How to Utilize Middle Managers in Planning Strategic Change
When it comes to planning and implementing strategic change initiatives, there may be fewer important roles than that of middle management. Whether you’re implementing an important operational change, a new structure, a significant process improvement, DEI, etc., middle managers will be charged with making it work by coaching employees, holding people accountable, providing input up the organization, pleading for resources, offering just-in-time training to employees and mid-course corrections. Because of this critical role, middle managers’ input and participation in planning the change are critical. As we evaluate past major change initiatives that have not “stuck,” we need to ask the question: Could it be that we have undermined our own success by not adequately soliciting middle managers’ input when planning the change?
In my 20+ years of helping organizations plan and implement strategic initiatives, three key principles stand out pertaining to the role of middle managers in planning change.
Active involvement in planning.
People will help implement the changes they help create. I recommend including key middle managers in the cross-functional, cross-hierarchal planning teams. Even though the number of middle managers on planning teams will be limited by team size, two-way communication mechanisms can inform and solicit input from middle managers and promote planning throughout the planning phase. Their perspectives related to workability on key components of the change are vitally important.
How your organization involves middle managers in planning depends on your organization’s size and structure. If your organization is small enough or if your change initiative focuses on one location at a time, utilizing a couple of planning teams and having very effective communication mechanisms for gathering input from others works well, again assuming that the teams are cross-functional and representative of hierarchical levels at the site. Larger organizations or sites will use various methods for soliciting candid input and communicating outward from the planning groups. I once facilitated a large blitz team event with hundreds of employees in an organization in which many teams were present working on developing needed changes. Each team prioritized changes and they proposed a wide array of solutions. After the event, careful communications occurred up and down the organization to continue a review and response to the prioritized ideas. The point is there are many ways to go about planning.
Because of the role of middle managers in making change work, they may be the best resource to identify needed tools and resources, obstacles to the change, and places where current goals and practices are contrary to or opposed to the change. This information, in turn, should be addressed in the change plan and metrics.
Involvement in early and continued education.
The overarching principle is this: anyone involved in planning or implementing the strategic change should be thoroughly educated in the principles supporting the change. As part of planning, initial training should be provided, and middle managers should be included. The education is more than training; it should also be a key communication effort to inform people involved in the change so that they’ll build realistic expectations about what’s coming and what their roles will be in the planning process.
In planning and implementing strategic change, I often train, coach, and consult executive leadership first about the change they are considering, and once we know that it’s “a go” and parameters have been set, selection of planning teams follows along with effective training. Middle managers need active communication and training in change principles in general, and in the projected strategic change in particular. Effective training sessions relative to change not only educate people about what’s necessary to implement the change, but also allow for initial ideation, planning, and the development of methods and structure for two-way communication throughout the phases of change planning and implementation.
Involvement in creating clear, realistic metrics and timelines to measure progress.
When planning for change of any type, clear, measurable metrics and timelines are vitally important, along with regular check-in points for gauging progress. Middle managers involved in planning help create realistic, yet challenging metrics. Their perspectives are especially important, because they are usually acutely aware of the entire constellation of already existing, competing priorities, and they can help predict how the new organizational change may complicate those. They are also aware of pressures facing employees, from firefighting, burnout, staffing issues, lack of technology integration, etc. This information on competing priorities and employee mindsets provides a realistic platform for generating a realistic change plan and putting pieces in place that will make the change stick.
For a 60 minute strategy session to discuss how your organization can address strategy, structure, and change planning and implementation, please contact me or message me in LinkedIn.