erhaps Lhe mosL asked buL leasL answered quesLlon ln buslness Loday ls WhaL can we do Lo make

our buslness survlve and grow?" 1he world ls rapldly changlng lnLo someLhlng Loo hard Lo easlly
predlcL wlLh a hundred opporLunlLles and plLfalls passlng by every momenL
1o add Lo Lhls confuslon Lhere are hundreds lf noL Lhousands of Lechnlques soluLlons and meLhods
LhaL clalm Lo help buslness lmprove producLlvlLy quallLy and cusLomer saLlsfacLlon A company
resldenL CLC or buslness owner has so many cholces ln Lhese buzzwords wheLher Lhey be called
1oLal CuallLy ManagemenL CusLomer SaLlsfacLlon 8eenglneerlng or 1eambulldlng 1hey are llke
new shoppers ln a glanL grocery sLore 1hey are hungry buL Lhere are so many brands slzes and
varleLles you don'L know whaL Lo buy
ln response Lo Lhls confuslon many do noLhlng ofLen afrald of maklng Lhe wrong cholces CLhers
change Lhe Lechnlques Lhey use every few monLhs uslng Lhe program du'[eur" meLhod of
organlzaLlonal change oLherwlse known as M8S (ManagemenL by 8esL Seller) nelLher of Lhese
responses help Lhe organlzaLlon ln Lhe long run Changlng noLhlng wlll produce noLhlng
lmplemenLlng a dlfferenL buzzword (1oLal CuallLy !usL ln 1lme 8eenglneerlng eLc) every few
monLhs ofLen creaLes a whlpsaw" effecL LhaL causes mass confuslon among your employees 1hese
buzzwords are ofLen a hammer ln search of a nall Lechnlques applled wlLh no clear focus as Lo Lhe
why expecLed resulLs or reLurn on lnvesLmenL
Cne of Lhe organlzaLlons we consulLed wlLh sLarLed on Lhls paLh Senlor managemenL proclalmed ln
a memo LhaL 1oLal CuallLy should be a way of llfe Cne senlor vlce presldenL declared LhaL he
wanLed 23 of hls organlzaLlon uslng 1oLal CuallLy Lools wlLhln a year 1hls caused Lremendous
exclLemenL ln Lhe organlzaLlon Powever Lhe followLhrough was delayed occaslonally
lnapproprlaLe and someLlmes noL Lhere Many employee became dlscouraged wlLh Lhe process and
consldered lL [usL anoLher managemenL fad WlLh Lhe nexL buslness downLurn vlrLually all Lralnlng
had sLopped and llLLle enLhuslasm was lefL
CLher organlzaLlons clearly focus on Lechnlcal problems and on lmprovlng whaL Lhey had 1hey are
lnlLlally successful buL become vlcLlms of Lhelr own success l call Lhls an lmproved planned
lncremenLal approach 1helr lnlLlal quallLy lmprovemenL Leams may be so successful Lhey rapldly
creaLe more Leams wlLhouL Lhe quallLaLlve organlzaLlonwlde changes (reenglneerlng) necessary Lo
susLaln a permanenL efforL
Cne organlzaLlon we worked wlLh had over 70 quallLy lmprovemenL Leams ln a plan wlLh only 300
employees 1hey had shown llLLle resulLs afLer Lhelr flrsL successes and asked us whaL Lhelr nexL
sLeps should be We suggesLed Lhe unlon's leadershlp ln Lhelr efforLs look aL resLrucLurlng Lhelr
organlzaLlon along more producLfocused llnes and posslbly sLarL proflL sharlng 1hey were noL
lnLeresLed ln Laklng any of Lhese acLlons A few monLhs laLer lLs parenL company shuL down Lhe slLe
parLly because of lLs poor producLlvlLy
CrganlzaLlons need Lo move beyond Lhe buzzwords lnLo decldlng whaL acLlons Lhey need Lo
perform LhaL wlll help Lhem grow and develop ln response Lo Lhls problem Lhls arLlcle wlll provlde
you a framework for coplng wlLh organlzaLlonal change lndependenL of buzzwords or Lhe laLesL
managemenL fad CrganlzaLlons musL flrsL declde on Lhe framework Lhelr organlzaLlonal change long
before Lhey choose a buzzword Lo lmplemenL
1he ma[or dec|s|ons
lnsLead of grasplng for Lhe laLesL Lechnlque l suggesL lnsLead LhaL organlzaLlons should go Lhrough a
formal declslonmaklng process LhaL has four ma[or componenLs
Levels goals and sLraLegles

MeasuremenL sysLem
Sequence of sLeps
lmplemenLaLlon and organlzaLlonal change
1he |eve|s of organ|zat|ona| change
erhaps Lhe mosL dlfflculL declslon Lo make ls aL whaL level Lo sLarL 1here are four levels of
organlzaLlonal change

shaplng and anLlclpaLlng Lhe fuLure (level 1)

deflnlng whaL buslness(es) Lo be ln and Lhelr core compeLencles" (level 2)
reenglneerlng processes (level 3)

