Change management for reinvention (Part 2)

In last week’s post I introduced levels of change management according to McKinsey and Company. This week we are going dive into the fourth change level, reinvention. The article gives the example of changing a core product line, which means redefining market strategy, rewriting operational processes, reshoring the supplier network, and building new skills. In the academic space I think of reinvention as changing content areas, which means reading new literature, adding new research methods, and seeking feedback and engagement from other disciplines. Reinvention means EVERYTHING must change.

As I’ve talked about before, I’ve reinvented my research program multiple times at this point in my career. I’ve moved from sociology to pharmacy, pharmacy practice research to patient driven research design, and chronic disease management to substance use disorder treatment and prevention. Some of these reinventions were a function of need (i.e. I needed a job as a grad student, ended up liking it and turning it into a career). Some of these changes were opportunities (i.e. I had the opportunity to launch a new research institute on my campus, which would give me valuable leadership skills, so I learned a new content area).

Now I will admit to you friends that most of these reinventions were not “planned” with the intention outlined in the McKinsey article. They happened out of a combination of need, luck, and lots of hard work. The framework provided here would have been MOST HELPFUL.

So, let’s get into how you can better plan your reinvention. The article outlines 5 questions you can consider when thinking about reinvention.

1. Where will you find value amid creative destruction?

2. How can you play a central role in the emerging ecosystem?

3. What organizational rewiring can help you shift?

4. How will you learn faster than others?

5. What do your people need from you?

Because change, in general, and reinvention, in particular, is such an important part of finding your research impact we are just going to focus on question 1 today: where will you find value amid creative destruction?

This is where you begin to define your new direction. The article calls for a “future-back, outside-in” perspective from leaders. From a research perspective I take this to mean thinking about the impactful problem you want to solve, and the perspectives of the people impacted by that problem, and working backwards to identify the knowledge, partners, and resources you need to solve it.

This requires that you have a comprehensive understanding of the problem itself, which starts with the research literature, but should be supplemented by input from those impacted by the problem, along with other academic disciplines. You want a “wholistic view” of the problem.

Next you identify new team members. These can be community members, non-profit organizations, faculty from other departments or schools, and various other stakeholders.

Once your team is built, together you can think about your research program (the series of projects needed to solve your problem) and the resources you will need to make that program a reality (i.e. grant and funding opportunities).

Written out like this answering reinvention question 1 seems straightforward. However, there is a second part of the question. This second part of the question is about letting go. When I talk about reinvention changing everything, I mean EVERYTHING. Reinvention won’t work if you cling to how you used to identify problems, the people you used to work with, or the methods you used to apply.

Reinvention demands you let go of the past. Reinvention demands your discomfort.

Even when I needed to reinvent myself to eat and have a roof over my head I struggled every day to get up and read the new literature, make the new connections, and find new ways to solve. Every day my brain wanted me to return to the comfort of what I had been doing.

But at the same time, I’ve always had a little nagging voice, that reminds me that I can do more and be better. This little voice will not leave me alone! (Maybe you have one too 😜) No part of this is easy, and it’s often not fun either. But the impact you are meant to make is bigger than some temporary discomfort.

Looking to kick start the process, let me help you.

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