In my dealings with a number of businesses, I come across a lot of people who talk about the need for creating change yet they don’t take action to achieve this change. I understand that the average person resists change because of fear of the unknown but understanding how to move past this fear is vital for success.
I use the Gleicher formula for creating change called DVP. Simply put, your change potential is a function of Dissatisfaction, Vision and Plan.
D x V x P = Change Potential
Dissatisfaction / Vision / Plan
WHY, WHAT, AND HOW FOR CREATING CHANGE
So what is your change potential?
Okay, let’s take a personal example as opposed to a business one. Summer has passed and I’ve enjoyed the festive season in a good paddock, eating and drinking on those warm days.
Now I’m feeling a little bloated and overweight. This is my dissatisfaction.
My vision is to lose 8kg and be in good shape for the colder months ahead.
My plan is to engage a personal trainer and week by week get my body to where I want it to be.
Get the picture? So if my dissatisfaction is at 6/10, my vision is at 7/10, and the plan is 8/10, my change potential becomes 6 x 7 x 8/1000 which equals 33.6%. Contrast this with the situation where I have no vision and no actionable plan…….nothing will change!
Dissatisfaction
This is the “Why”, or motivational factor in our formula. Dissatisfaction needs to be high to support change efforts as few people really like change. People need to be feeling some real pain.
Generally in business, this could be things like falling sales, poor profitability, destructive culture, aggressive competitors, poor cash flow and the like. You know the symptoms I’m talking about!
It is important to understand that where there are only a few people feeling the pain, the change will be challenging to implement. In this case, it may be necessary to raise the level of discomfort by explaining the harsh business realities to all people in the business so that they see the need and choose to support the change process.
Vision
“Dissatisfaction” pushes individuals to change but is of little value if there is no common vision.
The “Vision” pulls the individuals towards change by providing a direction for change and the “Where” factor of the formula. The vision is where you would like the organisation to be in the future and should represent something that people really would like to be a part of and want to make happen.
Without a clear sense of organisational direction and an attractive future to begin working towards, your change effort will be limited. Organisational alignment to a common purpose and vision is a very powerful force.
Plan
This is the “How” factor of the DVP formula. A detailed project plan with the major activities, deliverables and benefits clearly listed can help increase the motivation to change. People often underestimate what it will take to bring the organisation from its current state to the desired future state. It is common to misjudge the amount of time, barriers, money, effort, training, communication and planning needed. Documenting the plan enables it to be reviewed for completeness and relevance.
So we return to the central theme of this blog, are you really serious about creating change?
Not prepared to apply the simple formula of DVP, you’re doomed to failure. Are you comfortable and not ready for some heavy lifting then don’t bother trying? If however you can see a better future and are prepared to work towards it, go for it!
READY TO BE CREATING CHANGE TODAY?
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