Creating and Implementing Change That Sticks

Creating and Implementing Change that Sticks

There are eight critical steps for implementing organizational change. Today organizations deal with a variety of changes such as restructurings, technologies, globalization and new strategies. The key to organizational success is learning how to effectively handle and adapt to such changes. Large scale change is successful when it occurs in eight stages: pushing urgency up, putting together a guiding team, creating strategies and visions, removing barriers, accomplishing short term wins, continuous pushing and improvement and creating a new culture. In this analysis I will only discuss the following three stages: putting together a guiding team, creating a vision, and creating new culture that sticks. Although I will only be discussing three of these stages it is important to note that each stage faces the challenge of altering people behaviors. In order to implement change there must be an analysis of what behaviors there are and the need for a significant shift in what people do. The requirement for change will always be present in an ever changing environment. To succeed in the ever changing world change must be part of the mangers job. Leaders must be in tune to the eight critical steps to successfully implement change throughout the organization.

Successful organizational change works when a team becomes a cohesive and collaborative team. There must be cohesiveness within the organization beginning with those at the top of the chain of command. Within the small non-profit I work for there was little cohesion in the beginning. The executive Director and the founding Board members often had a difference in opinions. The Executive Director realized that in order to move forward they needed to come together and form a cohesive group. A strategist was hired to help the Board of Directors to be a guiding force for the program. The strategist took on the leadership role and exerted influence over both the Board of Directors and the Executive Director. According to Kotter and Cohen a guiding group has two characteristics: It is made up of the right people and it demonstrates teamwork (Kotter & Cohen, 43). Groups need to consist of individuals with the appropriate skills, leadership capacity, organizational credibility, and the connections to handle organizational change. When forming the formal task group in my organization the Board of Directors provided organizational credibility and appropriate connections, while the Executive Director provided credibility. The strategist took on the leadership role and lead the team in methods that help them form a cohesive strategy. All were individuals working together to complete the particular task of creating policies and procedures for the organization.

Having a strategist as the group's facilitator and leader helped lead into the norming stage. "The behavioral norms were established and accepted... As are leadership and other roles in the group" (Ivanccevich, Konopasky, Matteson, 284). Once collaboration and cohesion were established amount the group they became fully functional. The roles of each group member were understood and the group focused their energy on accomplishing an agreed upon task. The group consisted of the 'right individuals' but still needed to gain trust in order to work well together. The strategist, Board Members, and Executive Director needed to believe that change was possible, that working together was possible and that the organization could be built. Organization is not the key and there is not a matter of "...formal authority or obedience to status" (Kotter & Cohen, 54). Both authority and obedience are weak if trust is absent. A lack of trust could dramatically weaken the guiding team while going through the change process.

The Executive Director, Executive Board Members and the strategist were all key players in the organizations change process. Each key player worked their way through: storming which helped to develop task related responsibilities, as well as, norming where they created cooperation and collaboration and performing where the group was fully functioning. Throughout each stage the group developed, and became an effective collaborative group with a common goal. The new found organization was in the process of developing policies and procedures but was already undergoing environmental shifts. Competitors and similar non-profit organizations were forming within the same county. Each would be appointed to the same clients; therefore our organization was forced to further expand our client criteria in order to serve additional children in need. The strategist was able to provide leadership in creating the organizations long-term goals that aligned with the organization's mission while serving additional clients in need.

In creating successful change a well functioning team must have a clear sense of direction, a clear sense of the vision, and the most efficient way to make those changes and visions a reality. There are "... four elements that help direct actions: budgets, plans, strategies, and visions" (Kotter & Cohen, 68). Each element requires a different development process, yet all are related. Within my organization a beginning program budget was drafted. A plan was created in order to implement the start -up of the program. A strategy was then crafted around the vision statement and the program budget of the organization. Community volunteers and board members helped to create and make all four elements possible. The vision of the organization was narrowed down to the equivalent of a one minute 'elevator speech'. Attention was given to specific strategic questions such as: is our strategy bold?, are we being efficient with our time?, how quickly should we introduce change to the organization? Each questions helped to deepen the groups understanding of the organization as well as understand what solutions will help bring change to the organization. Being a non-profit organization the group found it hard to not cut corners and slash costs. Therefore the group had to focus on not being to financially centered and not to over analyze the budget when considering how to make our vision a reality and implement change.

Creating a vision with a well functioning group helps to create a strong culture characterized by the sharing of core values. "Since organizational culture involves shared expectations, values, and attitudes, it exerts influence on individuals, groups, and organizational processes" (Ivancevich, Koopaske, Matteson, 42). The current vision of the organization defines what society expects. It describes the organizations primary purpose as well as vaguely describing how the organization will achieve its long-term vision. The community can relate to the organizations vision