In the business world it seems that major organisational change is becoming ever more frequent. But human nature remains much the same – people don’t like change. In light of the complex management and human resource issues that arise at such times, the author Anthony Greenfield reveals his blueprint for leading successful change.

Major organisational change sucks up time, energy and emotion. It threatens morale and all too often fails to deliver promised benefits. However, the world of work is shifting at such a mind-boggling rate that we have little choice but to continually change or risk being left behind. Information Technology continues to shrink the world and revolutionise the way organisations operate. In January 2008, there were 875 million internet shoppers worldwide; in 1993 there were none. Success is no longer a matter of being the fastest or the fittest, but rather is about being the most adaptable. Any enterprise that can introduce new ideas and new approaches frequently and effortlessly has a huge advantage. It is the role of a modern leader to make this possible.

Whereas organisations may have little choice but to change, people do. Large-scale change requires people to invest a great deal of energy and emotion in getting to grips with new methods and in living with extended periods of uncertainty.

At the heart of the matter is the way we experience and respond to change. We are reluctant to let go of familiar things in favour of novel and unproven ideas. We want to know where we are going and how we are going to get there, and when the ground begins to shift under our feet we lose confidence and find it hard to remain effective.

On the flip-side, we are capable of amazing things. We love to rise to a challenge and derive enormous satisfaction from succeeding against the odds. We enjoy exploring new avenues, coming up with better ways of doing things and learning new skills. So our response to a given change varies dramatically depending on how we experience it and how we are led through it.

The key to success is to work with the grain of human nature rather than against it. Like a master of martial arts, you must turn opposing forces to your advantage instead of meeting them head on. To do this, you need to understand and address the 5 Forces of Change – forces that drive human behaviour and which come under threat during major organisational change:

1. Certainty. An immediate consequence of change is uncertainty. At worst, people fear for their jobs and at the very least they can become unclear about what the future holds and their role within it. This causes anxiety and a drop in performance. The antidote to uncertainty is trust, and the key ingredient of trust is communication. Openness about what is going on and why it’s going on builds trust, so too does treating people with the respect they deserve. Don’t hide things from them, least of all bad news; rather engage with them about why the change is vital so they can reach the same conclusions as you have. Remember also that the change begins with you – nothing will kill a new initiative faster than a leader who lacks confidence in it.

2. Purpose. As an organisation changes course, things can become foggy. People’s sense of direction is diminished and they become less confident about what they are doing. In turbulent times we look for leaders with a clear and unequivocal sense of purpose. Great leaders spell out an inspiring vision and remain steadfast in the face of adversity. At M&S, Sir Stuart Rose has set a target of becoming carbon neutral by 2010. Whilst this is an enormous challenge, it is unambiguous and appeals to values that transcend day to day work, giving people a crystal clear purpose and a reason to persevere despite inevitable difficulties.

3. Control. Change can lead to strong feelings of unease as people sense that they have lost power over their working lives and become victims to outside forces. This can cause people to rebel against change or to quietly opt out of it. One such rebellion took place in September 2006 when mothers at a school in Rotherham fought back against the introduction of healthy meals (inspired by Jamie Oliver’s TV series “Jamie’s School Dinners”) by passing burger and chips to their kids through the school railings. In stark contrast to this, Jamie had been masterly at getting children on board at one school he worked with. He took a small group who steadfastly refused even to try healthy food and taught them to prepare healthy dishes with their own hands – a crucial move in winning them over. No one complains about a meal they have cooked themselves.

4. Connection. We all form strong attachments to people and things. We identify ourselves with the job we do and the way we do it. We value our relationships with colleagues, customers and suppliers. We become attached to our organisation, our team, or even our desk. When things change, we need to break these connections and form new ones. Merely exhorting people to join you in the new world is not enough. You need to celebrate the past – its successes and failures – and mourn its passing before people can let go of old practices and travel happily into the future. When two banks recently merged they threw a huge party to celebrate the demise of two old organisations and the birth of a new one.

5. Success. Anyone who has introduced change at work knows that performance often gets worse before it gets better. Just ask people who travelled through Terminal 5 at Heathrow when it opened! In uncertain times, when people already feel vulnerable, they find themselves grappling with new ways of working. No wonder there is a strong temptation to revert back to tried and trusted methods. To combat this problem, leaders must nurture success. They must spell out expectations and train people to succeed. But that’s not the end of it. Crucially, they must support people as they put new methods into practice, especially those who find their performance gets worse before it gets better. Finally, it about celebrating each triumph and building up support to tip the balance in favour of change.

By harnessing the 5 Forces of Change you can become one of those rare leaders who are able to bring about lasting organisational change with a minimum of fuss.

Anthony Greenfield is the author of The 5 Forces of Change published by Management Books 2000 – available from www.amazon.co.uk or www.mb2000.com