lncremenLally lmprovlng processes (level 4)
llrsL leLs descrlbe Lhese levels and Lhen under whaL clrcumsLances a buslness should use Lhem
eve| 1 shap|ng and ant|c|pat|ng the future
AL Lhls level organlzaLlons sLarL ouL wlLh few assumpLlons abouL Lhe buslness lLself whaL lL ls good
aL and whaL Lhe fuLure wlll be llke
ManagemenL generaLes alLernaLe scenarlos of Lhe fuLure deflnes opporLunlLles based on Lhese
posslble fuLures assesses lLs sLrengLhs and weaknesses ln Lhese scenarlos changes lLs mlsslon
measuremenL sysLem eLc More lnformaLlon on Lhls ls ln Lhe nexL arLlcle Movlng from Lhe luLure Lo
your SLraLegy
eve| 2 def|n|ng what bus|ness(es) to be |n and the|r Core Competenc|es
Many aLLempLs aL sLraLeglc plannlng sLarL aL Lhls level elLher assumlng LhaL 1) Lhe fuLure wlll be llke
Lhe pasL or aL leasL predlcLable 2) Lhe fuLure ls embodled ln Lhe CLCs vlslon for Lhe fuLure or 3)
managemenL doesnL know where else Lo sLarL 4) managemenL ls Loo afrald Lo sLarL aL level 1
because of Lhe changes needed Lo really meeL fuLure requlremenLs or 3) Lhe only mandaLe Lhey
have ls Lo reflne whaL mlsslon already exlsLs
AfLer a mlsslon has been deflned and a SWC1 (sLrengLhs weaknesses opporLunlLles and LhreaLs)
analysls ls compleLed an organlzaLlon can Lhen deflne lLs measures goals sLraLegles eLc More
lnformaLlon on Lhls ls ln Lhe nexL arLlcle Movlng from Lhe luLure Lo your SLraLegy
eve| 3 keeng|neer|ng (Structura||y Chang|ng) our rocesses
LlLher as an afLermaLh or consequence of level one or Lwo work or as an lndependenL acLlon level
Lhree work focuses on fundamenLally changlng work ls accompllshed 8aLher Lhan focus on
modesL lmprovemenLs reenglneerlng focuses on maklng ma[or sLrucLural changes Lo everyday wlLh
Lhe goal of subsLanLlally lmprovlng producLlvlLy efflclency quallLy or cusLomer saLlsfacLlon 1o read
more abouL level 3 organlzaLlonal changes please see A 1ale of 1hree vlllages
eve| 4 Incrementa||y Chang|ng your rocesses
Level 4 organlzaLlonal changes are focuslng ln maklng many small changes Lo exlsLlng work
processes CfLenLlmes organlzaLlons puL ln conslderable efforL lnLo geLLlng every employee focused
on maklng Lhese small changes ofLen wlLh conslderable effecL unforLunaLely maklng
lmprovemenLs on how a buggy whlp for horsedrawn carrlages ls made wlll rarely come up wlLh Lhe
ldea LhaL buggy whlps are no longer necessary because cars have been lnvenLed 1o read more
abouL level 4 organlzaLlonal changes and how lL compares Lo level 3 please see A 1ale of 1hree
vlllages

Cne organlzaLlon we consulLed wlLh has had a more poslLlve experlence wlLh Lhe lncremenLal
approach We Lralned an lnLernal faclllLaLor helped Lhem dellver Lralnlng ln a [usLlnLlme fashlon
and had Lhem focus on speclflc Lechnlcal problems 1he Leams managemenL formed reduced lnlLlal
quallLy defecLs by 48
1he dlsadvanLages of such an lncremenLal approach lnclude avoldlng sLrucLural sysLemwlde
problems and assumes exlsLlng processes need modesL lmprovemenL ln addlLlon uslng
lncremenLal approaches can be frusLraLlng Lo employees and managemenL lf (plck a buzzword) does
noL caLch on ln Lhe organlzaLlon As a resulL of Lhese dlsadvanLages many organlzaLlons experlence a
hlgh rlsk of fallure ln Lhe long run
What |eve| do I choose?
1hese levels have much of Lhe same goals lncreaslng cusLomer saLlsfacLlon dolng Lhlngs rlghL Lhe
flrsL Llme greaLer employee producLlvlLy eLc uesplLe Lhese slmllarlLles Lhey dlffer subsLanLlally ln
Lhe meLhods Lhey use Lo achleve Lhese goals
Levels one Lhrough Lhree on one hand focuses on blg plcLure elemenLs such as analysls of Lhe
markeLplace ouLsourclng purchase/sale of subsldlarles Lruly ouLofLhe box Lhlnklng and
subsLanLlal change ln Lhe managemenL and supporL sysLems of Lhe company ln my experlence
companles LhaL use Lhese meLhods Lend Lo have a hlgh need for change rlskLoleranL managemenL
relaLlvely few consLralnLs and have subsLanLlal consensus among lLs managemenL on whaL Lo
do 1ypes of lndusLrles lnclude Lhose whose envlronmenL requlres rapld adapLaLlon Lo fasLmovlng
evenLs elecLronlcs lnformaLlon sysLems and LelecommunlcaLlon lndusLrles for example
Companles uslng mosLly lncremenLal Lools (level 4) have managemenL LhaL percelves only a modesL
need for change ls relaLlvely rlskavoldanL has many consLralnLs on lLs acLlons and only has a
modesL consensus among Lhemselves on whaL Lo do lnsLead of focuslng on new opporLunlLles Lhey
wlsh Lo hone and clarlfy whaL Lhey already do 1ypes of lndusLrles LhaL ofLen use Lhese meLhods
lnclude Lhe mlllLary aerospace and unLll recenLly healLh care organlzaLlons 1hose organlzaLlons
whose sLraLeglc plannlng solely focuses on reflnlng an exlsLlng mlsslon sLaLemenL and
communlcaLlng Lhe paragraph also fall lnLo uslng lncremenLal (level 4) meLhods
When dlscusslng Lhe conLlnuum of sLrucLural vs lncremenLal change lLs lmporLanL Lo reallze LhaL
whaL labels companles use are noL lmporLanL here Cne musL carefully observe Lhelr acLlons Many
companles have slogans gllLLer recognlLlon programs and large budgeLs Lo provlde awareness
Lralnlng ln Lhe buzzword Lhey are aLLempLlng Lo lmplemenL 1he key however ls Lo noLe whaL
changes Lhey are really maklng lf managemenL ls mosLly fllllng Lralnlng sloLs wlLh dlslnLeresLed
workers and formlng a few process lmprovemenL Leams Lhey are uslng level Lhree meLhods lf Lhey
are conslderlng changes ln buslness llnes reorganlzlng by cusLomer lnsLead of by funcLlon or
maklng ma[or changes ln how Lhe everyday employee ls belng pald Lhey are uslng level 3 meLhods
unforLunaLely all of Lhls dlscusslon hlnges ln managemenLs bellef abouL how much change ls
necessary 1hls bellef ofLen hlnges on Lhelr ofLen unassessed bellefs of 1) how well Lhe organlzaLlon
performs compared Lo oLher organlzaLlons (a lack of benchmarklng) and 2) whaL Lhe fuLure wlll be
As a resulL my recommendaLlon ls LhaL organlzaLlons conducL scenarlo/sLraLeglc plannlng exerclses
(level 1) anyway even lf Lhey have already declded LhaL level 4 (lncremenLal) meLhods wlll sufflce Lo
solve Lhelr problems 1hls way managemenL can be aware of Lhe llmlLaLlons of Lhe lowerlevel
meLhods Lhey are uslng and reallze when lL ls besL Lo abandon Lhese lowerlevel meLhods for
someLhlng more subsLanLlve
8ased on Lhls exerclse comparlson of exlsLlng lnLernal processes wlLh worldclass examples
(benchmarklng) and markeL analysls managemenL may come Lo reallze how much change ls
necessary 1he greaLer Lhe gap beLween whaL Lhe organlzaLlon needs Lo be and how lL currenLly
operaLlons and whaL buslnesses lL ls ln Lhe more lL suggesLs LhaL greaLer change ls necessary and
greaLer resLrucLurlng ls necessary
1hls declslon ls very lmporLanL l8M ln Lhe mld 1980's felL LhaL Lhe fuLure would be much llke Lhe
pasL and a resulL dldnL have Lo change much 1hey dld noL reallze how much mlcrocompuLers would
replace Lhe funcLlons of Lhelr breadandbuLLer buslness Lhe malnframe 1he neL resulL was Lens of
Lhousands of people were lald off wlLh Lhe company sufferlng Lhe flrsL losses ln lLs hlsLory
oa|s
8ased on whaLever level work you are dolng Lhe opporLunlLles LhaL are found need Lo be evaluaLed
Lo deLermlne whlch of Lhem besL sulL Lhe exlsLlng and fuLure capablllLles of Lhe organlzaLlon and
provlde Lhe mosL bang for Lhe buck ln Lerms of lmprovemenL ln your measures of success ln
addlLlon goals need Lo have Lhe resources and managemenL deLermlnaLlon Lo see Lo Lhelr success
Coals also need Lo be SMA81 LhaL ls
Speclflc concreLe acLlon sLepbysLep acLlons needed Lo make Lhe goal succeed
Measurable observable resulLs from Lhe goals accompllshmenL
ALLalnable 1he goal ls boLh posslble and ls done aL Lhe rlghL Llme wlLh sufflclenL aLLenLlon and
resources
8eallsLlc 1he probablllLy of success ls good glven Lhe resources and aLLenLlon glven lL
1lmebound 1he goal ls achleved wlLhln a speclfled perlod of Llme ln a way LhaL Lakes advanLage of
Lhe opporLunlLy before lL passes you by

