A New Narrative

Matthias Schramm, Head of Culture, Change and Org Development, HR Innovation, Bayer

For the past ten years, I have been working on major transformation projects where change management and organizational development are critical enablers of transformation. Over the years, change management itself has also been evolving. Today, we use a variety of change approaches depending on the identified change impact and change need. These approaches often work towards a new strategic vision, a new operating model, a new mindset, etc.; they all seek to transform the organization and the individual `towards` an objective. A successful change approach requires the creation of a convincing, authentic, and honest `key narrative` of the desired future state. I argue that it is time to let go of the future state narrative and replace it with a new, purpose-driven one.

I am currently working on our company’s Digital Transformation,

enhancing the customer experience, automating processes and production, and developing new business models. What is clear about digitalization is that people in our organization will be even more important. At the same time, they will face an extraordinary and totally new challenge. Instead of changing from an existing order into a new one, they must be able to adapt to continuously changing demands caused by the major change cycles of technology, systems, and organization structures. In fact, these cycles could become as short as 4-5 years. Therefore, creating a solid change narrative for the future will quickly become irrelevant because the change cycle will overlap. The narratives would need to be adapted or completely changed, leading to a loss of trust in the change itself and ultimately to change fatigue – or what I call “the next project will fix it”-plea.

Creating a solid change narrative for the future will quickly become irrelevant because the change cycle will overlap. The narratives would need to be adapted or completely changed, leading to a loss of trust in the change itself and ultimately to change fatigue – or what I call “the next project will fix it”-plea

The challenge of a constant change environment is keeping employees and leaders alike engaged while also providing the psychological safety to go with the try and learn approach that is needed to master complex and volatile business challenges. Three key elements will help organizations and change professionals alike:

Looking at the horizon. Clearly articulating a company’s purpose with the values or mindset it is grounded in provides a visionary dialogue for top executives. They can bridge the constantly moving change narrative around what needs to be done today with the vision of the organization. Purpose and values are long-lasting elements that point north and are also the basis for a sense of belonging as well as employee engagement, topics that become ever more important as recent studies show (https://www2. deloitte.com/us/en/insights/focus/ human-capital-trends.html). They are also normative, i.e. they are not changed by a market or business challenge. In fact, your purpose and values reach beyond strategy, providing the foundation or frame for your strategy. They remain intact, even when the environment is in constant flux, or business strategies are adopted. But be aware that these building blocks of culture need to be reflected in the day to day behaviors and decisions of your most senior leaders.

Looking at your feet. Employees and leaders alike get tired of constantly adopted, glossy narratives about a better corporate world after the next project. What I call a `new narrative` considers that most of the change needs are already well known to our employees. Arnold Beissner said that “change occurs when one becomes what he is, not when he tries to become what he is not.” Most positive organizational change occurs when we work with what leaders and employees alike identify as no longer fitting, disturbing, or blocking at this very moment in time. Changing these things right now, instead of longing for a future scenario that often is not tangible, is much more energizing. A ‘new narrative’ identifies and honestly presents these barriers and is created by closely listening to employees by empowering them to speak up.

The start is the start. Most transformation and change projects start with the idea that parts of the organization- its structure, process, or rules of engagement (i.e. culture)- need to be changed. They rarely come from a more personal recognition that “I” need to change. Successful transformation is less about changing the organizational structure as it is about people and leadership development. In order to see change manifest in the organization, it needs to start with the behavior and mindset of the top leaders. The “organization,” after all, is an abstract metaphor, and change only happens through the people that constitute and lead the organization. Role modeling and giving employees a reason to believe that it is possible and worth it to change are essential. The old rule holds true, “seeing is believing.”

One final, personal lesson is to go to the energy in the organization, rather than convincing the critics.

Customer Experience