strategic organizational change (management series ebook)

Management Series Publication

STRATEGIC �ORGANIZATIONAL

CHANGE A SIMPLIFIED APPROACH TO �

ENTERPRISE CHANGE MANAGEMENT

www.line-of-sight.com

Contents

Introduction Page 3

Simplifying Enterprise Change

Phase 1 Page 6

Assess Your Current State

Define Your Vision

Phase 2 Page 9

Design Your Strategy

Phase 3 Page 11

Implement Your Plan

Phase 4 Page 13

Reinforce the Change

Conclusion Page 15

Summary & Free Resources

strategic organizational change�a simplified approach to �

enterprise change management

2


Strategic Organizational Change�

Introduction


“ “Change management is an approach to transitioning individuals, teams and organizations to a desired future state.” – John P. Kotter

3


Your organization is changing. Strategic leaders both anticipate change AND plan ahead to manage the impact change will have on their organizations. Organizational change is necessary to transition an enterprise from its current state to a desired future state. Managing organizational change involves planning and implementing strategies to help individuals understand, accept, and embrace the changes in their business environment while maximizing the effectiveness of a change initiative. Enterprise Change Management focuses on building the organization’s change management competencies by systematically deploying specialized skills, tools and processes throughout the organization. The primary objective of Enterprise Change Management is to capitalize on the benefits of change initiatives while positioning the organization to reach its strategic goals. This e-book is designed to provide you with a high-level overview of a path towards initiating change management within your organization.



Enterprise

Program/ Project

Individual

4


VISION

• Current State • Sources of Change • Future State

STRATEGY

• Leadership • Processes • Structure • Skills • Projects

IMPLEMENTATION

• ECM Project Plan • CM Program Plan

REINFORCEMENT

• Shared Resources • Common Language • Consistent Application • Continuous Improvement

Albert Einstein said, “Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler.” Line of Sight agrees and our experience shows that complex problems often can be solved with simple solutions. Our change management process unlocks your solutions and moves your organization forward. Our four-phased approach to Enterprise Change Management needs leadership commitment and a sustained effort from a dedicated team to achieve success. VISION Assess your organization’s current state, sources of change and define your vision for the future STRATEGY Design your change strategy for leadership, processes, structure, skills and projects IMPLEMENTATION Develop and implement your change management plans REINFORCEMENT Support the change by collecting feedback and implementing corrective action



5



Phase One

Assess Your Current State & Define Your Vision

“ “Good business leaders create a vision, articulate the vision, passionately own the vision, and relentlessly drive it to completion.” ― Jack Welch

6



Assess Your Current State

Assess your organization's capacity for change by analyzing the following information: •  Residual effects of past changes, •  Management experience with change management, •  Change management organizational approaches, •  Learning programs, and •  Support structures and tools.

Review and catalog the various change initiatives underway across the organization and make note of the nature and scope of change, number of individuals impacted and the type of change (i.e., process, roles, merger).

This information will help you formulate your change approach.

Conduct a realistic assessment of your organization’s change culture and capacity; identify the various sources of change and the residual effects of past change initiatives.

Do your due diligence to understand your organization’s culture and value system. Conduct interviews, surveys and focus groups with a representative group of managers and employees to discern the organization’s change capacity and inclination toward resisting change.

! 7


Define a shared vision of the organization’s future state. Organize a group of key stakeholders from across the enterprise to define the desired future state of your organization’s change culture. Invite managers and employee representatives from a cross-section of the organization who will be impacted by the change to participate in facilitated sessions. The outputs of the sessions should include the vision statement along with objectives and goals for the future. Document any ideas for new or improved processes and programs.


Define Your Vision

Consider using an experienced facilitator to help you design, deliver, and document the session. A person focused on the meeting process and outcomes will allow your team to focus on achieving the session objectives.

!

8



Phase Two


“ “Change is the law of life and those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future.” – John F. Kennedy

“ “The world as we have created it is a process of our thinking. It cannot be changed without changing our thinking.” ― Albert Einstein

9


Tailor your organizational change management strategy to the unique characteristics of your organization. Analyze the outputs from the “visioning” phase; use the organizational assessment, vision and catalog of change initiatives to develop your change management strategy. Consider the following questions to cultivate and document your strategy:

•  What are some examples of successful change that we can leverage from your past or from other organizations?

