Senior Client Partner
Organizational Transformation
A Step-by-Step Guide to Fast-Tracking Organizational Change
Learn how to speed up organizational transformation in your business by thinking of change like a movement, not a checklist.
6 Steps to Speed Up Your Business Transformation
Once you know that organizational change is needed for future business growth, it can feel like there’s no time to lose. But in large companies, change management has typically required long timelines.
It doesn’t have to. There’s a way to create organizational change faster.
“When companies really commit to a transformation, it can be sped up. The key is to make it a strategic priority, invest the resources, and then be consistent in the execution," says Sarah Jensen Clayton, Senior Client Partner at Korn Ferry.
That’s especially true for companies that think of organizational change not as a checklist to be completed, but rather “like a movement that has to be sparked and fed,” she says.
How to Speed Up Organizational Change
Movements—defined as sustained campaigns led by a group of people with a shared purpose who create change together—drive behavior change at scale, faster. At Korn Ferry, we’ve developed a six-step process for creating a movement, helping you get to that critical tipping point where the new behaviors take hold quicker.
Korn Ferry has the Art of Movement Making down to a science. Here’s a top-level summary of what each step looks like.
Step 1: Assess & Refine Your Change Strategy
Start by developing your change strategy and capacity to best suit your organization’s strategy and culture.
At Korn Ferry, we do this through our Movement Making Maturity Model and Readiness Assessment. This stage helps you pinpoint where your organization stands and what needs to be done to prepare for the journey ahead.
By identifying potential obstacles early, you can address them proactively, ensuring a smoother and faster transition. “Pressure testing up front will save you time down the line,” says Jensen Clayton.
Step 2: Prime Your Leaders
Empowering your leaders to become movement makers is critical.
Leadership courses and tools, both instructor-led and digital, are available to help them learn from successful social movements and bring what works to their teams. Pre-course assessments foster self-awareness, enhancing leaders’ ability to drive change.
When leaders understand their roles and are committed to the vision, they can inspire and mobilize their teams effectively.
Step 3: Activate Your Internal Influencers
Identify and activate key influencers within your organization.
These individuals, regardless of their titles, are equipped to become grassroots change agents. They can spread new behaviors and mindsets rapidly, creating a ripple effect throughout the organization.
By leveraging their natural networks, change can be accelerated and more deeply ingrained.
Step 4: Communicate in a Radically Human Way
Effective communication is at the heart of any successful transformation.
Build support and reduce resistance by making communications relatable—conversational, personalized, and entertaining—as well as frequent. The more people hear about something, the more favorable to it they become.
Korn Ferry’s Creative Studio crafts immersive, people-centered campaigns that engage both hearts and minds—think videos, apps, success stories, events, gamified experiences, and more.
Step 5: Build Coalitions & Lead Ecosystems
Connecting with like-minded organizations and building coalitions can accelerate your change efforts.
By pooling resources and influence, companies can champion shared causes more effectively. This network of support diversifies the movement’s reach and strengthens its impact.
Coalition-building fosters a sense of community and shared purpose, making the movement more resilient and far-reaching.
Step 6: Measure Your Progress
What gets measured gets managed, as the saying goes. Tracking progress in real time is essential to maintaining momentum and making necessary adjustments.
Korn Ferry provides a robust suite of measurement tools to monitor employee sentiment and identify areas of resistance. This data-driven approach ensures continuous improvement and helps you stay on track to achieve your change objectives.
By understanding what's working and what isn't, you can adapt your strategies to keep the movement moving forward.
A New Approach to Change Management
Korn Ferry’s Movement Making approach transforms traditional change management into a dynamic, people-focused process. By following these steps, you can achieve rapid and sustainable transformation.
In an era where agility is paramount, embracing the Art of Movement Making is not just beneficial—it’s essential for survival and success.
Culture change is a vital element of any organizational transformation. Find out how a shift in corporate culture has the potential to unlock game-changing results in your organization—and learn more about Korn Ferry’s proven culture-change process—by downloading our free Culture 360 eBook.
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