Arkaro Insights
Arkaro Insights is a podcast series produced by Arkaro, where we help B2B executives deliver better results with the latest ideas in change and innovation for your organisation.
About Arkaro
Arkaro is a B2B consultancy specialising in Strategy, Innovation Process, Product Management, Commercial Excellence & Business Development, and Integrated Business Management. With industry expertise across Agriculture, Food, and Chemicals, Arkaro's team combines practical business experience with formal consultancy training to deliver impactful solutions.
You may have the ability to lead these transformations with your team, but time constraints can often be a challenge. Arkaro takes a collaborative 'do it with you' approach, working closely with clients to leave behind sustainable, value-generating solutions—not just a slide deck.
"We don't just coach - we get on the pitch with you"
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💬 We'd love to hear from you! What topics would you like us to explore in future podcast episodes? Drop us a message or connect with us to learn more about Arkaro's approach.
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Arkaro Insights
Turning Roadblocks into Roadmap Enhancements: Arkaro's "Do It With You" Approach to Change
Welcome to the Arkaro Insights podcast. This episode is based on original content developed by Arkaro. At Arkaro, we're committed to innovation in everything we do—including how we share our insights. We've utilised advanced AI technology to transform our written expertise into this conversational format, making our content more accessible and convenient for our busy B2B audience. What you'll hear is a two-person discussion generated through AI voice technology, designed to deliver our insights in a more engaging way than traditional reading. As we continue to evolve this approach, we genuinely value your feedback. Thank you for listening to Arkaro Insights, where professional expertise meets innovative delivery.
What if resistance to change isn't your biggest headache, but your most valuable asset? We're flipping the script on traditional change management by exploring how pushback, skepticism, and hesitation can actually strengthen your organisational transformations.
The numbers are sobering: 70% of improvement projects fail to meet their goals. But what separates the successful 30%? It might be their approach to resistance itself. Rather than seeing it as negativity to overcome, forward-thinking leaders recognise resistance as engagement—a signal that people care enough to voice concerns about potential issues that could derail your initiative.
Arkaro's distinctive "Do it with you" methodology provides a practical framework for this mindset shift through four key phases. The Understanding phase creates safe spaces for active listening, uncovering the root causes behind surface complaints using techniques like the "five whys." The Co-create phase brings skeptics directly into solution development, leveraging influential peer "change champions" to build ownership. The Enable phase provides targeted support through frameworks like ADKAR, addressing specific skill gaps and testing solutions via pilot programs. Finally, the Sustain phase embeds changes through collaborative metrics and ongoing feedback loops.
This approach works especially well for complex B2B transformations like strategy shifts, operating model changes, and commercial excellence programs. By reframing resistance from roadblock to roadmap enhancement, you gain invaluable insights that strengthen your initiatives and dramatically increase your odds of lasting success.
Ready to transform how your organisation handles change? Connect with Arkaro's team of experienced practitioners who bring a 360-degree perspective to your unique challenges. Visit arkaro.com or email Mark Blackwell (mark@arkaro.com) directly for a no-obligation consultation about your specific situation.
Welcome to the Arkaro Insights Podcast. We're here to help B2B executives like you get better results using the latest ideas in change and innovation within your organization.
Speaker 2:And today we're diving into something I think is really fascinating a different take on change management.
Speaker 1:Exactly, we're looking at resistance, but, you know, not as this big problem to overcome, but maybe as well as a source of valuable information.
Speaker 2:That's the core idea. We've got some material here from Arkaro, some podcast excerpts, an article by Garrett Forsyth and Mark Blackwell.
Speaker 1:Right, turning roadblocks into roadmap enhancements. Arkaro do it with you approach to change. Our mission today is basically to unpack that, especially this concept of using resistance constructively.
Speaker 2:It's crucial, isn't it? Because so many change projects? Well, they run into trouble. You hear stats like what? 70% of improvement projects don't quite hit their goals.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's a huge number and it suggests we need maybe a smarter way to handle the friction that always comes up.
Speaker 2:And that's where this Arkaro perspective comes in. They talk about this. Do it with you approach.
Speaker 1:And they frame resistance not as just negativity but almost like a sign of engagement, like it's a natural reaction.
Speaker 2:It makes sense. You know, if people are pushing back, it often means they care, they see potential issues or they're worried about how it impacts things they value.
