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From Resistance to Results: A Six-Month Leadership Transformation

Writer's picture: Dr. Kristin JacobsDr. Kristin Jacobs

Updated: Nov 20, 2024

Skeptical business leaders

Go-live for a major global change initiative was just six months away, and one of the technical project managers urgently asked me for help. Over half of his division’s leadership team were resisting the change, unclear about their roles, and lacked necessary change leadership skills. Their teams - in 21 different countries - would be switching to new systems, tools, and processes to complete their daily work. As confusion and fear spread among employees, the risk of failure escalated. 


Within six months, the situation improved significantly. Skeptical leaders embraced the change, communicated positively with their teams, and began demonstrating essential change leadership skills. Employee readiness scores rose steadily. By the time technical systems training began, most employees understood the urgency and benefits of the change. The initial go-live was smooth enough that hypercare support was reduced after two weeks, with employees excited about new capabilities. 


How did this situation change so drastically, quickly, and effectively? This turnaround was achieved by identifying the root cause of the problem, applying Prosci methodology, and providing comprehensive training and coaching to leaders at lower levels within the organization.


Through this process, I gained several important insights that can be applied to change initiatives across all organizations, industries, and regions. Let’s explore what we did and how it led to success.


STEP 1: Identifying the root cause

A magnifying glass over a white puzzle with one red piece missing

I quickly identified the root cause of this situation: nobody was educating leaders below the executive level in leading change. These leaders did not know their role and responsibilities during a change initiative, nor did they have the skills needed to effectively lead change. This particular division hadn’t undergone a transformative change in over 20 years. None of the leaders had ever received any type of training in change leadership. So they didn’t know what to do, why they should do it, or how they were supposed to lead their people through a transformative change. 


With only 6 months to go-live, I needed to solve this problem quickly and effectively. So I leveraged the power of the Prosci change methodology and provided change leadership training, coaching, and support.


STEP 2: Applying Prosci methodology  

A triangle depicting Prosci's change method
© Prosci All rights reserved. Used with permission. www.prosci.com

The Prosci change method, widely used by Fortune 100 companies, emphasizes leaders' crucial role in driving successful change. It employs the ADKAR model to create structured strategies for leaders at all levels. In this case, applying the Prosci approach to lower-level leaders, rather than just top management, proved successful. By implementing this method with intensive training and coaching at the division leader and leadership team levels, we mitigated the risk of failure and improved the change initiative's outcomes.


STEP 3: Providing change leadership training, coaching, and support

Infographic of the letters in ADKAR and what each letter means
© Prosci All rights reserved. ADKAR and ADKAR terms are registered trademarks of Prosci, Inc. Used with permission. www.prosci.com

With time running short, I developed a plan using Prosci’s ADKAR framework to upskill leaders during the change process:


  • Educated the division leader

    • Taught the division leader about her role as change sponsor and the ADKAR model stages:

      •   Awareness: Communicate need for change

      •   Desire: Foster motivation

      •   Knowledge: Provide information

      •   Ability: Support skill development

      •   Reinforcement: Sustain change

    • Collaborated on a strategy to apply ADKAR throughout the division


  • Built a vision 

    • Worked with the division leader to create a future state vision aligned with the company's overall direction

    • Designed the vision to improve alignment, focus, decision-making, motivation, and inspiration throughout the change process and into the future


  • Informed and motivated the leadership team

    • Coached the division leader on communicating change urgency and motivating her leadership team (LT) to get on board

    • Addressed awareness by showing how change would accelerate the company’s growth

    • Built desire by demonstrating benefits for their employees, whom the LT truly cared about


  • Trained the leadership team

    • Educated the LT on their roles and responsibilities during change

    • Set expectations for communication, advocacy, and addressing concerns


  • Rolled out the communication plan

    • The LT focused on building their teams’ awareness of, desire for, and knowledge about the change

    • Employees responded positively, increasing change readiness scores

    • During this time, I identified the need for additional training in inspirational communication and addressing employee fear and resistance


  • Supported employee training and go-live

    • Leaders supported employee training in the new system and processes

    • Continued communication and raised readiness scores to 80-100%

    • Smooth go-live allowed for reduced hypercare support after only two weeks

    • The LT transitioned to monitoring adoption and managing change fatigue


This strategy not only guided the division through the change but also turned skeptical leaders into empowered change champions, ensuring a smooth transition and lasting success.


LESSONS LEARNED


This fast turnaround happened because of three key actions:

  • Identifying the root cause of the problem and figuring out a solution.

  • Applying Prosci methodology to address the problem step by step, in a clear and effective way.

  • Providing training, coaching, and support at every step of the journey, to ensure success.

Infographic of the 3 lessons learned

I learned three valuable lessons through this experience:

  • Train ALL levels in change leadership, not just the executive level. 

  • Build key knowledge and skills:

    • Leaders' roles and responsibilities during change

    • Applying structured methodologies (e.g., Prosci) at each stage

    • Crafting team visions aligned to the company’s vision

    • Developing strategies to communicate vision

    • Inspiring and motivating employees

    • Addressing fear and resistance

    • Managing employee fatigue

    • Encouraging and recognizing employees

  • Start these activities EARLY. I regretted that I didn’t have enough time or bandwidth to train the leaders below the LT level. Studies have repeatedly shown that the leader with the most influence over employees is their direct manager. So training the managers early would’ve reduced employee fear and resistance much earlier. 


FUTURE APPLICATIONS


Based on this experience, I recommend applying these lessons in two ways:

  • Advocate for integrating change leadership training at all leadership levels in Change Management practices, benefiting leaders, employees, and the organization.

  • Provide structured Change Leadership training, where leaders at different levels in the organization learn and practice key skills in a safe environment. An activity-based approach ensures leaders develop practical skills applicable throughout their careers, not just during change initiatives. I’ve developed a course specifically for this at Corpoladder. Click here for more information about Corpoladder’s Change Leadership: Mastering the Skills to Drive Successful Transformations.


If we truly want to be future-focused, we must recognize that the pace of change is increasing and company leaders at ALL levels need to be prepared, trained, and ready to successfully lead their employees through change and into the future.


Unlocking Change Leadership Skills with Corpoladder

Corpoladder logo

Are you leading a team through transformational change and want to implement the lessons learned in this six-month transformation? Corpoladder’s Change Leadership: Mastering the Skills to Drive Successful Transformations course equips leaders with essential change leadership skills. Through interactive discussions, role-plays, and activities, you'll learn to create vision statements, develop effective strategies, inspire your team to embrace change, and much more. You'll leave with a personalized toolkit of motivational stories, strategies to handle resistance, and ways to prevent burnout. Lead with confidence – click here to learn more and transform your leadership today!

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