Some examples lnclude

We wlll expand lnLo Lhe polysLyrene markeL wlLhln Lhe nexL flve years and achleve 20 markeL
share"

We wlll decrease Lhe Llme from research Lo cusLomer dellvery by 30 wlLhln Lwo years

We wlll lncrease Lhe quallLy of our largesL producL by 20 ln Lhree years
Strateg|es
Where goals focus on f sLraLegles focus on Some examples lnclude
We wlll reenglneer our research and developmenL process"
We wlll evaluaLe and lmprove our sales and markeLlng deparLmenL"
We wlll conducL a SWC1 analysls and Lhen deflne our core compeLencles

AddlLlonal examples of sLraLegles are lncluded ln Lhe Movlng from Lhe luLure Lo your SLraLegy
chapLer
WalL a second ArenL goals and sLraLegles really Lhe same 1hey are ln one sense as Lhey boLh need
Lo be SMA81 As whaL you mlghL guess Lhe goals of a level are achleved by creaLlng sLraLegles aL Lhe
lower levels
1he Measurement System
WlLhouL measures of success Lhe organlzaLlon does noL know lf lL has succeeded ln lLs efforLs
Someone once sald WhaL geLs measured geLs lmproved" Someone else sald lf you don'L know
where you are golng any road wlll geL you Lhere"
lor more lnformaLlon on measuremenL sysLems and Lhelr place ln organlzaLlonal change please see
Lhe 8alanced Scorecard arLlcle along wlLh a number of arLlcles where employee surveys are used
Imp|ementat|on and Crgan|zat|ona| Change
1he success of any organlzaLlonal change efforL can be summed lnLo an equaLlon

