The Change Process in an Organization
What steps do you follow to effectively create, implement and manage the reaction to change in your institution?
When considering implementing a change,I would start by setting the goals to be met and then I would design clearly the steps that can lead us to that point.Then I would set up a meeeting to talk to the employees about the problem, explaining how it is affecting us and what we are planning to do about it.And then I would encourage some reaction from them and use their input to better my initial plans
Betsy,
Before you begin with your goals it is important the stakeholders in your business understand a clear cut "Mission" of the company. Miission is the single most important solidifier for your employees. Mission is the common thread that ties everything together. I recall a company I worked with had their mission built around three topics. They were as follows:
1. Customer Service
2. Quality
3 Compliance with laws and regulations
As you write the goals you need to be sure you have the connection to the mission so all employees see the need for change and how it helps the mission of the company. If your goals don't match you should consider changing the mission. Which will require an entirely different development plan for your employees.
When you begin your communication plan it should include all forms of communication. (email, posters, verbal, committees etc.) Communications will need to be constant and with follow/ups for changes, progress and reinforcements.
When building this communication some employees will step to the front to be your champions. These are people who have accepted the ownership of the goals and are pursuing the acheivement of them. Champions can be used to train others and become the peer to peer relationships to bring others on board with the new ideas. They can be your sounding board to acceptance of the goals and report back any suggestions or concerns.
Be prepared to have your plan to be an ongoing plan with the ablity to adjust as you go forward with additional input, knowledge and fine tuning.
Gary
Employee involvement, communication, and follow up controls. Employee involvement is important, some call it buy-in, without involvement employees will not consider it their own and they will not champion the change. Once buy-in is achieved, communication is essential between all affected employees to make the change successful. Finally, follow up controls, it is important to have strong leadership to make sure change has been implemented correctly and that checks are in place to manage the change.
It is important to have both your internal and external stakeholders on board with the changes. As a company you need to make sure your changes are in tune with the mission with the company. It may be you will need to revisit the mission to make adjustments before the changes are announced. Questions you would ask as a leader is:
Does the mission match the changes?
Why change the mission?
What do your customers want?
Communicate the values of change and why.
Employee ownership is essential to the implementation of the new program.
Employee feedback is very important to change in our institution. Since implementing various changes some employees are resisters and some are not. After completing this training it has really helped me in understanding how to handle employees, who for various reasons, are not willing to implement change. My reaction has not helped with them wanting to implement the change. I need to listen more.
Paula,
The main attitude to move employees is to stay positive. Those that are saboteurs will tire out with positive attitude and leave.
Dr. Gary Carlson
Thank you. Hopefully they will also see the employees that are open to change and how change has positively affected them. We have some passionate employees that want change, especially when it helps our students in their learning process.
I especially like the Personal Well-Being section in this training. Sometimes we forget to do this. Again thank you.
Paula,
Each of us do a better job when our mental and physical state is healthy.
Dr. Gary Carlson
I am presently experiencing this now in my company and the first thing was to articulate what the change is, and why it is necessary, and how the organization, students and employees would benefit from the change. After they got a better understanding of the change, I involved them in the implementation changes that we had to make, (cost-cutting). This made them feel a part of the change and as a result, there has been little or no resisters.
Maple,
Good for you, you have handled this very well. When participants and stakeholders have ownership in the change and the growth process they adapt much faster. It is always a possibility there will be a saboteur in the mix but if your positives out weigh the negative the saboteurs will disappear. Positive out weighs negatives.
Dr. Gary Carlson
I think the first step is analyze the issue to make sure that change is really really necessary and will significantly improve the effectiveness of the organization. If change is determined to be what is needed to accomplish the objective then I think the next step is to communicate the reason for the change to the entire organization. I then like to use the TQM approach and establish a committee of representatives from all areas to meet regularly and craft a solution that will help the organization arrive at the desired destination. The committee should report to management regularly to review progress. This progress should then be communicated throughout the organization so that everyone is aware of what has been accomplished and what still needs to be done. Once complete a date for implementation should then be announced.
Bill,
You are correct with the involvement of the people. The more ownership in the process by your people helps the implementation. It is a fact the better you plan in the front end the more likely your change will be successful. Keeping a positive attitude and surrounding yourself with positive leaders helps to overcome any sabatours to the process. If the project is large it is well to use some pilot to take out any kinks that may exist and only verifies the need for the change. You seem to have this one well in hand. Good job.
Dr. Gary Carlson
I joined my current institution eight months ago and I acknowledged that it was a big change for my team. During my on-boarding there were challenges discussed and changes that the President wanted to see happen. I was strategic in my planning and purposeful in my actions; delaying the changes that were being impressed upon our departments by outside constituents. Instead, I took time to let my team get to know me and for me to get to know each individual within my departments. After establishing a common understanding and better perspective on the current practices I encouraged my team to drive change. It took a while for the team to get on board; they had experienced resistance and conflict surrounding previous change efforts. Once we had some small successes, they started to open up and share more about their ideas for improvement and growth. We are now in the midst of substantial change efforts and the focus has turned more to anticipating and managing reactions from the larger community. The changes that were stressed to me when I first started have for the most part been resolved, but generated and driven from inside the department instead of being a directive from me. It has been a great experience and we are looking forward to continued success in our current change initiatives.
Katie,
You have explained the best scenario for team work. By your leadership you have created people who now practice critical thinking and problem solving.
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Dr. Gary Carlson
The guidelines I like to follow to implementing change are:
1. Management Support for Change
2. Case for Change.
3. Employee Involvement
4. Communicating the Change
5. Implementation
6. Follow-up (KEY)
7. Removing Barriers
8. Celebrate
Clayton ,
These are great coaching techniques. The ability to get all of these accomplished creates a great team atmosphere. You can take on great challenges with your people when you can get them all on the same path with expectations and outcomes.
Dr. Gary Carlson
Our organization is experiencing this right now. Significant changes are occurring which challenge both faculty and students. As a manager I have found patience, a good listening ear, and a positive attitude to be effective. Though some of the changes are still causing stress, as I listen and acknowledge people’s concerns, they tend to leave the conversation with a better attitude. Most people are at least now willing to give the changes a try and are now making plans to work with the changes instead of against them.
Before implementing a change, it is important to make sure that all stakeholders from the top down understand the reason behind the change. It is important to hear concerns or excitement about the change. Change should always be for the betterment of the company and not just a personal preference.
Michelle,
When implementation is important for change we need to know what the expectations are from the change. Each person will play a role in the change and the benefits from the change.
Dr. Gary Carlson
