The German organizational consultants, Klaus Doppler and Christoph Lauterburg, in their book, Change Management have made a convincing case for the fact that every person in a change process must ask him/herself the following three questions: Do I have to do that? Can I do that? Do I want to do that?

The general question about having to do something is fueled especially by the following lack of clarity:

• Why change?
• What are the causes?
• Is management telling us the whole story or are they hiding something from us?
• Is it really important – or are there more urgent problems which we should be addressing?

Again and again it is my experience that the approach is to try and address this lack of clarity through information meetings. Viewed superficially one could think that this involves the employees in the change process – however concerns are often ignored or the idea of letting the experience of the staff flow into the change process is simply dismissed. This results in the impression that everything has already been decided in any case and the staff members only have to nod their heads.  Information transfer and true involvement of staff are two very different things. 

No matter in what way the need for change is communicated – the question “Do I really have to?“ is closely linked to the issue of “Am I really able to?“ at the level of the individual:

• Can I cope with what is about to be asked of me?
• Do I have all the skills which I need to master change?
• What are my chances of good results?
• What does success mean under these new conditions?

Here trust has a major role to play: On the one hand the trust of others in their own strengths and, on the other, the self-confidence of others, when it is a matter of making a genuine estimation of what one thinks one can cope with in the course of change.  The more radical and revolutionary the change, the greater will be the resistance encountered. When, for example, business analysts become product occupants, team leaders become impediment removers or there is simply no room left for project managers, you can get ready for stormy weather because the next question those people will ask themselves is “Do I really want this change?”

Anyone who has already found himself in a similar situation in a company will know only too well how quickly, almost as if reflexively, previous organisational experiences are assessed. Above all, it is this emotionally oriented assessment which dominates the question about wanting to change:

• What do I get from change?
• Are the new activities interesting?
• What people will I then have to deal with?
• Is there a risk of losing something: A share of income, a good boss, pleasant colleagues, interesting career perspectives?
• Or can I reckon that I have something to gain through this change?

The content and more specifically the emotional quality of the answers determine the attitude towards change. It depends on this attitude towards how much change energy is mobilized. Do I have a positive or, in contrast, a negative attitude towards change? What is my personal assessment  in light of all the information that I received, the discussions I had and the conclusions that I have reached? What are my thoughts on it? What does my gut feeling say? And how will I behave accordingly?  

You are well advised to address and take seriously these issues and also the emotions of the employees in a change initiative. Although Kanban is based on evolutionary and gradual change – the issues and emotions are still there, waiting to be addressed.