Success MeasuremenL x MeLhod x ConLrol x locused erslsLence x Consensus
Llke any equaLlon wlLh mulLlpllcaLlon a hlgh value of one varlable can compensaLe for lower levels
on oLher varlables Also llke any equaLlon wlLh mulLlpllcaLlon lf one varlable equals 0 Lhe resulL ls
zero
Cn emp|oyee |nvo|vement
Some organlzaLlons lnvolve employees rlghL from Lhe sLarL where Lhey have slgnlflcanL lnfluence ln
Lhe sLraLeglc plan of Lhe organlzaLlon 1hls klnd of lnvolvemenL Lends Lo reduce employees'
reslsLance whlch ls always a very lmporLanL facLor ln Lhe success of any organlzaLlonal change Such
organlzaLlons as LaLon LasLman Chemlcal and 8ohm and Paas have used such an approach
Such employee lnvolvemenL however mlghL also be LhreaLenlng Lo managemenL's LradlLlonal
power Some organlzaLlons declde employee lnvolvemenL wlll be llmlLed Lo lmplemenLlng Lhe
sLraLeglc declslons managemenL makes or furLher llmlL lnvolvemenL Lo purely Laskfocused Leams
worklng on Lechnlcal problems Many aerospace organlzaLlons have used Lhls approach
Iocused pers|stence good pro[ect management and the sequence of |mp|ementat|on
1he sequence of lmplemenLaLlon ls also an lmporLanL facLor 1here are four baslc opLlons wlLh
many varlaLlons of Lhem 1he flrsL lnvolves Lhe enLlre organlzaLlon from Lhe sLarL wlLh Lhe whole
organlzaLlon lnLenslvely worklng aL once on maklng Lhe change lord MoLor Company ls currenLly
resLrucLurlng lLs enLlre organlzaLlon movlng from plannlng Lo lmplemenLaLlon ln nlne monLhs
AnoLher opLlon ls a more relaxed approach ln whlch dlvlslons or buslness unlLs of Lhe organlzaLlon
go aL Lhelr own pace 1hls opLlon can ofLen become an lncremenLal approach llke Lhe flrsL or second
vlllage Many conglomeraLes or oLher companles wlLh dlverse operaLlons Lry Lhls approach
A Lhlrd opLlon ls slmllar Lo Lhe prevlous one wlLh Lhe focus belng on lndlvldual buslness unlLs dolng
Lhe lmplemenLaLlon ln Lhls case however buslness unlLs lmplemenL roughly Lhe same Lhlngs ln
roughly Lhe same Llme schedule unlsys Lhe compuLer company ls uslng Lhls meLhod on some of lLs
organlzaLlonal change efforLs
A fourLh opLlon ls Lo creaLe a plloL pro[ecL ln one dlvlslon or buslness unlL learn from lLs mlsLakes
and Lhen apply Lhose lessons Lo Lhe resL of Lhe organlzaLlon Lxamples of Lhls opLlon lnclude Lhe
SaLurn car faclllLy aL Ceneral MoLors and Lhe Lnfleld planL of ulglLal LqulpmenL CorporaLlon lL's
lmporLanL Lo noLe here LhaL creaLlng plloL pro[ecLs ls a hlghrlsk buslness ln boLh cases Lhe lessons
learned from Lhese plloL pro[ecLs have noL galned wldespread accepLance ln Lhelr parenL companles
due Lo Lhelr heavlly lngralned culLures



Today, teams and organizations face rapid change like never before. Globalization has
increased the markets and opportunities for more growth and revenue. However,
increasingly diverse markets have a wide variety of needs and expectations that must be
understood if they are to become strong customers and collaborators. Concurrently,
scrutiny of stakeholders has increased as some executives have been convicted of illegal
actions in their companies, and the compensation of executives seems to be increasing
while wages of others seems to be decreasing or leveling off. Thus, the ability to manage
change, while continuing to meet the needs of stakeholders, is a very important skill
required by today's leaders and managers.

FOUNDATIONS FOR MANAGING CHANGE IN
ORGANIZATIONS
Introduction
Why Is It Critical for Leaders and Managers to Be Successful at
Organizational Change? Because It's Their Job
Significant organizational change occurs, for example, when an organization changes its
overall strategy for success, adds or removes a major section or practice, and/or wants
to change the very nature by which it operates. It also occurs when an organization
evolves through various life cycles, just like people must successfully evolve through life
cycles. For organizations to develop, they often must undergo significant change at
various points in their development. That's why the topic of organizational change and
development has become widespread in communications about business, organizations,
leadership and management.
Leaders and managers continually make efforts to accomplish successful and significant
change -- it's inherent in their jobs. Some are very good at this effort (probably more
than we realize), while others continually struggle and fail. That's often the difference
between people who thrive in their roles and those that get shuttled around from job to
job, ultimately settling into a role where they're frustrated and ineffective. There are
many schools with educational programs about organizations, business, leadership and
management. Unfortunately, there still are not enough schools with programs about how
to analyze organizations, identify critically important priorities to address (such as
systemic problems or exciting visions for change) and then undertake successful and
significant change to address those priorities. This Library topic aims to improve that
situation.
Don't Do Change for the Sake of Change -- Do Change to Enhance
Organizational Performance
Organizational change is undertaken to improve the performance of the organization or a
part of the organization, for example, a process or team. Therefore, it's very useful for
the reader to scan the topic Organizational Performance in the Library, to get a basic
sense of an overall framework to enhance the performance of an organization. Then
return to this topic on organizational change to learn more about how to guide successful
change within that framework.
ocus and Scope of This Library Topic
The focus of this Library topic is on principles and practices to successfully accomplish
significant change in organizations.Successful organizational change can be quite difficult
to accomplish -- it can be like trying to change a person's habits. Fortunately, there is an
increasing body of research, practice and tools from which we all can learn. A major goal
of this Library topic is to make this body of information much more accessible to many --
to give the reader more clear perspective on overall organizational change and
development, along with sufficient understanding to begin applying principles and
practices for successful change in their roles and organizations.
The following resources are not sufficient to guide a large, comprehensive and detailed
organizational change effort -- that amount of resources comprises a significantly sized
book -- and besides, there is no standard procedure for guiding change. However, the
following resources might be sufficient to provide the reader at least a framework that
takes him or her from which to begin guiding change in smaller efforts for organizational
change -- and then to begin to learn more.
There are many approaches to guiding change -- some planned, structured and explicit,
while others are more organic, unfolding and implicit. Some approaches work from the
future to the present, for example, involving visioning and then action planning about
how to achieve that vision. Other approaches work from the present to the future, for
example, identifying current priorities (issues and/or goals) and then action planning
about to address those priorities (the action research approach is one example).
Different people often have very different -- and strong -- opinions about how change
should be conducted. Thus, it is likely that some will disagree with some of the content
in this topic. That's what makes this topic so diverse, robust and vital for us all.

