Change Management Must Die, Part 2
Bill Jensen
Visionary leader, results-driven strategist and problem-solver: Proven in driving complex enterprise-wide transformations. Focused on driving human-centered change and transformations.
Recap
PROBLEM
SOLUTIONS in Reimagining Change Management
The Only Path Forward for Change Management
If we courageously disrupt ourselves… We will radically change how we approach “managing change.” One of the primary KPIs for AI Era Change Management must be: Enhancing each individual’s ability to create and control (drive, guide, determine) their own destiny in an increasingly disruptive, volatile, and uncertain world.
We will have flipped the very definition of “managing change” from just top-down initiatives to now ALSO include enhancing each individual’s ability to change, thrive, and succeed. So that employee experiences in helping the company change and grow ALSO help them change and grow.
Of Course, You May Have to Trojan Horse That Idea
I know, I know: Many of us would otherwise be laughed out of the C-Suite. “Are you kidding?!? Invest EQUALLY in our people’s success as we do in company success — in the belief that helping each individual manage their own change better, (AKA Personal Agility and Resilience), enhances our company’s ability to manage change better?!? LOL!”
If that’s your reality: Then achieve enhancing every individual’s ability to create and control their own destiny by Trojan Horsing it. Repackage and rebrand individual success by bundling it into the company’s need for Upskilling…
Upskilling the Workforce for the AI Era
Every major study on AI and the Future of Work — (e.g., World Economic Forum, Fuel50, McKinsey, OECD, PwC, Accenture) — says that to successfully leverage AI tools and reap their full value, there must be a major upskilling of the workforce. This includes having to upskill to stay in our current careers, as well as many of us having to learn new sets of skills in completely new careers, as entire job categories will soon be eliminated.
From McKinsey study, The Upskilling Imperative: Required at Scale for the Future of Work: “There’s a problem: 45 percent [of respondents] say that their need for more or different work experience, relevant skills, credentials, or education was the top barrier to finding a new job. The missing ingredient... Upskilling.”
Roadmap to AI Era Change Management Upskilling
There are three broad categories of upskilling. Change management will weave each of the following into their plans in their role as Lead Integrator of Organizational and Individual Change Management and Resiliency. (This will be done in cross-functional collaboration with HR, IT, Operations, Training and Development, User Design, etc.)
1. Universal Upskilling
These seven skills (see image) are universal to everyone who works in the AI Era. Some of us already excel at some of them, but few of us excel at all of them. We all need some upskilling on these core seven skills.
To date, I’ve posted more than 60 detailed explorations of these seven skills. For example:
All seven skills can be easily built into change management plans. For example: Every change initiative requires stakeholders’ enhanced Self-Awareness (in how to change themselves), Clearer and More Compelling Communications, More Empathy in understanding the needs of others going through change, and More Courage in facing disruptive changes.
These seven skills are the foundation for every individual creating and driving their own destiny. For example: AI-Prompted Courageous Introspection helps them better understand skills and behaviors they need to work on (with support from their manager, HR, or mentor). Critical Thinking Skills for AI Era help them think more strategically, and create more value for the company and customers. Letting Go of What’s Always Worked helps them build greater agility and resilience.
Your role as Lead Integrator is critical: In your AI Era Change Readiness Assessments, and Change Plans, and Communication and Training Plans... You connect-the-dots, ensuring that personal Upskilling is tied to organizational change needs, priorities, and goals. Delivering a balanced Taijitu approach to change management. And as a skilled Trojan-Horser, you sell the organizational upsides and successes of this approach to the C-suite.
2. Role/Project-Specific Upskilling
This includes how nurses do patient assessments, or deepening programmers’ expertise in machine learning algorithms, or enhancing hotel managers’ property management skills.
Based on continuous disruption in every industry, we all need ongoing role-specific upskilling. The good news: Most change management plans already incorporate role- and project-specific upskilling. Within the standard change model of Stop Doing, Start Doing, Keep Doing — this is a Keep Doing change management responsibility.
3. Technical/Digital Savvy Upskilling
This goes far beyond learning how to write prompts or review and edit AI-generated results. Back in pre-AI Era days (2011), The Institute for the Future (IFTF) listed these as needing continuous upskilling:
Leaping into the AI Era: Most major studies and thought leaders — (e.g., Forbes, Goodwin University, EdSurge, Mercer, HBR) — include variations of the seven soft skills above, role-specific skills, and IFTF’s list above... And they also say...
The most critical skill for the AI Era is each individual’s and company’s ability to seamlessly blend, integrate, and leverage “soft (people) skills” combined with “hard (job/technical) skills.”
That’s where change management comes in. (If it chooses to reimagine itself.)
Going Forward
Change management has the opportunity to be THE crucial integrator — of organizational and individual needs ... of hard and soft skills ... of uniquely human traits and AI Era digitally-driven tools, processes, and solutions.
Whoever you are, whatever your role: There’s one universal truth: We all struggle with, and need to get better at, changing together. That’s the one thing all stakeholders, tools and technologies, processes, goals and objectives have in common — our need to work together to change — aligned around shared successes. We all need help connecting all the change-dots together.
Change Management has the opportunity to be the Lead Change Integrator.
The AI Era has created that opportunity.
Will we step up?
(Upcoming: Part 3 will explore reimagining our tools, processes, and more)
Bill Jensen has been a change management leader for nearly 40 years. He is a seasoned strategy and transformation executive, advisor to C-suite execs, globally-known keynote speaker, and author of nine best-selling leadership and change books, including Simplicity, Disrupt, Future Strong, and The Day Tomorrow Said No. Reach him at bill@simplerwork.com.