Welcome back to Harmonious Workplaces! In this seventh episode of our podcast, independent consultants Rich Cruz, Ben Kleinman, and Cheryl Volpi dive deep into the crucial, yet often overlooked, final phase of organizational change: sustaining the change. Having explored practical tips and best practices from the conceptual stages all the way through the transformation initiative in previous episodes, this discussion focuses on how to ensure that new behaviors, processes, and cultural shifts truly stick long-term.
The Foundation: Key Themes from Prior Episodes
Before delving into sustainability, the hosts briefly recap the foundational themes covered in the preceding three parts of this series on practical tips for implementing change. These include:
- Clarifying the “why”: Understanding the purpose behind the change.
- Using stories: Making the “why” resonate emotionally and intellectually.
- Intentional messaging: Crafting clear and consistent communication about the change.
- Cadence of check-ins: Establishing regular communication points.
- Psychological safety: Ensuring an environment where individuals feel safe to speak up and take risks.
- Co-creating incentives: Developing motivations that help internalize the desire for change.
These elements are vital, as they lay the groundwork for any successful long-term transformation.
The Momentum of Change: The Flywheel Concept
Rich Cruz introduces the analogy of a flywheel to describe the process of sustaining change. Drawing parallels to Stephen Covey’s concept of “sharpening the saw” from Seven Habits of Highly Successful People, and Jim Collins’ “get the flywheel starting to turn” from Good to Great, the idea is that once change momentum is built, it must be continuously maintained and refined. Just as a journey begins with a single step, starting somewhere – even in the middle – and getting the “wheel turning” is crucial for building momentum and reaching the desired destination.
Theoretical Underpinnings: Vroom’s Expectancy Theory
To provide a theoretical lens for understanding sustained motivation, Cheryl Volpi reintroduces Vroom’s Expectancy Theory, which was first mentioned in the previous episode. This theory explains how individuals are motivated based on their expectation of certain outcomes and the value they place on those outcomes. It comprises three core components:
- Expectancy: The individual’s belief that their effort will lead to performance. This includes their personal ability to do the work.
- Instrumentality: The belief that successful performance will result in a specific outcome. This component is holistic, encompassing skills, tools, abilities, and even training or upskilling.
- Valence: The value or desirability an individual places on the outcome or reward. For change to stick, the expected reward must be meaningful to the individual.
In essence, for employees to be motivated to continue adopting change, they must believe their effort will lead to success, that success will bring a desired outcome, and that the outcome is truly rewarding to them.
Other theoretical models, such as ADKAR (specifically the “knowledge” and “abilities” parts, which highlight the importance of training), Lewin’s “refreeze” section of change, Kotter’s reinforcement, and Landers’ normative shaping, also underscore the importance of this “end part” where change needs to be sustained. The goal is to empower everyone to ensure the change sticks.
Practical Strategies for Sustaining Change
The discussion then pivots to actionable strategies for keeping the flywheel turning:
The Power of Rewards and Gamification
Rewards don’t necessarily have to be monetary. Rich shares his experience with the Strava app, which provides instant feedback and “silver medalist” icons, motivating him to push further. This immediate acknowledgment is crucial for sustainability, whether for individuals or teams, helping them to keep pushing until new behaviors become natural.
The concept of gamification emerged as a powerful motivator. Examples include company artifacts that serve as weekly “trophies”, or crowdsourced campaigns like those for Mystery Science Theater 3000 (MST3K), where reaching benchmarks unlocks new episodes. However, it’s vital to apply gamification carefully; feedback should be positive and encouraging, not demotivating (e.g., “you almost had it”). Successful gamification relies on participants having a passion for the goal.
Co-Creation of Goals
Drawing on goal setting theory, the hosts emphasize that goals should be important and valuable to those working towards them. Co-creating goals with employees fosters motivation, leading them to set higher goals and embrace a grit and growth mindset. This can involve tiered goals, much like the bronze, silver, and gold medallions in fitness apps, or fundraising campaigns with escalating rewards for different achievement levels. Rewards can range from team lunches to extra days off, but the key is their perceived value and flexibility.
Manager Training and Continuous Support
Sustaining change isn’t just about training employees; managers also require specific training on how to monitor behaviors, log data, collect feedback, and distribute rewards. Managers often have a significant impact on employees, and their ability to continuously motivate, incentivize, and recognize staff is paramount. Leadership, even at the executive level, needs to understand how to maintain sustained change.
Maintaining Open Communication and Psychological Safety
The infrastructure built for communication and feedback during the initial change process must be maintained and nurtured. This includes ongoing performance evaluations, open lines of communication, and ensuring a culture of psychological safety where employees feel comfortable raising concerns or admitting when they need help. It’s about checking in with people, understanding if their roles have changed, and ensuring they are okay with their new responsibilities rather than simply “setting it and forgetting it”.
Intentionality and People-First Mindset
True sustainability requires intentionality and consistency from leaders, meaning they must stick to their promises regarding communication and support. While automation and AI can aid processes, the people component remains critical. As Ben Kleinman eloquently puts it, “shipping stuff out the door only happens at its best when you have your people and your culture and your behavior sorted out and maintained”. It’s a dynamic process that requires constant nurturing, much more complex than merely “tuning up your car”. The people within an organization are the ones who create and maintain the culture, ensuring change thrives.
Looking Ahead
This episode underscores that sustaining change is an ongoing journey of constant communication, continuous nurturing of culture and safety, and flexible recognition. It’s a testament to the dynamic nature of working with people. The Harmonious Workplaces team plans to summarize these key takeaways and list the various theories referenced on their website and blog, inviting feedback and suggestions from their listeners.
You can find Harmonious Workplaces on LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube, Spotify, Amazon, Apple, and other streaming platforms. For more information or to connect with the consultants, visit www.harmoniousworkplaces.com or connect with Ben Kleinman on LinkedIn or at www.harborsidestrategy.com.
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