos équipes.

Engager son équipe dans l'action demande à connaître les aptitudes de chaque membre de l'équipe et le mode de fonctionnement du groupe : intervenir quand c'est nécessaire et toujours donner un feedback pour tenir informée l'équipe de ses progrès et du chemin qu'il reste à parcourir, réévaluer la motivation, vérifier la compréhension des actions en cours, tenir compte des initiatives individuelles : corriger ou capitaliser sur ces initiatives pour les actions futures et les faire partager à l'équipe

To effectively lead change, striking a balance between speed and collaboration is pivotal. Prioritize clear communication, fostering an environment where diverse perspectives are valued - Engage your team through transparent updates - Acknowledging their contributions - Instilling a shared sense of purpose for seamless, collaborative transformation

Engage your team in the change process by creating a shared vision, setting clear expectations, and providing regular updates. Celebrate successes, learn from failures, and empower your team to take action. This builds trust, commitment, and ownership, accelerating the change.

La clave del cambio realmente es el Equipo. En entornos VUCA, los cambios no son lineales. La mayor parte de modelo (como Kotter que mencionaba más arriba, como McKinsey, como Procsi) no fucionan. Hay una estadística que dice que fracasan el 70% de las veces. Esto se debe a que son modelo lineales basados en un plan. Si realmente quieres cambio adaptativos debes optar por modelos más agiles como Agile Lean Change. En este modelos donde existen un cambio de mentalidad y cultura claves, lo más importante es contar con un equipo cohesionado que sea capaz de ir identificado las necesidades de los stakeholders en ese cambio y ofreciendo soluciones que las minimicen. Pero siempre desde la colaboración, confianza, y comunicación del Equipo.

Avoid restricting your change efforts solely to key stakeholders, particularly when your change plan has a wide-reaching scope. This is a common mistake observed in many organizations. Ensure the inclusion of everyone by implementing a clear communication plan - including milestones, content, frequency, and channels. By actively involving the broader organization and providing regular updates, you not only keep them informed but also strengthen the sense of belonging and active participation

One thing I've found helpful when communicating with stakeholders is clear and concise messaging. If you have a request/question, be clear about what it is. Also, document and repeat the decision to the group. Nothing slows down a project like "misremembering" a decision or leaders changing their minds a week later.

When communicating with stakeholders, provide timely updates on progress while emphasizing the importance of collaboration. Ensure clarity on goals, solicit input, and address concerns promptly. Foster a transparent and inclusive environment to strengthen stakeholder engagement, enabling a swift yet collaborative approach for effective and successful organizational change

In my experience, this becomes a parallel to marketing efforts. Whether it's selling a product or an idea the process is fundamentally the same. Start off light and gauge interest (do some market research if you will). Based on the 'market research' provide good, clear, relatable and concise information. Identify to the relevant stakeholders the benefits to them. Identify the medium or channels on which the communication is most likely to reach the stakeholder. Always ensure value is added at each point and that feedback is listened to and acted upon.

In my experience, focusing on thorough pre-planning is key. Investing sufficient time and effort to creating a project charter, analyzing stakeholders and their level of influence, and developing a clear RACI matrix would greatly enhance the balance between speed and collaboration during the change execution phase. I would also include continuous calibration of stakeholder analysis and be flexible with the alternate pathways to meet milestones.

Involve key stakeholders in setting the change objectives to ensure alignment. Collaboratively define success criteria to enhance commitment.

Como mencionaba en el punto 3. Es clave la involucración de los stakeholders en modelo que necesitan gestionar el cambio en entornos VUCA. La forma mejor, desde mi punto de vista, para involucrarles es a través del contacto directo y no tanto de canales digitales, ¿por qué? Ya que los cliente muchas veces no saben lo que quieren pero si lo que les molesta o les duele. Y es clave facilitarles para llegar a comprender realmente donde podemos actuar como Equipo para ayudarles en ese cambio. Yo siempre mencione en mis talleres con Equipos un frase que me gusta: "Te puedes olvidar de los stakeholders pero ellos no se van a olvidar de ti" :) Así que involúcrales y reflexiona muy bien quienes son para no dejarte ninguno fuera :)

In my experience, stakeholders' role can vary widely and you want to address people differently depending on the desired outcome. Directors and top management want to stay up to date with progress, whereas stakeholders in middle management can and should become your allies for the success of the initiative. Onboard them and make them active actors of change by sharing part of the responsibility - like onboarding their teams, report on progress and raise red flags. This would make them change ambassadors in their site. Your ambition should be to have a distributed team of ambassadors - one in each site - that would monitor progress, follow-up and work with you to get things delivered on schedule.