•  How can we support change at the individual, business unit, and enterprise levels?

•  What do we need from our leaders and what do they need from us?

•  Where can we integrate change management and project management?



Apply change management best practices to formulate a strategy that fits the unique needs of your organization. Plan for risks, resistance, and minimize competing priorities. Earn the buy-in from key stakeholders.

! 10



Phase Three

Implement �Your Plan

“ “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed, citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” ― Margaret Mead

11


Form a team to lead your organizational change management effort. Your team should include representatives from across the organization, particularly from the business areas impacted by the change. As you select your Change Management Team, choose people who support the effort. They should have the influence and credibility within the organization to be an asset to the change initiative. Strong communication and training or mentoring skills are an advantage. Remember, successfully implementing your plan requires visible support from your executives, managers, and supervisors. Employees look to their managers for guidance navigating through change initiatives. Take the extra effort to secure their active and visible support for your initiative and keep them engaged throughout the process.


Implement Your Plan

Managers and supervisors are well-positioned to supply valuable feedback on the success of your plan; engage them early and often. Train managers on change management principles. Use their help to distribute communication messages and manage resistance.

!

12



Phase Four

Reinforce �The Change

“ “We now accept the fact that learning is a lifelong process of keeping abreast of change. And the most pressing task is to teach people how to learn.” – Peter Drucker

13



Reinforce the Change

Reinforce changes by regularly evaluating, diagnosing and implementing corrective actions. Anticipate change resistance. Learn to identify resistance warning signs and educate your team to look for common indications and take appropriate actions. EVALUATE – Use various methods to collect feedback from your employees –survey, meetings, web, e-mail, etc. DIAGNOSE – What is the source of the resistance? What are the knowledge gaps? CORRECT – Take action immediately! Address issues and resistance before they derail the change initiative. A comprehensive communication plan should address the unique needs of each stakeholder group and strive to provide accurate and timely information.

Rewards and incentives will reinforce positive change. Be creative and select motivators that are relevant and meaningful to the person(s) impacted by the change. !

14



Conclusion

Summary & Resources

“ “To improve is to change; to be perfect is to change often.” – Winston Churchill

15


Successful change at the organizational level requires a strategic approach with a dedicated team to ensure the benefits are realized and sustained. The path forward starts with identifying a vision of the future state which is tied to the organization’s strategic goals. The plan to achieve this vision must be tailored to the organization with strong sponsorship and buy-in from key stakeholders. Your change management plans must incorporate regular “check-ins” to collect feedback and implement corrective actions to respond to the resistance and risk that is inherent in all change initiatives.


Summary

VISION

• Current State • Sources of Change • Future State

STRATEGY

• Leadership • Processes • Structure • Skills • Projects

IMPLEMENTATION

• ECM Project Plan • CM Program Plan

REINFORCEMENT

• Shared Resources • Common Language • Consistent Application • Continuous Improvement

16


ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE INFOGRAPHIC A graphical overview of an organizational change management journey. Available at line-of-sight.com for sharing or click the graphic to the left to access it online. “WHO MOVED MY SPREADSHEET?” CHANGE MANAGEMENT PRESENTATION A brief presentation to introduce your team to the concept of change management by answering the following questions: •  What is Change Management? •  What does Change Resistance look like? •  What is your role in managing change?

Free Download: www.slideshare.net/line-of-sight


Free Resources

17


Sign-up for our blog at www.Line-of-Sight.com

Line of Sight Can Help Get Your Change Management Effort on Target

Our approach to change management leverages years of professional experience managing change for diverse organizations along with well-established best practices from global professional organizations. Line of Sight delivers management consulting services to government and industry. We consult with organizations that are serious about undergoing change. We bring discipline to projects, re-engineer business processes and help clients transform the management of their businesses.

6310 Stevens Forest Road Suite 110 Columbia, MD 21046 Web: www.Line-of-Sight.com E-mail: [email protected] Phone: 410.696.2610

18

strategic organizational change (management series ebook)

Business