Creating improvement in performance, marketing or otherwise, usually involves change. Many of us are keenly interested in any thing that creates positive change faster and with lasting results. So, I was intrigued when I  read that the science of neuroplasticity has some implications for how individuals and organizations can change. The headline: Focus on Solutions Instead of Problems.

This is something I thought I already knew. In the spring of 2007, we worked with a non-profit board focused on generating earned income from events. In researching what would increase attendance at their events, we tapped market research that explored how similar organizations and similar events elsewhere managed to do well. But one board member was flummoxed. “Why didn’t you research why people don’t come?” he asked.

We had, in fact, studied the surveys that talked about reasons people don’t attend events like his. In fact, the Executive Director of the organization had ordered and studied three white papers on why organizations like theirs had failed. I read those, as well as national studies on the challenges of similar organizations.

In order to turn things around, we had chosen instead to look at best practices of what others had done to solve their problem. What solutions were out there? What was already working? Having practiced “appreciative” approaches like this to marketing for quite some time, I was pleased to learn this fall that the implications of neuroplasticity for creating change in organizations supports this approach. The study of neuroplasticity concerns how the brain can and can’t be “rerouted” to support new ways of thinking and behaving.

According to an article in the Autumn 2007 Special Edition of Strategy + Business, focusing on a problem (”why does this keep happening?”) builds stronger neural pathways associated with the problem. An appropriate metaphor might be that it wears the ruts deeper in the existing road. Making new ideas possible (and new behavior) starts with focusing on solutions instead (”what will create a different outcome?”). Focusing attention on solutions helps build the short-cut between the road we’ve been on and the road we want to be on. So, focusing on solutions that are working is a faster way to create change.
While the non-profit I worked with did not ultimately adopt all the best practices we identified, the result of the assessment was hope. They had previously convinced themselves that their prospects were small. Now they had compelling evidence that others similar to them were making similar transitions and accomplishing their goals.  Compelled by this hope and a vision of greater possibility than they had imagined, they were able to chart a new course, recruit a new Executive Director and embark on a more successful program.
Focusing what you want to achieve, and new solutions to get there, are the keys to faster change and faster marketing results. The full article on Neuroplasticity is here at the Strategy + Business website:  You must register to read it but registration is free.

Organizations Can Experience the Stress of Change When Implementing New Branding or Marketing Strategies

The dynamics of change are challenging for any organization.  Whether reacting to change or initiating change, the ambiguity and fear of the unknown that go with change create anxiety.  It’s made worse when leaders don’t acknowledge that the experience of change is as important to manage as the actual mechanics of doing business differently. The change doesn’t have to be a merger, down-sizing or process engineering to have significant impact. It can be as simple as creating a new marketing program.

In my work helping clients to explore, identify and implement new marketing strategies I’ve seen the effects of change in a variety of circumstances:

• Addressing declining revenue in a down market
• Implementing a new marketing plan during the transition of senior leadership
• Adopting a new brand strategy as the CEO made unannounced plans to leave
• Developing a new strategic direction when an artistic director and an executive director were fighting for control of an arts non-profit

The lessons that are emerging from these and other experiences reinforce a number of best practices of change management. Emotionally-intelligent and systems-oriented practices help carry organizations more successfully through change.

See the Whole System – A systems perspective is one that recognizes that our current situation is the result of the interaction of multiple elements. There are many lenses through which to see and define the elements of a system. One, the integral model, suggests that there are subjective and objective aspects of human systems. Objective elements are those that can be demonstrated and observed. Subjective elements are thoughts, beliefs and feelings.  Many organizations seek to drive change by attending only to the objective elements. Increasingly however, they are finding that success comes from attending to the subjective ideas, beliefs, passions and perspectives taken by individuals and shared culturally. Attending to those subjective areas – the “soft” stuff – means taking care of the emotional side of change.

William Bridges is known for his simple but useful model that highlights the emotional challenges of change. Organizations beginning a change start with an Ending. From there they move into a Neutral Zone where there is an intentional effort to move to a new end goal. Arrival at that end goal constitutes a New Beginning.

For organizations or individuals who have had change forced upon them, the first phase, Endings, is a phase of grief and loss. Time must be spent at this stage of change to recognize what is ending, and notice what is not ending.  For those who are initiating the change, there may be less unwanted loss, but something must be given up in order to move forward. As painful as this time can be, the next phase, the Neutral Zone, can be even more challenging. In the Neutral Zone, we enter the unknown, a time of new learning, where risks must be taken to find solutions that take the organization toward its goal.

Acknowledge and Mitigate Anxiety — Organizations facing the unknown experience anxiety. The members in these organizations act out their anxiety in a variety of ways. Finger-pointing, blame-shifting, detachment, passive aggression, aggression, and scapegoating are among the behaviors that show up in the Neutral Zone. Trust, or lack of trust, can be a significant factor in change. Many are suspicious of who is behind the change and who will benefit the most. A lack of clear leadership will bring out aggression as individuals seek to impose a sense of order. Perhaps most important to notice is a tendency to personalize the anxiety of change and make friction or problems experienced in the change process a particular individual’s fault.

A variety of techniques can be used to address these behaviors if they arise during the implementation of a new marketing strategy or program. Perhaps the most important step to mitigate anxiety is openly acknowledging it and providing safe places for that anxiety to be expressed.

Leadership Sets the Tone – How is the top leader (or leaders) in the change reacting? Are they anxious? Are they risk-averse? Do they love learning new things and taking on new challenges? If the leader is anxious, the organization will be anxious. If the leader is not clear, his or her direct reports will be unclear. They will believe he or she has a plan and just isn’t telling them what it is. If the leader feels comfortable taking risks and making mistakes, he or she will make that okay for everyone else. That’s important because transformational and adaptive change means stepping into the unknown. Mistakes will be made. That’s how we learn the new way.

So, leaders in change must be aware of their own receptivity to change. Those that are anxious should find outside resources for support and not expect emotional reassurance from their employees. Those leaders who thrive in change need to be sensitive to those who are less comfortable and not label them as “the resistance.”   Frequent communication about the change, clarifying where the organization is in the change process, and providing hope for a positive outcome are some of the greatest gifts leaders can give in a transition.

A more detailed unpacking of the Bridges model will provide additional insights for organizations going through change. John Kotter’s model for leading change in organizations also provides a series of action steps leaders can use to address the points above as they plan and manage the change.