road Context for Organizational Change and Development
&nderstanding Organizations, Leadership and Management
To really understand organizational change and begin guiding successful change efforts,
the change agent should have at least a broad understanding of the context of the
change effort. This includes understanding the basic systems and structures in
organizations, including their typical terms and roles. This requirement applies to the
understanding of leadership and management of the organizations, as well. That is why
graduate courses in business often initially include a course or some discussion on
organizational theory. This topic includes several links to help you gain this broad
understanding. The following links (broadly reviewed in the following order) might be
helpful to establish some sense about organizations, and their leadership and
management.
Introduction to Organizations (to get a sense for the system, forms, roles and
structures)
Introduction to Leadership (to get a sense for what leadership is, its scope, and where it
might fit during change)
Introduction to Management (to get a sense about planning, organizing and controlling
resources)
&nderstanding Organizational Performance Management
Organizational change should not be conducted for the sake of change. Organizational
change efforts should be geared to improve the performance of organizations and the
people in those organizations. Therefore, it's useful to have some understanding of what
is meant by "performance" and the various methods to manage performance in
organizations.
asics of Performance Management
Employee Performance Management
Group Performance Management
Organizational Performance Management
It's also to have some sense of what it takes for an organization to be sustainable. See
Organizational Sustainability
Systems Thinking
The past few decades have seen an explosion in the number of very useful tools to help
change agents to effectively explore, understand and communicate about organizations,
as well as to guide successful change in those organizations. Tools from systems theory
and systems thinking especially are a major breakthrough. Even if the change agent is
not an expert about systems theory and thinking, even a basic understanding can
cultivate an entire new way of working. The following link is to many well-organized
resources about systems thinking and tools.
Systems Thinking
In that topic, the subtopic, Systems Thinking in Organizations, is particularly useful to
understand.

Professionalism for Practitioners Focused on Organizational
Change and Development
bout the ield of Organization Development (OD)
The field of Organization Development is focused on improving the effectiveness of
organizations and the people in those organizations. OD has a rich history of research
and practice regarding change in organizations. Why not learn from that history? This
topic includes links for the reader to get a basic understanding of the overall purpose of
the field and also provides many resources from which to learn more.
About the Field of Organization Development (OD)
&nderstanding Yourself as an Instrument of Change
Your nature and the way you choose to work has significant impact on your client's
organization, whether you know it or not. You cannot separate yourself from your client's
organization, as if you are some kind of detached observer. You quickly become part of
your client's system -- the way the people and processes in the organization work with
each other on a recurring basis. Thus, it is critical that you have a good understanding of
yourself, including your biases (we all have them), how you manage feedback and
conflict, how you like to make decisions and solve problems, how you naturally view
organizations, your skills as a consultant, etc. The following articles will help you gain
understanding of yourself, how you might prefer to work and how you actually work.
Understanding Yourself as Instrument of Change (ends with a self-assessment)
Consulting -- Professionalism and Ethics
Nowadays, with the complex challenges faced by organizations and the broad diversity of
values, perspectives and opinions among the members of those organizations, it's vital
that change agents work from a strong set of principles to ensure they operate in a
highly effective and ethical manner.
efore reviewing the resources listed below, do a quick can of the list of subtopics in the
overall topic of Consulting to get a sense for the broad field of consulting, because
people who work to guide and support organizational change are consultants. SeeAll
About Consulting
Principles for Effective Consulting
Ethical Consulting
oundaries for Consultants
Multicultural Consulting
Minimize Consulting Liabilities and Risk
Overview of Change Management
Clearing &p the Language bout Organizational Change and
Development
There are several phrases regarding organizational change and development that look
and sound a lot alike, but have different meanings. As a result of the prominence of the
topic, there seems to be increasingly different interpretations of some of these phrases,
while others are used interchangeably. Without at least some sense of the differences
between these phrases, communications about organizational change and development
can be increasingly vague, confusing and frustrating.
Cleaning Up the Language About Organizational Change and Development
n Orientation to Change Management
The following links are to articles that together provide an increasingly comprehensive
and detailed orientation to change management.
asic Overview of Organizational Change
iggest Mistakes in Managing Change
Requirements for Successful Organizational Change
Change Management 101
Education Systemic Change Tools
Specific Types of Organizational Change
There are different overall types of organizational change, including planned versus
unplanned, organization-wide versus change primarily to one part of the organization,
incremental (slow, gradual change) versus transformational (radical, fundamental), etc..
Knowing which types of change you are doing helps all participants to retain scope and
perspective during the many complexities and frequent frustrations during change. Read
the following article to understand more about each type of change.
Types of Organizational Change
The following articles provide another perspective on types of change.
The Three Shades of Change
Coping With Type I Change
Managing Type II Change
Key Roles During Change Management
Successful change efforts often include several key roles, including the initiator,
champion, change agent, sponsor and leaders. The following article describes each of
these roles.
Major Roles During Change and Capacity uilding
Organization-wide change in corporations should involve the oard of Directors. Whether
their members are closely involved in the change or not, they should at least be aware of
the change project and monitor if the results are being achieved or not.
How to Make Sure the oard of Directors Participates in the Project for Change
As the change agent, you might be performing different roles during the project. The
following article might help you decide which role to perform.
How to Know When to Facilitate, Train or Coach
Example of a Philosophy and Some Perspectives and Models rom
Which to Manage Change
This section helps the reader to appreciate the diversity of ways that people can
approach the management of change in organizations.
ppreciative Inquiry -- Example of Overall Philosophy rom Which to Manage
Change
Appreciative Inquiry is a recent and powerful breakthrough in organizational change and
development. It's based on the philosophy that "problems" are often caused as much by
our perception of them as problems as by other influencing factors. The philosophy has
spawned a strong movement that, in turn, has generated an increasing number of
models, tools and tips, most of which seem to build from the positive perceptions
(visions, fantasies, wishes and stories) of those involved in the change effort.
Appreciative Inquiry
'arious Perspectives rom Which to Manage Change
The following articles provide ways or perspectives from which to manage change.
Four Change Management Strategies
An Educational Process for Change and Improvement Efforts
'arious Models for Change Management
There are numerous well-organized approaches (or models) from which to manage a
change effort. Some of the approaches have been around for many years -- we just
haven't thought of them as such. For example, many organizations undertake strategic
planning. The implementation of strategic planning, when done in a systematic, cyclical
and explicit approach, is strategic management. Strategic management is also one
model for ensuring the success of a change effort. The following links provide more
perspectives on approaches to managing change. (Note that, with the maturation of the
field of OD, there are now more strong opinions about which are change management
approaches and which are not -- there seems to be no standard interpretation yet.)
Strategic Management (systematic, explicit implementation of a strategic plan)
Action Research (probably the most popular approach -- and much more familiar than
we realize)
Plan Do Check Act (this approach also is quite common)
Lewin's Freeze Phases
McKinsey 7S Model
Many people would agree that traditional models of organizational performance
management are also models for managing change.
Examples of Organizational Performance Management Systems
'arious Perspectives on Organizational Change
There is now a vast array of highly reflective articles about the nature of change. Many
of these articles focus primarily on the role of leaders during change. However, it's not
likely that the reader can gain useful frameworks for change primarily from reading
numerous reflective articles, so be sure to review at least some of the other articles in
each subtopic in this overall Library topic. You can learn a lot about the overall design
and approaches to change even by scanning how the subtopics are organized in this
topic, as listed at the top of this page.
Role of Change gent
Here We Are. Now What?: Tips for Change Agents in 2011
Change Agents: The Power ehind Effective Change Management
Harnessing the Energy of Change Champions
Change Agents: The Power ehind Effective Change Management
Jack Griffin's Ouster: Lessons from a Failed "Change Agent"
Organization Change: Learning from the est
Reflections on Change
Teaching the Caterpillar to Fly
Reflections on Change
Change Is Not Necessary?
The Case for Change Management
I Hate Change and So Do You
Leader to Leader: Fall 1996
Conserving Our est During Change
actors of Change
Seven Drivers Of Organizational Success
Factors of Change
Guidelines for Change
Six Keys to Changing Almost Anything
Hard Side of Change Management
Getting Commitment to Change
Top Down or ottom Up Approaches to Change
Managing Change More Effectively
Improvement Planning for Taking Charge of Change
Implementing Successful & Sustainable Change
alancing Top-Down and ottom-Up Change Processes
Change Management and Employee Communication Strategies
Four Ways to Increase the Urgency Needed for Change
Change Model 3: John Kotter's 8 Steps of Leading Change
7 Dimensions: Principal Skills of Change Facilitators
Change As Influence: How to Get the Attention of Deniers, Followers, Dreamers, and
Leaders?
6 Lessons for Successful Change Implementation
You Don't Need an Empire to uild Strength for Change
Effective Communication: Getting Everyone On oard The Change Train

