One of the best examples of change management leaders is William Bratton, who served as the NY Police Commissioner, until recently stepping down.  In 2016, when he announced his retirement in Times Magazine, I wrote a blog post outlining his amazing accomplishments, entitled Bill Bratton- Breaking through barriers. The story of Bill Bratton and his strategy for promoting change is best captured in HBRs article, Tipping Point Leadership.

Authors W. Chan Kim and Renee Mauborgne writes,

“The theory of tipping points, which has its roots in epidemiology, is well known; it hinges on the insight that in any organization, once the beliefs and energies of a critical mass of people are engaged, conversion to a new idea will spread like an epidemic, bringing about fundamental change very quickly. The theory suggests that such a movement can be unleashed only by agents who make unforgettable and unarguable calls for change, who concentrate their resources on what really matters, who mobilize the commitment of the organization’s key players, and who succeed in silencing the most vocal naysayers.”

In the article, they outline 4 steps to the Tipping Point:

1. Breaking through the cognitive hurdle
   It is common practice that many leaders will present their change idea through numbers. At this stage, you need to have your employees understand why the change is occurring, and buy into the idea wholeheartedly. To do this, the authors state you should make your key managers experience your organization’s problems.
2. Sidestepping the resource hurdle
   Once people have bought into your idea, your change initiatives may never get started because you aren’t able to secure the right resources- whether that be people, time, money, etc. Limited resources are a problem every organization will face. Instead of making peace with mediocracy, or spending your existing resources and time on fighting for resources you may never have, concentrate your efforts on using your current resources on areas in most need of change.
3. Jump the motivational hurdle
   Turning your idea into in a movement is no easy task. This step requires you to identify key influencers or those who have multiple connections to people and can be a strong persuasive force. Using these individuals will not only get your message out to a large audience, but coming from a trusted individual will build credibility for your message.
4. Knock over the political hurdle
   With any change initiative, there will be those who resist it. It is important that you are likewise identifying and silencing key resistors before you begin your change initiative. They can be very damaging to your cause. The authors suggest putting a respected senior individual, whom you can trust, to lead your teams and help to quell any dissent.

Referenced books/ Suggested readings

• Kotter, John P. HBR’s 10 Must Reads on Change Management. Boston, Mass: Harvard Business Review, 2011. Print.
  • Tipping Point Leadership, by W. Chan Kim and Renee Maulborgne
  • Leading through Persuasion, by David A. Garvin and Michael A. Roberto
  • Leading Change, why transformation efforts fail, by John P Kotter
• Willink, John, and Leif Babin. Extreme Ownership: How U.S. Navy SEALs Lead and Win. New York: St. Martin’s, 2015. Print.