Speaker 1:So ignoring that is like throwing away data.
Speaker 2:Pretty much Valuable data that could help you refine the plan, maybe avoid some big pitfalls later on.
Speaker 1:Okay, so this do it with you thing it's got four steps right Starts with understand. What are we trying to understand here?
Speaker 2:Yeah, understand is phase one, and it's really about getting a deep grasp of your organization's context for this specific change. Context meaning Both the technical side you know the actual processes or systems changing and the cultural side. Why do different teams see this as needed? Or maybe why don't they see it as needed?
Speaker 1:Right, Because the view from the top maybe seeing a strategic need for an operating model change can be totally different from someone on the ground worrying about their daily tasks.
Speaker 2:Exactly. And the resistance itself isn't monolithic it shows up in different ways.
Speaker 1:How so.
Speaker 2:Well, someone might argue directly that could signal a flaw in the plan they've spotted. Someone else might just withdraw, seem disengaged. That could mean they don't get the why.
Speaker 1:Ah, okay, different signals needing different responses. So how do you actually uncover these things? It's not always obvious.
Speaker 2:Active listening is key, really tuning in not just to the words but the emotions, the tone, what's not being said?
Speaker 1:Sounds like you need to create a safe space for that.
Speaker 2:Absolutely critical. People need to feel they can voice doubts without negative consequences. The material mentions the five whys technique as one tool.
Speaker 1:Right the five whys. Can you give us a quick refresher on that Sure?
Speaker 2:It's pretty simple. Someone raises an issue, say this new software is too complicated. Instead of stopping there, you ask why? Okay, maybe they say because I wasn't trained properly. Ask why, again, there wasn't enough time scheduled for training. Keep going, maybe five times to peel back the later.
Speaker 1:To get to the root cause, not just the symptom.
Speaker 2:Exactly, moves you beyond service complaints.
Speaker 1:Makes sense. The understand phase also talks about looking back at past changes in this organization.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's super important. Every company has its history with change, its own sort of change, muscle memory.
Speaker 1:So you look at what worked before, what didn't.
Speaker 2:Precisely what barriers kept cropping up, what strategies actually resonated with your people and your culture. Learn from your own past. Avoid repeating mistakes.
Speaker 1:It's like building on your own internal best practices.
Speaker 2:You got it and don't rely on just one feedback channel. Vocal folks are one piece, but surveys, informal chats, observation you need a rounded picture.
Speaker 1:Okay, so once you've done that deep dive, that understand piece. Next is co-create. How does a resistance fit in here?
Speaker 2:This is where you really start leveraging that resistance. Co-create is about genuine collaboration, bringing people, including the skeptics, into the process of shaping the solution.
Speaker 1:So it's not just management deciding and telling.
Speaker 2:No, not if you want it to stick. This is the do-it-with-you philosophy in action.
Speaker 1:The article mentions change champions. Who are they? Not just managers.
Speaker 2:Often not. They're influential people within teams respected by their peers. They might not have formal authority, but they have trust. They can bridge gaps, advocate, provide that crucial peer influence.
Speaker 1:Finding those informal leaders. Okay, what else is key in CoCreate?
Speaker 2:Addressing the what's-in-it-for-me question, the WIIFM. People need to see how the change benefits them personally or professionally.
Speaker 1:So connecting the change to individual motivation.
Speaker 2:Absolutely. If you can articulate those benefits clearly tailored to different groups, you could start turning resistance into motivation.
Speaker 1:Makes sense and involving them in the roadmap development itself.
Speaker 2:Yes, if people help build the plan, they own it more. Discussing alternatives, tackling potential issues together, it builds clarity and addresses confusion.
Speaker 1:head on and covers those hidden concerns too, maybe.
Speaker 2:Definitely, and the article also highlights jointly setting up governance, how decisions get made, who's responsible for what.
Speaker 1:Why is that so important for resistance?
Speaker 2:Because change, especially big stuff like operating model changes, creates uncertainty about roles, power, decision rights. Defining that stuff collaboratively calms anxieties, yeah, it builds trust in the process.
Speaker 1:So those design sessions blending Arkaro expertise with the team's internal knowledge. That's where the tailored solutions emerge.
Speaker 2:Exactly. It's that blend and remembering that often the people raising objections they're the ones who care deeply their resistance is actually valuable input. It helps refine the proposals.
