How To Manage Changes With Kanban Change Management Principles?

Kanban – You can never be 100% sure about what the future holds for your business, and this is why even the most accurate forecasting done by companies can turn out to be completely null and void.

But the one thing that you can be sure about is that your business will pass through many phases of changes in the future since changes in an organization are inevitable. And there is no way a business owner can thwart the firm from going through such crucial phases of changes.

Change is a natural part of growth and expansion in a business. Since we live in a fast-paced and competitive environment, not adapting to such changes can act as a drawback.

It is only through a change management process that a business can facilitate and govern how it adapts to the organizational changes and uses them as an advantage. This is where we will like to introduce the very effective Kanban change management principles.

Through this blog post, we will learn about the Kanban change management principle and know how to use it to build lasting organizational changes that your workforce will embrace.

The Obstacles In Implementing Organizational Changes

Everyone has some type of aversion to changes, and it is built-in human nature. It is usually the fear of the unknown that creeps into the vast majority of people, and the same goes for your workforce as well. Without a proper change management plan, most employees can feel anxious and confused about what comes ahead.

Even when employees are not adequately informed about the change, they can show aversion to it, and they can also show resistance before even a single organizational change is implemented. But all these issues can be solved by a proper change management plan.

Understanding The Change Management Principles Of Kanban

One of the best things about Kanban board is that you can use it in any organizational process. Kanban board helps visualize what lies ahead, what has been done, and what needs to be done, which makes managing any process a breeze.

Here are the four core principles of Kanban;

• Begin with what you do now
• Always be ready for incremental changes
• Have respect for current roles, processes, responsibilities, and titles
• Motivate the act of leadership at every stage

All these core principles of Kanban framework can be used in any change management process. So, let’s understand how every principle of the Kanban board X2 can be helpful in the change management process.

Begin What You Do Now

All the organizational changes that need to be introduced in the firm must be based on the current state. By ignoring the current roles, responsibilities, and processes, you will only create a situation of chaos in the firm.

You must consider essential points like how many people are involved in the process where change will be implemented or what areas of your firm will be affected because of the change, and how they will transform?

Always Be Ready For Incremental Changes

If you are going to introduce all the changes at once, then it can turn out to be a disaster for your firm, and it will even affect your change management plan and process in a negative manner. If you want the changes introduced in your firm to make a lasting effect, then you should see those changes as your employees see them.

Have Respect For Current Roles, Processes, Responsibilities, And Titles

The entire Kanban change management principle relies highly on the first principle. By beginning with what you do now, you respect the current roles, processes, responsibilities, and titles.

Almost all the people in your organization have a specific type of attachment to their roles and titles. Changing those titles and roles overnight can harm your workforce and company. A better approach will be to involve the team while working on evolving their roles and titles in the company.

Motivating The Act Of Leadership At Every Stage 

By now, you must have noticed that almost all the Kanban change management principles focus on the people element. So, if you want your change management plan to be successful, you have to let everyone contribute. You must show everyone that change is a part of growth and expansion, and it should be considered as a welcome experiment.

Introducing changes in an organization without a change management plan can be an arduous task, but you can make it a breeze by relying on the Kanban change management principles. With Kanban, changes can be gradually introduced into the firm, and not even a tiny part of the workforce will show resistance against the new changes.