Insights
The world continues to rapidly change and evolve. Between technological advances and economic or geopolitical contexts, there are plenty of headwinds for us to navigate organizationally as well as individually.
International governmental organizations (IGOs) are far from immune to these shifts. Leaders at every level are grappling with how to take their organizations in the right direction, amidst and sometimes despite internal and external change. IGOs are seeing their resilience and adaptability tested.
The importance of effective leadership through change can’t be overstated. Good leadership is crucial for steering large organizations through turbulence and uncertainty, but leaders alone can’t make an organization successful. Equally important is the voice of employees – a good captain listens to her crew.
To better understand how IGOs are leading through change, we conducted analysis to help answer:
- How is leadership and change management in international organizations perceived by employees?
- What are organizations whose staff are positive about Leadership through Change getting right?
- How can international organizations take the temperature as they navigate uncertainty and change?
OVERALL FINDINGS
On average, 65% of IGOs’ employees are positive about Leadership through Change: they are most positive that the leadership in their division/department is able to lead them to success, and least positive about effective change-management organization-wide. Nearly a quarter of staff in international organizations feel change is not managed well.
There is a big difference between the organizations who score most positively on Leadership through change (Top 50%) against those that score less positively (Bottom 50%). This is the difference between change leaders and organizations where staff are uncertain about how their leaders can navigate the future.
The next sections set out the 10 benchmark questions where there is the biggest gap between that Top 50% and Bottom 50% – i.e., the areas where Change Leaders are succeeding, and where other organizations have more work to do.
COMMUNICATIONS
Employees in the top change-leading organizations are 22 points more positive about open communication, and 17 points more positive about interdepartmental knowledge sharing.
Organizations that share information honestly, openly and effectively – from the top down, but also laterally between divisions and departments – are also better at leading through change.
Being transparent about potential, planned and actual change across the organization reduces employees’ uncertainty. Uncertainty about the future is a key driver of stress, so providing clarity is important. Organizations that share information well can also respond to changes more quickly, and bolster their resilience.
LEADERSHIP
In the top performing change-leading organizations, 68% of staff feel that leaders are in touch with their views and opinions, compared to only 46% in lower-performing organizations.
When senior leaders and departmental leadership show that they understand and empathize with the challenges of frontline roles, then employees have more confidence that their leaders can make the organization successful.
CULTURE
Organizations that score positively on Leading through Change also have a clearer values driven culture and more interdepartmental collaboration.
Clearly articulated and lived values may act like a rudder, helping to keep an organization on course and providing much-needed certainty in turbulent periods. When leaders and managers live the organization’s values, they are trusted to make the right decisions.
Departments that work well together are also set up for success – collaboration aids communication, and building up a network between parts of an organization can help to develop its resilience.
WELLBEING
More than three quarters of staff in top-performing change leadership organizations feel that their organization cares about its employees, compared to less than half in other organizations.
Employees in these organizations are also more likely to feel they have access to support to deal with pressure and stress.
Wellbeing takes a hit in times of upheaval, and that’s unavoidable. But organizations with a track record of showing that they care for their employees, and which are able to support colleagues’ wellbeing, will have an advantage.
ENGAGEMENT
Engagement is substantially higher in organizations with strong change leadership scores. This is a reciprocal relationship: When the holistic staff experience leads to an engaged workforce, employees feel more positively about their leaders and more optimistic about the future.
When leaders demonstrate that they can make the organization successful and navigate difficult change, their employees are more likely to recommend that organization, to feel motivated, and to stay.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Change management is an increasingly decisive factor in effective leadership. IGOs vary substantially in how confident their employees are in their leaders to navigate them through change.
The IGOs with the highest scores on Leadership through Change are organizations that communicate effectively, where leaders understand the views of staff, where the culture supports resilience, and where wellbeing and culture are prioritized.
Is your organization set up to be an effective change leader? Get in touch to speak to an expert at Agenda about how your survey approach can help your organization to listen and lead through change.
THE ANALYSIS
(For the data nerds like us!)
We compared our most recent engagement survey data from international organizations we have worked with over the last 4 years. The table below shows the average positive % scores for these international organizations on 4 benchmark questions that measure leadership and change management. There is a substantial difference between the organizations who score most positively on Leadership through change (Top 50%) against those that score less positively (Bottom 50%).