Speaker 1:Okay, using feedback to strengthen the plan Got it. Then comes phase three Enable. What's the focus here?
Speaker 2:Enable is all about equipping people for success. It's putting the support structures in place, directly addressing the concerns raised earlier and the solutions you co-created.
Speaker 1:Making it possible for people to actually do the new thing. The article mentions ADKAR.
Speaker 2:Right ADKAR, awareness, desire, knowledge ability reinforcement. It's a framework to manage the individual side of change. Helps you systematically identify and remove barriers related to each of those elements.
Speaker 1:So making sure people know why awareness, want to desire, know how the skill and get encouragement to keep doing it. Reinforcement it targets support where it's needed.
Speaker 2:And that links to the tailored skills development mentioned.
Speaker 1:Directly. If your understand and co-create phases showed specific skill gaps, maybe people felt unsure about new software or processes. Enable is where you provide targeted training or coaching to fill those gaps.
Speaker 2:It's not just generic training, though.
Speaker 1:No, it should be specific to the needs you uncovered, and it's not just classroom training either that side-by-side support from consultants like Arkaro offers.
Speaker 2:Real-time help.
Speaker 1:Yeah, coaching and mentoring right when people are facing challenges during implementation. That builds confidence and practical skills.
Speaker 2:The idea of pilot programs also fits here. Right, Kicking the tires first.
Speaker 1:Pilots. Let you test things on a smaller scale, get real world feedback, make adjustments, learn from small fails before you go big. It reduces risk and lets you fine tune based on actual experience. Addresses remaining resistance before a full rollout. Okay, and the last phase is sustain. What's the goal there?
Speaker 2:Sustain is about making sure the change sticks and keeps delivering value long term. It's not just getting over the finish line of implementation.
Speaker 1:It's about embedding it.
Speaker 2:Exactly.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:And building the organization's overall capacity for future change. You do this through things like establishing metrics together to track progress, setting up ongoing feedback loops.
Speaker 1:So you keep listening, even after the main rollout.
Speaker 2:Definitely Periodic reviews, checking if processes are working, addressing any lingering issues or persistent resistance. It becomes a cycle of continuous improvement.
Speaker 1:Looking back at the whole Arkaro approach, then this do it with you. Model.
Speaker 2:Yeah, what's the big takeaway for you on leveraging resistance? For me, it really is that fundamental mindset shift. Stop seeing resistance purely as an obstacle. Start seeing it as potentially rich data, information you can use.
Speaker 1:And their methodology gives a way to actually do that.
Speaker 2:Yes, the understand, co-create, enable, sustain framework provides a practical structure, and their team's background having been line managers, internal consultants, external advisors gives them that 360-degree view. They can spot barriers, adapt the approach, balance the technical and people sides.
Speaker 1:And build capability within the client's team too, not just do it for them.
Speaker 2:Right that we get on the pitch with you. Idea seems central.
Speaker 1:So stepping back, it really reframes those bumps in the road. Resistance isn't a stop sign, it's more like well, like feedback guiding you to a better destination.
Speaker 2:It's about understanding the undercurrents, co-creating ways forward, enabling people properly and then keeping that feedback loop going.
Speaker 1:It suggests resistance isn't really the enemy of change. It could actually be an ally if you handle it right.
Speaker 2:That's a great way to put it, handle it constructively.
Speaker 1:So if you're a B2B executive facing these kinds of change challenges and this way of thinking resonates you might want to learn more about Arkaro.
Speaker 2:Their approach seems particularly relevant for complex changes like strategy shifts, operating model upgrades, improving commercial excellence.
Speaker 1:You can find out more about their services on their website, Arkaro. That's A-R-K-A-R-O dot com, and they're also active on LinkedIn.
Speaker 2:And they offer a consultation, don't they?
Speaker 1:Yes, For a free, no-obligation chat about your specific situation. You can email Mark Blackwell directly. His email is mark at arcurocom.
Speaker 2:Definitely worth exploring if you're looking for a more collaborative, effective way to manage change.
Speaker 1:Well, thank you for listening to the Arcuro Insights podcast. We really hope this deep dive into leveraging resistance has given you some valuable food for thought.
Speaker 2:And please do share this with any colleagues you think might find it helpful.
