Making Waves (of Change)

Let us look at how the first few months of your transition fit into the larger picture of your full tenure in the new position. In a study of new general managers in various company settings, Jack Gabarro found that they typically plan and implement change in distinct waves, illustrated in figure 4-1. ^[3] Following an early period of acclimatization, they began an early wave of changes. The pace then slowed to allow consolidation and deeper learning about the organization, and to allow people to catch their breath . Armed with more insight, the new general managers then implemented deeper, more thoroughgoing and structural wave of change. A final, less extreme wave focused on fine-tuning to maximize performance. By this point, most of these leaders were ready to move on.

Figure 4-1: Waves of Change

Gabarro s work has intriguing implications for managing transitions. First and most obviously, it suggests that you should devise your plan to secure early wins with your ends clearly in mind. The transition period lasts only a few months, but you will typically remain in the same job for two to four years before moving on to a new position. This two- to four-year period is your era in the organization, during which you will transition, make changes, and pursue your goals. To the greatest extent possible, your early wins should advance these longer- term goals.

Planning Your Waves

In planning for your transition and beyond, it can be clarifying to plan to make successive waves of change. Each wave ought to consist of distinct phases: learning, designing the changes, building support, implementing the changes, and observing results. Thinking this way can release you to spend time up front to learn and prepare, and afterward to consolidate and get ready for the next wave. If you keep changing things, it is impossible to figure out what is working and what is not. Unending change is also a surefire recipe for burning out your people.

The goal of the first wave of change is to secure early wins. The new leader tailors early initiatives to build personal credibility, establish key relationships, and identify and harvest low-hanging fruit ”the highest-potential opportunities for shortterm improvements in organizational performance. Done well, this helps the new leader to build momentum and deepen his or her own learning.

The second wave of change addresses more fundamental issues of strategy, structure, systems, and skills to reshape the organization. This is when the real gains in organizational performance are achieved. But you will not get there if you do not secure early wins in the first wave.

Matching Strategy to Situation

Patterns of change differ radically with the different ST _A RS situations. How would you expect the pace and intensity of waves of change to differ in start-up, turnaround , realignment, and sustaining -success situations? In more time-critical situations ”start-ups and turnarounds ”you should expect to begin your first wave of change earlier. The intensity of change, as perceived by people in the organization, will also probably be greater. In realignment and sustaining-success situations, you can afford to take more time to learn and plan. If the business is genuinely in a sustaining-success situation, you might plan several modest waves of change rather than a single big bang.

^[3] See John J. Gabarro, The Dynamics of Taking Charge (Boston: Harvard Business School Press, 1987). This is a wonderful study of the transitions of general managers.