When formal and informal stakeholders matter

Evidence Based Consultancy for organizational change with the whole system

PDW, 3 August 2012

Tonnie van der Zouwen

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AgendaPresentation (slide show and gallery):

How to involve the whole system in organizing change

What is Evidence Based Consultancy (EBC)?

How to develop an evidence based practical guide for a complex intervention for organisational change?

An example: Research on effectiveness of Large Scale Interventions (LSI), resulting in a practical guide and Client Information Leaflet (CIL)

Discussion in a World Café:

What do you see as pros and cons of EBC and the use of Practical Guides and CILs?

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What is LSI?

Large Scale Interventions (LSI) form a participative approach for change with the whole system (organisation and stakeholders).

On one or more occasions the whole system is invited into one room to work on strategic issues.

The task/issue determines what the system is: Who do you need for successful change?

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Top-down approach

“I have shared my vision, so now we have a shared vision”Cartoon by Mark de Koning

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Participative approach

Working interactively to build a shared vision on the system, looking for common ground for action

Cartoon by Mark de Koning

Architecture of an LSI process (example)

Some impressions of LSI processes

Systems

Issues and goals

Stakeholders

1. College: Discussing priorities for organizational development

Stakeholders: Teachers, managers, service employees, students,

board members

Planning group meeting: Preparing every step in the process

2. Twenty four primary schools: involving parents in school development

Stakeholders: Parents, teachers, directors, board members

3. Neighbourhood improvement

Stakeholders: Local government, police, citizens, community

associations

4. Local social care: simulation of client procedures

Stakeholders: Local government, clients, healthcare organizations,

volunteer workers, food suppliers

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When and how is LSI successful? Research opportunity

A disturbing gab between success stories in literature and my own experiences as a consultant and trainer of LSI methods

Growing use and abuse of participative change approaches for organisational change

Claim on “sustainable change” in literature, but hardly any research done on effectiveness on the longer term

Why Client Information Leaflets for medical treatments and financial products and not for consultancy interventions?

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Research question and aims

Main question: When and how is a Large Scale Intervention effective for sustainable change?

Sub questions:

What is LSI?

What is sustainable change?

How can sustainable change be observed in practice?

How can effectiveness of a complex intervention as LSI be evaluated?

How can evidence be translated into a practical guide for LSI?

Research ModelBased on the model “The elements of an intervention” of Jac Geurts et. al. 2006

Context/Task

Effectiveness

Client

Consultant

Intervention

MethodsLarge Scale Interventions

ConceptualisationConcepts

Relationships

Theory

Logic of feeling, Collective learning, Systems thinking,

SensemakingSustainable change

Results in : Insights

Results in: Insights

Selects& steers

Fills & deepens

Structure& steer

Structure& steer

Contribute to

OperationsActions & Events in LSI trajectories

LoadingCharacteristics of

the cases

Results in : Experiences

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Research design

A Naturalistic Inquiry, using multiple methods and sources

Looking for patterns that connect rather than linear causality

Deduction, induction and abduction

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Research phases and steps

1. Exploring the field: literature study, interviews, websites, documents, action research (participating in conferences and network), text analyses of documented cases

2. Developing an evaluation instrument: text analyses using an analytical framework (research model) approach

3. Testing the evaluation instrument: case study

4. Checking validity and usability of the practical guide: research conferences as member check

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Phase 1: Exploring the field

Goal: What is already known about LSI? What are success factors and effects?

Activities:

1. Field study: literature, websites, interviews with met founders and consultants, participation in conferences, membership of global networks, follow online conversations

2. Text analyses of ca. 50 articles with documented LSI cases

Results:

Description of “the state of the art of LSI”

List with success factors and effects, with observable indicators

Impressions of the exploring phase

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Phase 2: Building an evaluation instrument

How can effectiveness of LSI be evaluated?

1. Building a theoretical framework for sustainable change:

Non-sustainable change contributes to getting more and better work done (first order collective learning)

Sustainable change contributes to developing capacities for change (second order collective learning)

2. Developing an evaluation instrument based on audit methods used in quality management systems, such as ISO 9000: audit matrix, score tables, evaluation reports

Evaluation instrument

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Phase 3: Testing and improving the evaluation instrument

1. Testing of the instrument by reconstructing 3 cases, 2 years after the LSI: interviews, document reviews, artifacts

2. Improving the instrument

3. Developing a practical guide for LSI, using a model from medical practice: “The practical guide for identification, evaluation and treatment of overweight and obesity in adults”

4. Making an Executive Summary (Client Information Leaflet)

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Phase 4: Testing validity and usability of the guide

Is the practical guide correct, adequate and usable?

1. Two international Research conferences, with researchers, consultants and clients of LSI

2. Testing of the usability in 7 cases, by 4 master students Organisation Studies

3. Improving the guide

Impressions of the case study

Evaluation instrument

Impressions of the Research conference

Content practical guide to LSIExecutive Summary (Client Information Leaflet)

What is LSI?

What does LSI do?

Before using LSI, contra-indications

How to use LSI?

Possible risks

Expert Section: Guidelines for facilitation and evaluation

For assessment of preconditions before the start

For assessment of performance during the LSI

For evaluation of effectiveness after the LSI, with procedures and tools

Conclusions: Important principles of an LSI-trajectoy

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Situational approach: Making a good match of situation, change strategy and expectations

Success factors of LSILSI has to be worth the effort, stakeholders need each other for success

The system has to be ready for a participative approach, leaders are willing to take contributions of stakeholders seriously

Facilitators have to ‘cook with the principles’, making a good match between situation, task and design

The right people in the room, the choice of what the system is, is crucial

Expectation management is essential to build and keep trust

Sustainable change requires follow up: Focus on the larger change process (prolonged engagement), not on events

Effects of LSI

Better and faster implementation of change

Collective learning and changing continue, increased capacity to change

Communication is more direct (two way) and more constructive

More permeable boundaries: opening up the organisation, inviting diversity; focus on how good the system is; more systemic thinking

Increased reflective self awareness

More information

Book: Building an evidence based practical guide to Large Scale Interventions. Towards sustainable organisational change with the whole system

Article “Practice what you preach: Large group conferences as member check”

Training workshop ‘Effective use of LSI’: www.LargeScaleInterventions.com

What do you see as pros and cons of Evidence Based Consultancy and the use of practical guides?

Welcome to the EBC Café