When change is on the horizon, the fear of the unknown can loom large in people's minds. Left unchecked, this fear can lead to speculation, rumourmongering, and potentially even flat-out misinformation spreading...all of which undermine our change initiatives. One of the most effective ways to combat this fear is by making our decision-making process as visible as possible.
Ensuring visibility in decision-making means more than just announcing decisions once they've been made. It requires actively including diverse perspectives and aligning choices with our organisation's values. It is a deliberate promotion of inclusivity and ownership among those involved.
Light it up for me: what visual tools can I use?
Lean Change Canvas: Also known as 'change on a page', this is the quintessential starting point. There are varying formats (often tailored for the organisational culture/context) but generally it contains elements such as the goal of the change, the steps to achieve it, the benefits of the change, and how progress will be measured. It also includes space for ongoing learning and adjustments.
Change Kanban Board: Borrowed from Agile methodologies, a Change Kanban board is a visualisation tool that helps manage and track the progress of a change initiative. The columns represent different stages of the process and the cards represent tasks or steps. This gives a clear, visual representation of what's happening, where there are bottlenecks, and where decisions need to be made.
Value Stream Mapping: This is a lean-management tool for analysing the current state and designing a future state for the series of events that take a product or service from its beginning through to the customer. Traditionally this tool makes the decision-making process visible by highlighting where value is added in the process and where waste exists...but we can repurpose this to also highlight who is even in this process. (And perhaps more tellingly, who is not)
Impact Mapping: Impact maps are visual representations of scope and underlying assumptions. This tool helps visualise the relationship between the investment into the change (the scope) and the desired impact, thereby making the decision-making process visible to all stakeholders.
Experiment A3s: An Experiment A3 is a structured problem-solving and continuous-improvement approach, named after the international paper size on which it fits. This tool helps teams collaboratively explore different solutions and make decisions in a visible, structured way.
Hypothesis-driven Change: This approach encourages the team to form hypotheses about what changes might work, run experiments to test these hypotheses, and then make decisions based on the results. This process should be visible and shared with all team members.
Visibility doesn't mean everyone gets a vote (in fact, we advocate 'appropriate empowerment'), but clarity on who has input into decisions is key. Not every decision needs a democratic process, but all benefit from transparent communication.
Decision-making is a continuous process involving stages like problem identification, brainstorming, evaluating options, deciding, and communication. Keeping everyone informed about when, how, and why decisions are made at each stage reinforces trust, promotes engagement, and fosters a sense of involvement.
In real terms, this might look like inviting feedback during problem identification, holding brainstorming sessions with representatives from various teams, sharing decision-making criteria when evaluating options, explaining the chosen option, and most importantly, articulating the 'why' behind it.
Reality Check
While the idea of making every change decision visible is compelling, not all decisions can or should be made completely visible.
Some change decisions are sensitive by nature, such as those that might result in job losses or are tied to confidential commercial interests. Others may be too complex to synthesise easily and share widely. So, how do we navigate these challenging waters? Here are some pragmatic tips:
Focus on what can be shared: Not every detail needs to be visible to everyone, but a broad overview might be appropriate. Aside from a typical 'compliance' focus (e.g.: involving legal, HR, risk etc.), take a 'future state' lens to reach out to relevant stakeholders to determine what information can be shared and with whom.
Communicate the decision process and create a feedback loop: Even if the specific decision or details cannot be shared, the process by which the decision was made can often be communicated. Explaining how decisions were made, who was involved, and what criteria were used...might not satisfy all stakeholders, but it gives you a dialogue to keep them engaged. Going the further step of creating a channel for feedback and questions enhances transparency and allows concerns to be addressed.
Use proxy indicators: If direct information cannot be shared, consider using proxy indicators that signal the direction or intent without revealing sensitive specifics right away. For example, if your organisation is evaluating different operational model changes, but can't share specifics yet, you might communicate the general need for streamlining operations and enhancing efficiency, whilst simultaneously reminding people of how some highlighted KPIs work and why they are important.
Invest in one-on-one conversations: When decisions are particularly sensitive, personal conversations with those directly, ahead of key decision making, can show empathy and provide an opportunity to address individual concerns.
Communicate the 'Why': If a decision must remain confidential, communicate the reason for this confidentiality. People are more likely to tolerate a lack of transparency if they understand why it's necessary.
Commit to post-decision transparency: If full transparency isn't feasible before a decision is made, commit to sharing as much as possible after the fact. This can include lessons learned, general outcomes, or other relevant insights.
This principle is not just about the decisions themselves; it's about the process that leads to those decisions. A transparent process gives everyone a sense of understanding, appreciation, and acceptance of the decisions made.
When we illuminate our decision-making process, we're not just shedding light on the outcomes. We're spotlighting the rationale, the inclusivity, the rigour, and the alignment with organisational values that underpin those outcomes. We’re demonstrating how decisions align with the change objectives and how they contribute to the broader vision of the organisation.
With this principle, we're advocating for a leadership style that values openness, inclusivity, and communication. A style that replaces "decision announcements" with "decision conversations." A style that respects and values the input of those who will be most affected by these decisions. Having leaders who are consistently making decisions visibly, fosters a culture of transparency and collaboration.
Illuminate the change process, not just the outcome. Make decisions visibly to guide everyone forward. When both the path we've taken and the route ahead is clear, moving together becomes feasible