Organizational Tips for Leading the Marketing Transformation

Do you ever feel overwhelmed by the marketing transformation? You aren't alone.  An IDC analysis of tech marketing staff changes since 2009 reveals that CMOs have had to squeeze traditional staff functions to accommodate five new roles: analytics/business intelligence, marketing technology, social marketing, sales enablement, and campaign management. In 2013, these new five roles collectively made up 14% of the total marketing staff.

IDC invited organizational change expert, Dr. Rick Mirable, to advise our clients on insights for leading more successful organizational change initiatives. Here are some of the tips that Dr. Mirable, who has more than 20 years of diverse business consulting and academic experience, offered:

• What we believe about change determines how we will respond to change. People hold beliefs about the capability of both company culture and individual people's ability to change. Good change initiatives raise awareness of these biases.
• Successful change initiatives require that leaders be included. It's not only individuals deep in the organization that need transformation, but leaders must also be role models for the change they want to see.
• People resist change for many reasons. Change can threaten our sense of security (What will happen to me?) and our sense of competence (Can I learn new skills?). People may worry they will fail. They may not understand why change is needed. Companies may inadvertently reward people who resist change by penalizing people who try new things and fail.
• Some resistance to change comes from unspoken resentment. Companies must allow for expression of the relevant "inner conversations" that people have with themselves about the change — views that are not explicit to others. Resentment is like dirty laundry — if you don't get rid of it eventually it starts to smell!
• Some change initiatives fail simply because the organization isn't ready. Assess your readiness and then bring those areas found lacking up to speed before embarking.
• The communication portions of most change efforts are weak and not consistent over the long haul. The communication must be open and bidirectional. Messages and goals need to be regularly repeated and reinforced.
• Company culture is essential to sustaining success over time. One cultural attribute proven to accelerate change is the empowerment of individuals to make decisions that further the change goals. It is a best practice to ask people what they want to do (and ask for management permission to do it) rather than telling them what to do. This practice encourages innovation and accountability and drives change deeper in the organization.
• Don't confuse "movement" with progress. When you get off the freeway during a traffic jam, you may be able to move faster; however, that movement doesn't guarantee that you are actually moving toward your destination or will get to it any more quickly. IDC notes that marketing teams that measure activity rather than outcomes are making this error.
• Create circumstances for people to motivate themselves. Motivation can include extrinsic rewards such as money. Proven to be even more effective are intrinsic rewards — challenge, learning, responsibility, contribution, and career path advancement. Intrinsic rewards tap into the power of people's passions. Companies are advised to structure people's work so as to allow passion to surface.
• Reduce resistance by creating a "burning platform." Clarify the risks and benefits of the change and involve the collective wisdom of the group. Give people a role in the change. Involve a person's "head" and "heart" as well as the "feet" of required actions.