Example of a Planned, Systemic Change Process -- Action

Research
A typical planned, systemic (and systematic) organizational development process often
follows an overall action research approach (as described below). There are many
variations of the action research approach, including by combining its various phases
and/or splitting some into more phases. This section provides resources that are
organized into one variation of the action research approach. Note that the more
collaborative you are in working with members of the organization during the following
process, the more likely the success of your overall change effort.
Phase 1: Start-&p -- Clarifying Expectations and Roles, ssessing
Readiness, RP and Contracts, Getting Buy-In
This phase is sometimes called the "Contracting" and/or "Entry" phase. This phase is
usually where the relationship between you (the initial change agent) and your client
starts, whether you are an external or internal consultant. Experts assert that this phase
is one of the most - if not the most - important phases in the organizational change
process. Activities during this stage form the foundation for successful organizational
change. The quality of how this phase is carried out usually is a strong indicator of how
the project will go.
Types of Clients (this helps answer the critical question: "Who is the current client?")
Defining Project "Success"
Assessing Client's Readiness for Change
Whole Field Assessment And The Change Readiness Checklist
Example of an Entry Conversation etween Consultant and Client
Requests for Proposals, Proposals and Contracts
efore You Can Get uy-In, People Need to Feel the Problem
Here are some useful skills for the change agent to have at this point in the process.
Interviewing
Listening
Non-Verbal Communications
Questioning
uilding Trust
Phase 2: Joint Discovery to Identify Priorities for Change
The more collaborative the change agent is in working with members of the client's
organization, the more likely that the change effort will be successful. Your client might
not have the resources to fully participate in all aspects of this discovery activity -- the
more participation they can muster, the better off your project will be.
Whether you are an external or internal change agent in this project, you and your client
will work together during this phase to understand more about the overall priority of the
change effort and how you all can effectively address it. It might be a major problem in
the organization or an exciting vision to achieve. Together, you will collect information,
analyze it to identify findings and conclusions, and then make recommendations from
that information. Sometimes the data-collection effort is very quick, for example,
facilitating a large planning meeting. Other times, the effort is more extensive, for
example, evaluating an entire organization and developing a complete plan for change.
The nature of discovery also depends on the philosophy of the change agent and client.
For example, subscribers to the philosophy of Appreciative Inquiry (referenced above)
might conduct discovery, not by digging into the number and causes of problems in the
organization, but by conducting interviews to discover the visions and wishes of people
in the organization.
Sometimes, people minimize the importance of - or altogether skip - this critical
discovery phase, and start change management by articulating an ambitious and
comprehensive vision for change. Many would argue that it is unethical to initiate a
project for organizational change without fully examining (or discovering) the current
situation in the client's organization. Focusing most of the change efforts on achieving a
robust vision, without at least some careful discovery, often can be harmful to your
client's organization because your project can end up dealing with symptoms of any
current issues, rather than the root causes. Also, the project could end up pushing an
exciting vision that, while initially inspiring and motivating to many, could be completely
unrealistic to achieve -- especially if the organization already has many current, major
issues to address. Therefore, when working to guide change in an organization that
already is facing several significant issues, you are usually better off to start from where
your client is at -- that usually means conducting an effective discovery to identify
priorities for change.
Preparation -- Establishing a Project Team
One of the most powerful means to cultivate collaboration is by working with a project
team. esides, no change agent sees all aspects of the situation in the organization --
team members help to see more of those various aspects.
Establish the Project Team
Team uilding
Joint Planning and Conducting Data Collection
asic Research Methods (planning, selecting, methods, etc., to collect data about
performance)
Designing Assessment and Evaluation Tools (to evaluate during and at end of project)
Diagnostic Models (these sometimes suggest what data to collect)
Organizational Assessments (tools to assess current performance)
Selecting from Among Publicly Available Assessments
Some Common Types of Data to Collect
Some Sources of Data and Methods to Collect that Data
Joint nalysis of Research Results
Analyzing, Interpreting and Reporting Results
Diagnostic Models (these can guide the overall analysis and also suggest findings)
Systems Thinking (see recognize overall patterns, cycles, themes in the data)
Critical Thinking (for more robust analysis of data)
Problem Solving (for means to make conclusions, etc., from data)
Maximum Performance -- Different Things to Different People
Joint Generation of indings and Conclusions
Decision Making (to make final recommendations)
Some Types of Issues Reported, or Found from Data, in Nonprofits
Some Types of Issues Reported, or Found from Data, in For-Profits
Writing Reports
Communications (Writing Research Findings and Recommendations)
Joint Sharing of indings and Recommendations in Client's Organization
Meeting Management (if recommendations shared in a meeting)
Group Facilitation
Presenting
Sharing Feedback
Managing Group Conflict
Handling Difficult People
Negotiating
Phase 3: Joint Planning of Organizational Development ctivities to
ddress Priorities
In the previous phase about discovery, you and your client conducted research,
discovered various priorities that needed attention, generated recommendations to
address those priorities, and shared your information with others, for example, in a
feedback meeting. Part of that meeting included discussions - and, hopefully, decisions -
about the overall mutual recommendations that your client should follow to in order
address the priorities that were identified by you and your client during your discovery.
This phase is focused on further clarifying those recommendations, along with
developing them into various action plans. The various plans are sometimes integrated
into an overall change management plan. Thus, the early activities in this phase often
overlap with, and are a continuation of, the activities near the end of the earlier