Begin by recognizing that collaboration, cooperation, and teaming are three different things. Cooperation is the only one of the three that directly affects speed. Teaming is a structural tactic for organizing cooperation. Collaboration is primarily an environmental influence on support of operational options. "Balance" means only one thing here: deliberate sustained alignment of the three.

Veränderung lässt sich nicht von A bis Z planen und vorhersagen, sondern hat Irrwege, Schleifen und auch mal Rückschritte. Daher empfehle ich das Arbeiten mit agilen Prinzipien in der Veränderung. Beispielsweise mit inspect & adapt und arbeiten in Sprints. Dadurch wird regelmäßig Feedback eingeholt, reflektiert und die nächsten Schritte lassen sich planen.

When leading change, adapting to feedback is paramount. Balance speed by promptly integrating constructive input, ensuring agility without compromising collaboration. Demonstrate a commitment to continuous improvement, actively seeking and valuing the insights of your team. Foster an environment where feedback is welcomed, enabling swift adjustments while maintaining a collaborative approach to achieve successful and sustainable change.

Change is dynamic and unpredictable. Embrace the fluid nature by staying open to feedback, whether positive or negative. Collect insights from diverse sources like your team, stakeholders, customers, or data. Analyze feedback to identify gaps, risks, or best practices. Adapt your plan and actions accordingly to enhance performance, quality, and outcomes.

The feedback process is critical to the success of a change initiative. 1. It allows your team members to be heard and to feel valued for their contributions. 2. It allows for any needed adjustments or course corrections which are crucial to successfully sustain the change. 3. It can give valuable insights and learnings when rolling out the next initiative.

Think less either/or and more timeline. Even if you had to prioritise speed upfront, collaboration will still be required! Though you needed to rapidly galvanise your people first, you can put in place feedback loops and assistance pathways for adapting the change tactics to suit emerging needs and issues. Even in scenarios where you were able to start from that ideal place of co-creation and collaboration, the need for speed doesn't go away! Change requires a sense of urgency and momentum, otherwise efforts can stall. Particularly if the change is perceived as an ambitious ask or a 'pipe dream'. For complex change a lean change model that allows iterative and time-boxed delivery of wins can help sustain change implenentation efforts.

I have found that successful change is exponential when implemented collaboratively. Investing time on the front-end to gain buy-in, identify and engage champions within the organization, and process two-way feedback pays off on the back-end. When done well, the change takes on a life of its own within an organization that results in speed and adoption that could not be driven by a single individual or group.

Assessing the benefits and costs of each option enables you to make informed decisions based on the specific situation. Sacrificing some speed for increased collaboration is beneficial in complex changes requiring broad buy-in. Conversely, prioritizing speed over extensive collaboration may be necessary in urgent situations demanding immediate action. Effectively managing these trade-offs ensures optimal results and satisfaction in the change process.

Siempre hay que llegar al equilibrio. En el equilibrio está la esencia de la vida y por supuesto de cualquier cambio. Yo no soy partidario de hacer cambios urgentes de forma unidireccional sino de transmitir ese sentido de urgencia bien para que todos dejen lo que están haciendo se centren en ayudar. Como metáfora, me gustaría comentar un barco que navega por el mar y se encuentra con "la tormenta perfecta". En este caso, el sentido de urgencia está claro, todos lo ven y todos dejarán lo que están haciendo para ayudar y salvar el barco y la vida. Si logramos transmitir eso, nadie dudará en involucrarse. Pero siempre desde dejar claro el propósito y los beneficios del cambio a todos los stakeholders.

