Transformation and behaviour change

Isn't there just so much talk about changing behaviour at work? Though such is the detached way it's talked about you'd be forgiven for thinking they were all talking about aliens from planet zog. All too often it sounds like the people talking about change think it's like playing with chess pieces on a board. Or worse - they just talk about the board itself!

At Britten People we hold strong views about change. Views that come from expert behavioural understanding - but also from experience. We've lived through the over managed change programmes designed on the planet zog. And we've been subjected to the 'change by numbers' stuff wheeled out by advisors who still think change is about structures and processes.

You can have all the project plans and workstreams you want; and the greatest technology solutions going; and to you can also try and sell the ideas to staff just as much as you like. But at the end of the day it all comes down to people. The likes of you, me, just people like us trying to do a job.

Whether your change process achieves the planned benefits or added value depends entirely on how each person chooses to respond. What makes it seemingly nightmarish is that there are many ways each person could respond.

Most change approaches try and manage the person and manage their responses. When that doesn't work they sell the idea harder, or go for the emotional appeal – “We all know it would be difficult.” Then they shout and suggest catastrophe and finally come up with some hitherto unrealised personal benefits for you. The belief is that you can persuade, cajole, then threaten and finally bribe people to get the change you want.

And you probably can! Just think about change that you’ve been through. But then think about the benefits that never materialised and why that happened. Think about your own buy in to that process.

This kind of change means people won’t have bought into the new ideas, won’t feel part of the new system. They might look for ways round the change. Or the tiniest cracks so they can celebrate early failure. Because it’s been crow barred in they only use part of the new system’s capabilities. Everyone wonders whatever happened to those fantastic benefits that were promised to the Board. Back you go again, this time with more comms, more workstreams to sort out the emerging work arounds; util it’s time to change again.

Our approach is different

Great change comes when the people in an organisation make the changes themselves. We work with you to influence how people decide to change. We maximise the likelihood that they chose to behave in ways that will deliver the benefits and added value that your business needs.

We work to create the conditions for effective change at the individual level. Improving understanding and belief, creating personal motivation and empowering individual choices that will make the difference.

Informed by the most effective models of behavioural change and performance, our expertise in organisational behaviour helps businesses to change themselves. People feel involved and empowered, the change seems real, relevant and a natural part of work. It unfolds and develops; it's not managed and prescribed.

You might be thinking how this might work for you and how well it would go down in your organisation. Well we find that some change leaders, mainly when they are used to an over-managed model, can find this uncomfortable. So we work to develop understanding that leaders are always in charge, but not necessarily always in control.

So when it comes to change, why not seek support from people who know people, rather than people who know other stuff. After all you wouldn't go to an accountant for help in changing your own behaviour. And project management wont create a great house where you love living.