discovery phase. This is true whether you are an external or internal consultant. Action
plans together can now provide a clear and realistic vision for change. They provide the
"roadmap" for managing the transition from the present state to the desired future state.
Development of the various action plans is often an enlightening experience for your
client as members of their organization begin to realize a more systematic approach to
their planning and day-to-day activities. As with other activities during change
management, plans can vary widely in how they are developed. Some plans are very
comprehensive and systematic (often the best form used for successful change). Others
are comprised of diverse sections that are expected to somehow integrate with each
other. Subscribers to the philosophy of Appreciative Inquiry (referenced above) might do
planning by building on past positive outcomes and on the strengths of members of the
organization.
Selecting Organizational Development ctivities to ddress the indings from
Discovery
NOTE: A following section in this topic, Possible Organizational Development Activities
("Interventions") to Use in Change Management Activities, includes many other
examples of activities (or "interventions") for organizational change and development.
During this phase, you might select one or more of those activities from that section, as
well.
Some Types of Capacity uilding in For-Profit Organizations (and how clients choose
them)
Some Types of Capacity uilding in Nonprofit Organizations (and how clients choose
them)
Joint Development of ction Plans
asic Guidelines to Successful Planning
Visioning (in context of strategic planning, but applies to change management, too)
Setting Goals
Action Planning
Joint Development of Evaluation Plans
asic Guide to Program Evaluation (is also relevant to projects -- use to develop
evaluation plans)
Joint Development of Learning Plans
Complete Guidelines to Design Your Training Plan (to capture the learnings during the
project)
Phase 4: Change Management and Joint Evaluation
During this phase, emphasis is on sustaining and evaluating the change effort, including
by addressing resistance that arises from members of the organization -- and sometimes
in the change agent, as well.
Client's Ongoing Communication of ction Plans
asics of Writing and Communicating Plans (in context of strategic planning, but applies
to change management plans, too)
asics of Internal Organizational Communications (to communicate the actions plans)
Client's Implementation of ction Plans
Project Management (to manage implementation of the action plans)
asics of Monitoring, Evaluating and Deviating from Plan (in context of strategic
planning, but applies to change management plans, too)
Client and Change gent Maintain Momentum During Change
Motivating Others (e.g., to implement the changes and action plans)
Coaching (e.g., to clarify and achieve goals, and learn at the same time)
Delegating (e.g., for leaders and supervisors to ensure action plans are implemented)?
Dealing with resistance (scroll down to the section, "Resistance to change")
Stress Management
Joint Evaluation of Project ctivities and Desired Results
Evaluation occurs both to the quality of implementation of plans so far during the project
and also regarding the extent of achievement of desired results from the project. Results
might be whether certain indicators of success have been achieved, all issues have been
addressed, a vision of success has been achieved, action plans have been implemented
and/or leaders in the organization agree the project has been successful.
asic Guide to Program Evaluation (use to conduct evaluations during and at the end of
the project)
As part of the final evaluation, you might redo some of the assessments that you used
during the discovery phase in order to measure the difference made by the project.
84800
Evaluation (in Training and Development)
If the Project Gets Stuck
During this phase, if the implementation of the plans gets stalled for a long time, for
example, many months, then you might cycle back to an earlier phase in the process in
order to update and restart the change management project. Projects can get stuck for a
variety of reasons, e.g., if the overall situation changes (there suddenly are new and
other priorities in the client's organization), people succumb to burnout, key people
leave the organization, the relationship between the consultant and client changes, or
people refuse to implement action plans.
Project Termination
(Many times, this activity is defined as a separate phase in the project plan.) These
activities are very important to address, even if all participants agree that the project
has been successful and no further activities are needed. Project termination activities
recognize key learnings from the project, acknowledge the client's development, and
identify next steps for you and your client. They also help to avoid "project creep" where
tThe field of Organization Development uses a variety of processes, approaches,
methods, techniques, applications, etc., (these are often termed "interventions") to
address organizational issues and goals in order to increase performance. The following
partial list of interventions is organized generally in the order presented by Cummings
and Worley in their "Organization Development and Change" (West Publishing, 1993).
The following types of interventions are often highly integrated with each other during a
project for change.
How People Choose Organizational Development ctivities
There are no standard activities that always successfully address certain types of issues
in organizations. Many times, the success of a project lies not with having selected the
perfect choice of activities, but rather with how honest and participative people were
during the project, how much they learned and how open they were to changing their
plans for change.
However, there are some basic considerations that most people make when selecting
from among the many choices for organizational development, or capacity building,
activities. Considerations include:
1. First, does the change-management method (if one was used) suggest what
organizational development activities to use now, for example, the method of
strategic management might suggest that a SWOT analysis be done, strategic
goals be established along with action plans for each goal, and then
implementation of the action plans be closely monitored.
2. Is the activity most likely to address the findings from the discovery, that is, to
solve the problems or achieve the goals? To find out, review any research about
use of the activity, discuss the potential outcomes with experts and also with
members of the organization. Consider posing your questions in online groups of
experts about change.
3. Does the nature of the activity match the culture of the organization? The best
way to find out is to discuss the activity with members of the organization.
4. Does the change agent and key members of the organization have the ability to
conduct the activity? For example, technostructural and strategic interventions
sometimes require technical skills that are not common to many people.
