Setting the best speed for a significant organization or team change is no easy matter. Introducing and executing a change within an organization is as much art as it is science.
The best leaders think deeply about how the organization or team will respond best to the change. Some changes are better received over a long setup and duration, while others benefit from rapid introduction and execution. Because the pace of change influences resistance and acceptance, establishing the best cadence for a given change is of the utmost importance for leaders.
On the one hand, change that occurs slowly has more lasting power. Slow change is more likely to stick because it affords leaders the time they need to get people involved and to participate actively in the change.
We refer to slower change as a transition. Generally, people much prefer to transition than to bolt toward a new change. But changing slowly can also frustrate people, unfold too slowly to take advantage of opportunities, constrain results, and allow antagonists to gain a foothold to undermine the change.
On the other hand, fast change pushes forward without much fanfare. Rapid change doesn’t have to be sudden or imposed, but it requires people to accept and execute quickly in a condensed timeframe. Such fast change creates the kind of momentum that only moving quickly can promote.
Results that materialize more quickly add energy to the organization and make the pain associated with the change seem worth it. As a rule, however, the faster the change, the more resistance it produces. Fast change is more uncomfortable for those who have to implement it and leaves behind team members who are unable to accept it.
In reality, most change in organizations is fast and slow. The reason for the change and the strategy to execute it is introduced somewhat quickly, while implementation happens slowly over time. The question leaders must ask is: How fast and how slow? The speed of change has significant implications for the likelihood of success. Unfortunately, there are no right or perfect answers.
Thinking through the pace of change is best aided by one critical question: How can we reduce resistance and increase acceptance through the speed of change?
The answer changes at different points of time. The best leaders adjust the speedometer based on the conditions they see. They speed up and slow down depending on how the organization and team are responding.
Change doesn’t have to occur at a constant speed. The best leaders break for curves and hit the accelerator when the road is straight and clear.
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