In the world of organizational change management, getting your stakeholders to adopt a new system or process is only half the battle. The real challenge often lies in making sure the new way of working actually sticks.
In Episode 110 of the Harmonious Workplaces podcast, hosts Rich Cruz and Ben Kleinman tackle a critical but often overlooked phase of transformation: sustaining the change. By transitioning from active implementation to the “new normal,” leaders can ensure that their hard work becomes embedded in the organizational culture.
Here is a comprehensive summary of their insights on how to keep the momentum going, avoid change fatigue, and solidify new workplace habits.
What Does It Mean to Sustain Change?
Many popular change management frameworks acknowledge the need to anchor a change at the end of a project. For instance, the Prosci ADKAR model concludes with “Reinforcement,” John Kotter’s 8-step model ends with “Institute the Change,” and the Bridges Transition Model focuses on establishing a “New Beginning”. Furthermore, Kurt Lewin’s classic model describes this phase as “Refreezing,” where organizations lock the change into their culture through structure, policies, employee training, and positive reinforcement.
The Association of Change Management Professionals (ACMP) also sets a clear standard, emphasizing the need for a documented sustainability strategy. According to the ACMP Standard for Change Management, this strategy should encompass metrics tracking, performance management, rewards and recognition, and continuous improvement.
The Intersection of Change and Organizational Culture
You cannot sustain change without weaving it into the fabric of your organizational culture. Rich Cruz references Alan Landers from the Drucker School, distinguishing between socialization (formal learning) and enculturation (the informal adaptation of how teams work together).
Through enculturation, new behaviors become established norms. Because humans naturally crave stability and self-efficacy, establishing a solid, reliable foundation for the new process helps employees perform better and reduces the fear responses often associated with transitions. Social pressure and cultural support also play massive roles in ensuring people don’t slip back into their old ways of working.
The Theater Metaphor: The Director vs. The Stage Manager
To illustrate how to transition ownership of a change, Ben Kleinman offers a brilliant metaphor borrowed from the theater.
During the implementation phase of a change, the change management team acts like a theater director. They set the vision, coach the actors, and coordinate the lighting and set design to ensure the show is ready. However, once “opening night” happens, the director leaves.
From that point forward, the stage manager takes over. It is the stage manager’s job to sustain the director’s original vision, ensuring that audiences see the exact same play whether they attend a week later or ten years later.
In a corporate environment, this means the dedicated change team rolls off the project and returns to their day jobs, handing the reins over to a permanent owner—such as a manufacturing director, a department VP, or a trained tech support group.
Practical Steps to Institutionalize Your Change
Sustaining change isn’t a passive process. To successfully transition your project into an everyday operation, you need deliberate strategies:
1. Establish Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and Artifacts
To lock in the change, you need structural anchors. Documenting policies, creating Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), and establishing clear work instructions build a knowledge base that employees can reference. Embracing the new “jargon” or terminology associated with a new system also helps create a sense of familiarity and cultural alignment.
2. Evolve Your Rewards and Metrics
The incentives used to drive initial adoption shouldn’t be the same ones used for long-term sustainability. Once a change becomes the new normal, you need to monitor metrics for slippage and integrate the new behaviors into long-term performance management. For example, adherence to the new processes might eventually be tied to an employee’s or team’s annual bonus.
3. Celebrate the Milestone!
Don’t just send a cold email memo announcing that the old system has been deprecated—that can needlessly trigger employee anxiety. Instead, mark the transition formally. Celebrate the fact that the project goals have been achieved and recognize the handover to the sustainability team. Whether it’s handing out coffee mugs or throwing a pizza party, creating a ritual to demark the end of the change phase is vital for closure.
4. Conduct “Lessons Learned”
As you close out the change effort, always evaluate the outcomes against your initial project objectives. Conducting a “lessons learned” review allows you to establish internal best practices for the future. For instance, if users struggled with complex password requirements during a tech rollout, you can bake that insight into future training programs, continuously improving your organization’s overall change agility.
The “One Thing” You Must Do
At the end of the episode, the hosts ask the ultimate question: What is the one thing you can do to ensure all your hard work becomes embedded?.
The answer is simple: Plan for it from the very beginning.
You cannot wait until a project is over to figure out how to sustain it. You must thoughtfully map out your sustainability strategy, ownership handover, and long-term reinforcement plans from the moment you conceive of the change.
Need Help Making Your Change Stick?
Are you struggling with change fatigue, or finding that your teams keep reverting to their old ways of working? Institutionalizing change requires a strategic, holistic approach that goes far beyond a launch date.
At Harmonious Workplaces, we specialize in helping organizations design, execute, and sustain lasting transformations. Make change your friend by partnering with our expert consultants.
Learn more and get support today: Harmonious Workplaces Change Execution and Adoption Services
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