5. Does the activity require more time to conduct than the time available in which to
address the problem or goal? For example, a cash crisis requires immediate
attention, so while a comprehensive strategic planning process might ultimately
be useful, the four to five months to do that planning is impractical.
6. Does the client's organization have the resources that are necessary to conduct
the activity, considering resources such as funding, attention and time from
people and facilities.
The following article provides another set of considerations.
Four Change Management Strategies (scroll to near the bottom of the article)
Management for You: Interventions for Change
efore you and your client select types of interventions for the project, be aware of your
strong biases about how you view organizations. Without recognizing those biases, you
might favor certain types of interventions primarily because those are the only ones you
can readily see and understand, even if other types of interventions might be much more
effective in your project.
Understand the Preferred Lens Through Which You View Organizations
Human Process Interventions (Group and Individual Human
Relations)
With today's strong emphasis on humanistic values, the following interventions are
getting a great deal of attention and emphasis during efforts for change. They focus on
helping members of the organization to enhance themselves, each other and the ways in
which they work together in order to enhance their overall organization. Although the
types of interventions selected for a project depend on a variety of considerations and
the interventions in a project often are highly integrated with each other, the following
human process interventions might be particularly helpful during change projects in
organizations where there is some combination of the following: many new employees,
different cultures working together, many complaints among organizational members,
many conflicts, low morale, high turnover, ineffective teams, etc.
Guiding Individuals
Coaching
Counseling
Delegating
Leading
Morale (oosting)
Mentoring
Motivating
Group-Based
Conflict Management
Dialoguing
Group Facilitation
Group Learning
Self-Directed Work Teams
Large-Scale Interventions
Team uilding
Virtual Teams
Technostructural Interventions (Structures, Technologies, Positions,
etc.)
The following are examples of activities that focus on improving the performance of
organizations primarily by modifying structures, technologies, operations, procedures
and roles/positions in the organization. Although the types of interventions selected for a
project depend on a variety of considerations and the interventions in a project often are
highly integrated with each other, the following technostructural interventions might be
particularly helpful in the following kinds of situations: rapid growth but few internal
systems to sustain that growth, much confusion about roles, a new major technology or
process has been introduced, many complaints from customers, etc. These interventions
might also be useful in new organizations where internal operational systems must be
developed and implemented.
alanced Scorecard
usiness Process Re-Engineering
Downsizing and Outplacing
ISO9000
Management by Objectives
Organizing Staff
Organizing Tasks, Jobs and Roles
Six Sigma
Total Quality Management
Six Overlooked Keys to Organizational Alignment
Strategy First ... Then Structure
asic Principles of Organizational Design (Part 1 of 2)
asic Principles of Organizational Design (Part 2 of 2)
A Strategic Nonprofit Reorganization Plan
The Importance of Organizational Design and Structure
Human Resource Management Interventions (Individual and Group
Performance Management)
The following activities aim to enhance overall organizational performance by improving
the performance of individuals and groups within the organization. Performance is in
regard to setting goals, monitoring progress to the goals, sharing feedback, reinforcing
activities to achieve goals and dissuading those that don't. Performance also is in regard
to developing employees, including by enhancing their overall sense of well-being.
Although the types of interventions selected for a project depend on a variety of
considerations and the interventions in a project often are highly integrated, the
following human resource interventions might be particularly helpful in the following
kinds of situations: new organizational goals have been established, a major new system
or technology must be implemented in a timely fashion, many new employees, plans
don't seem to get implemented, productivity is low, ineffective teams, etc.
Employee Performance Management
Establishing Performance Goals
Performance Plans
Observation and Feedback
Evaluating Performance
Rewarding Performance
Recognizing Performance Problems ("Performance Gaps")
Performance Improvement / Development Plans
Staffing
Firing Employees
Employee Development
Career Development
Leadership Development Planning
Management Development Planning
Personal Development
Personal Productivity
Personal Wellness
Supervisory Development Planning
Training and Development
Employee Wellness Programs
Diversity Management
Drugs in the Workplace
Employee Assistance Programs
Ergonomics: Safe Facilities in the Workplace
HIV/AIDS in the Workplace
Personal Wellness
Preventing Violence in the Workplace
Safety in the Workplace
Spirituality in the Workplace
Strategic Interventions (Organization and Its External Environment)
The following activities focus especially on the organization and its interactions with its
external environment, and often involve changes to many aspects of the organization,
including employees, groups, technologies, products and services, etc. Although the
types of interventions selected for a project depend on a variety of considerations and
the interventions in a project often are highly integrated, the following strategic
interventions might be particularly helpful in the following kinds of situations: rapid
changes in the external environment, rapid or stagnant sales, significantly increased
competition, rapid expansion of markets, mergers and acquisitions, the need for quick
and comprehensive change throughout the organization, etc.
usiness Planning
Cultural Change
Large-Scale Interventions
Open Systems Planning
Organizational Alliances
Organizational Transformation
Strategic Planning

General Resources
Service Organizations ocused on Organizational Change and
Development
International Association of Facilitators
International Society for Performance Improvement
Institute for Cultural Affairs -- World-Wide
Midwest Facilitators' Network
National OD Network
Regional OD networks
Society for Human Resource Management
Online Groups
Online groups
Toolkits, Etc.
Change Management Resource Library
Organizational Change Resources
Change Management Toolbook
Managing Change
Bibliographies of Books bout Change Management
Here's several lists of books about OD, some of them seminal and foundational books.
ooks about OD and organizational change.
he project never ends because the requirements for success keep expanding.