Behavioral Change Management with a Twist of Engineering
I work with a lot of engineers to develop their teams and, in turn, grow their own careers. Some problems stem from communication, but… well, most problems stem from communication. When someone is in my office talking about “the problem,” they might not be able to clearly articulate the problem to me.
In that very same vein, we know the team isn’t getting a clear message from them. The client wants a different action from the team members and they don’t quite know how to get there. How do I explain simple behavioral changes to groups of people who want logic and rationale to attach a plan? Because I am nerd, in a different way, I study change models.
For one of my sessions with a client, I had Prochaska’s model of behavioral change on my white board.
Later, when one of my favorite engineers came in for our regular meetings, he saw Prochaska’s stages on the board and I briefly explained them to him. He immediately saw a correlation between them and the process of an engineering project or challenge.
Prochaska’s Change Model |
Engineering Process |
Pre-contemplationThis is before you even start to think about changing anything. You’ll get information, but do not do anything or in any way think that you might engage. |
Problem is unseen to engineerThe client or requester hasn’t shared the problem yet. Or the problem isn’t in the visual field of the engineer. |
ContemplationNow you start to believe it’s possible to change or make changes. Sort of letting the process of change flow to you. Letting ideas incubate and imagine how making that change might work to your favor. |
RequirementsWhat problem? Is the problem really a problem? Is there a solution to the problem? Do we have interest in solving the problem? |
PreparationThis is the stage of planning to start the transformation. What needs to be in place? What does the outcome or change look like once it’s done? |
ConceptIf we are solving the problem, what would we need to do? Get budget, tooling, materials etc. Test the ideas conceptually. |
ActionChange in process. Unless the change is a simple on/off switch, the timing for this stage is outlined in the planning or preparation stage. |
Field MaintenancePut those drawings or plans into action. Get it done, put the pieces together, repair the damage. Move to the physical part of solving the problem. |
MaintenanceDouble checking the security or surety of the change happens in this stage. |
SustainmentDid it work? Will it hold? Is the problem solved? |
TerminationThis is when the change is complete and thought is no longer part of the process. In other words, if the new behavior has become automatic. |
DecommissionDisband the engineering team and let them move on to the next problem or challenge. |
When creating a plan to make cultural or team function change, some individuals or groups, need to see a pathway. Speak their language and you’ll gain traction towards change much faster.
Solving problems doesn’t actually have to be entirely your problem as a leader either. Bring the team into a room (or a virtual chat/audio conference room) and get them to identify the problem. Without a clearly stated problem, there is no reason to change.
When the group identifies the problem, they will also be much more likely to buy into the solution that they create.
Success improves dramatically by laying out a pathway that you can understand and then follow. Take the problem and dissect using the same stages that engineers would utilize to solve any structural, electrical, mechanical problem by taking the elements individually and testing to see what empirical data arises. With that, make adjustments.
Simple?
Perhaps these steps will make change possible for your team!
Tags: behavioral change management, Communication Coaching, engineering, Motivation
Behavioral Assessments, Career Management, Leadership, communication | Patricia Weiland | 
March 19, 2012 5:00 am
