According to McKinsey only 1 in 3 transformation programs succeed (read more here). Despite all the MBAs achieved and all the books written that figure hasn’t improved since 1996 when John Kotter published his seminal work ‘Leading Change.’
According to McKinsey’s Carolyn Aiken and Scott Keller there are four key ingredients for successful change programs: A compelling story; role modelling; reinforcing mechanisms and capability building (you can read more about these by clicking the link above).
However, there may be another ingredient that promotes successful change: Happy people. When we think of change we often think of the need for what some might call an “away from” motivation. The argument would go that if the fire gets hot enough people will want to walk away from it. One of the components of a compelling story is a picture of the current state that creates a desire for change. You need to stoke the fire.
Whilst discontent with the current situation may be a requirement for motivating people to change, it should not be confused with making people unhappy. Here we get to a paradox that sits at the heart of successful change. Unhappy people resist change.
Think about it. The people who instinctively respond to proposed change with fear and pessimism are not those who are happiest at work. They are those who are already unhappy.
In his paradoxical theory of change, Arnold Beisser explains that when we are unhappy we are more inclined to defend our current state from the forces of change. On the other hand, when we are happy we, paradoxically, become far more open to the possibility of change.
This may be further explained by David Rock’s work on the SCARF model. Rock’s work suggests that the instinctive yes/no response of our brains is triggered by five categories of stimuli: Status, Certainty, Autonomy, Relatedness and Fairness. If an individual feels threatened in any of these categories he/she is significantly more likely to respond negatively. On the other hand, if these categories are reinforced or strengthened then the individual is far more likely to respond positively.
So, happy people who feel secure in their SCARF are significantly more likely to respond positively to a change program. They will still need a story that explains why the change is necessary and how it will make things better but they are far more likely to buy-in to that story.
If you want to be capable of leading successful change in your business then you need to be paying attention to creating a happy work force. A business that looks after its people is significantly more likely to be capable of the inevitable change required for ongoing future success.