Two steps to understand the brain's dynamic of trade-offs: 1. Understanding the Brain's Reward System The human brain is wired for reward, and competition can trigger the release of dopamine, a neurotransmitter associated with pleasure and motivation. This dopamine rush can drive individuals to strive for success, often at the expense of collaboration. 2. Harnessing the Power of Oxytocin The key to balancing competition and collaboration lies in understanding and harnessing the power of oxytocin. By fostering a workplace culture that promotes trust, empathy, and a sense of shared purpose, organizations can activate the oxytocin reward system and encourage individuals to collaborate despite the allure of competition.

The opening paragraph assumes there's a choice to make between moving fast to achieve your goals and engaging others. I'd argue if you're moving fast on your own, you're unlikely to achieve your goals. Engagement, co-creation and forming diverse teams around common causes may take longer at the start, but it will save time late. With wider perspectives and collaborative working you're more likely to address the systemic issue; there's a higher degree of innovation and creativity; and people will feel that the change is theirs, and not something being done to them. Take the time up front to engage others, listen to their views and keep an open mind on whether your own initial assumptions and goals are the right ones. Results will follow.

Strong facilitation is required to managed collaboration with speed. There is no time to side rails, distractions, revisiting solutions. Get the right people at the table, discuss the key issues, make decision, and move forward. Find the people that can do this, give them the responsibility for the project.

As much as I advocate for change to be highly structured, it’s a delicate endeavor. You can project-manage it to a certain extent. Why? Human emotions come into play. Often, there is hand-holding involved. Take all of this into account and factor in time for all to internalize the transformation and accept it.

In the book 'How Big Things Get Done: The Surprising Factors Behind Every Successful Project, from Home Renovations to Space Exploration' Bent Flyvbjerg, a Danish researcher and professor of major project management and journalist Dan Gardner introduce the concept of 'Think slow, act fast'. This is the backbone to getting things done quickly, especially with projects - take the time to get your plans and processes right before you dive in to implementing them.

The balance is shifting. We need to adapt faster and faster. Change initiatives and programmes used to be designed (for months) and then implemented. People felt there was time for this back then. Even though back then this approach was also not really effective. The rate of change is now so fast that the flaws of this approach become more and more apparent. There is no time to design and plan. Your plan will be obsolete and not matching current conditions. In my experience it is very important to consider both this speed of change and your capacity to adapt and still keep your goals in mind and intact while moving forward.

Harmonizing collaboration and speed in change management involves a neurological fusion of decisiveness and empathy. Although seemingly contradictory, these balanced behaviors are evident at all life levels. While essential issues demand resolution, a compassionate approach is imperative. The collaborative nature of this resolution minimizes impact concentration. In integrating decisiveness and empathy amid change, leaders, in addition to the aforementioned guidance, should foster candor, celebrate success openly, reinforce self-accountability, and provide emotional intelligence training to teams.

In addition, I have practiced the followings to good effect for speed and collaboration in change initiatives: 1. Agile framework 2. Collaboration technologies 3. Prioritization and Sequencing of change initiatives

I describe an integrated multi disciplinary approach as a flywheel effect. A flywheel is a heavy wheel that stores rotational energy. It takes a while to get going, but when it does it goes really fast. Collaboration will take a while to get consensus (open strategy approaches, design thinking, human centred design), then when it gets going it goes really fast with enormous scale and momentum. (For more on this see my blog and the Turbocharge Your Transformation community - I have a video of this on YouTube as well).

Yo agregaría: ✅Consolidar el plan de cambio con todas los frentes del equipo. ✅Sostener las instancias de seguimientos frecuente y ágil. ✅Tomar desiciones que afectan el cumplimiento del plan con todo el equipo. ✅Acompañar común plan de comunicacion continuo y disruptivo.

It is important to acknowledge that not everyone can keep up with the pace of change leaders. Therefore, it is crucial to take a moment to pause, offer support to those who are struggling, and keep those who are making progress towards the goal highly motivated at the same time. In essence, leading change involves taking your team with you every step of the way to achieve desired outcomes in today's agile environment. It requires investing positive energy into your actions.